In college, leadership development is not just an extracurricular activity—it's a transformative journey that shapes future leaders. The National Society of Leadership and Success (Sigma Alpha Pi) empowers students to unlock their potential and achieve remarkable success.
Sigma Alpha Pi, known as The National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS), is the largest accredited leadership honor society in the nation with over 2 million members and more than 800 chapters. Students are invited to join based on their academic achievements and leadership potential. At the NSLS, nomination criteria goes beyond the classroom—it's about putting leadership education into action.
The core of our identity is Success, Action, and Purpose. We strive to nurture and prepare leaders through strategic leadership development that translates into real-world situations. Ultimately, it's about achieving success in your personal life and career.
We are dream supporters, goal-setters, and community-builders who believe that being a leader means bettering yourself and your community. Our goal is to "build leaders who make a better world." In order to do this, we award over $400,000 in scholarships every year through our NSLS Foundation.
Why are we the only accredited leadership honor society? We passed a rigorous review process and received acknowledgment from the national accreditation agency, Cognia. We are also recommended by NCCRS and ACE. This designation exemplifies the high standards we hold for ourselves and represents the ethics and practices we use in our educational approach.
We believe that leadership programs should be accessible to everyone. While many of our chapters meet on campus, we have a large number of online chapters geared toward busy students. To to provide the best experience, we also offer a virtual National Online Chapter that accommodates members whose colleges don’t have a chapter.
The NSLS isn't your typical honor society. There’s more to it than just accepting your nomination. Once you become a member, you’ll begin your Steps to Induction. This five-step leadership development program builds key skills that set you apart in today’s job market.
You’ll also have the opportunity to hear from global leaders in our Speaker Broadcasts. These conversations help you visualize your dreams as achievable goals. Influential figures share their personal stories, detailing their paths to success. These deep dives highlight the process of becoming a leader.
When you hear from Barack Obama or George W. Bush about the steps they took to become President, or the grueling work Mark Cuban put in, or the failures endured throughout Gabrielle Union’s career, you’ll realize that there’s a process to achieving goals. By hearing their stories, the gap between start and finish feels more attainable.
Other noteworthy guest speakers include:
Our leadership development program is designed and constantly updated for the modern world. It hits on key attributes hiring managers seek and creates individualized goal-setting techniques, such as SMART goals.
Once you accept your nomination, you’ll have access to limited member benefits. But in order to access the full suite of benefits, you must complete the five Steps to Induction.
After you become an inducted member, your NSLS experience really starts to take off.
As a member, you'll join a network of leaders and gain access to a range of benefits that directly impact your career in a positive way. You'll also be able to take advantage of career-oriented perks, including:
92% of our members said the NSLS impacted their likelihood to achieve their life goals. We attribute this to the highly-accessible tools and career services we offer.
To further your leadership education, we offer Advanced & Executive Leadership Certification, which enhances skills and allows you to earn a certificate or college credits in the process. You can demonstrate the skills you’ve acquired through the program with:
Education is always changing. That's why we’ve launched new initiatives to shift the way you learn in this dynamic landscape. We're excited to offer a flexible program, which accommodates busy schedules and promotes a safer approach.
The COVID-19 pandemic taught us to refocus our thinking on how we teach, concentrating more on relationship and community building. To stay at the forefront of leadership education, we’ve implemented additional program features, such as:
Develop your leadership skills through education designed to drive success, and join a community of leaders and a network for life at Sigma Alpha Pi (the NSLS). Learn more about the range of benefits you'll receive and hear inspirational success stories from our members.
Accept Your Nomination
- Corrin Laposki, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
We are not affiliated or associated with a sorority, fraternity, or Greek life in general. As a leadership honor society, Sigma Alpha Pi stands for Success, Action, and Purpose and focuses on our students' professional and career development.
In the National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS), Sigma Alpha Pi is the Greek-letter designation representing our core values. "Sigma Alpha Pi" stands for Success, Action, and Purpose, which encapsulates our mission to inspire, empower, and support our members in their leadership development and personal achievement.
Sigma Alpha Pi and The National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS) refer to the same organization. Sigma Alpha Pi is the Greek-letter designation for NSLS, emphasizing the society's focus on leadership, success, and the values of academic excellence and personal growth.
Members are either nominated by their school or can apply to become a member online. Members are selected based on their GPA and/or leadership potential. Along with these factors, those who apply to become a member must also be recommended by at least one faculty member.
We offer a wide range of benefits including skills development, networking events, and more designed to help you with future employment opportunities. Our program, benefits, and resources are used by members voluntarily, at their own leisure. The more engaged you are in the program, the more you benefit from your membership.