The National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) was established in 1902 for the purpose of creating an agreement of cooperation, and a list of standards by which all fraternal organizations would strive to abide by. The mutual agreements that were first established at the conference provided members of the NPC with guidelines for pledging, which prior to 1902 had not been addressed in the greater fraternity and sorority community. It is referred to as a "Conference" because the NPC considers itself a "Conference" as opposed to a congress. The NPC does not mandate any sort of legislation other than what is discussed and decided upon within their own meetings.    

    In addition to the unanimous agreements that are established during their meetings, the NPC acts as a final resource for dealing with any Fraternity and Sorority Life issues that may arise on a college campus. DePaul University's Panhellenic Council is the umbrella organization on campus that governs Panhellenic-wide decisions, as well as running formal recruitment in the fall quarter of each school year. Today's NPC represents 26 Panhellenic sororities throughout the nation, with 6 chapters currently being represented on DePaul's campus. (Alpha Phi, Alpha Sigma Alpha, Alpha Omicron Pi, Chi Omega, Delta Gamma, and Delta Zeta)