University of Maryland: Deferred Recruitment Policy Bans First-Semester Students From Joining Fraternities and Sororities

The University of Maryland prohibits all fraternities and sororities, as a condition for university recognition,  from accepting students with less than 12 credit hours. UMD provides no exceptions to this policy for any individual student or group, and imposes no similar requirement on first-semester students playing for university athletic teams, working full-time jobs, or joining other campus groups. On April 4, 2022, FIRE wrote to UMD explaining that this policy improperly restricts first-semester students’ First Amendment right to freedom of association and must be rescinded.