The process of selecting new members and holding initiation should follow these steps:

1. Within a couple of weeks after semester starts, chapter president informs advisor to attain the list of eligible undergraduate and graduate students (see eligibility requirements below). Advisor obtains the list from administrative secretary and provides it to the president.
2. President calls a chapter meeting to vote on the suitability of each eligible students to be invited to become PTS members and finalizes the final list of candidates.
3. The chapter corresponding secretary sends out emails to candidates for an informational meeting for the prospective initiates where the scope and mission of Pi Tau Sigma is presented to the students. If keys and plaques are utilized, they are distributed and the initiation fee is collected from students that are interested in joining. A suitable date of initiation is set.  Candidates are instructed to polish their keys, varnish their plaque and attach the key on it. Chapters may employ set requirements that candidates need to fulfill to earn the right to be initiated.
4. On the day of the initiation, the chapter president retrieves the initiation roll book from the advisor. The president records the name of the chapter and the date of the initiation at the top, and the names, signatures, and positions of the two officers conducting the initiation ceremony. If advisor is attending the ceremony she or he signs below the officers. At the end of the ceremony, all candidates print and sign their names on the roll book and get congratulated by all chapter members present at the initiation. A picture should be taken at the end of the ceremony of all of the new initiates, chapter officers, and the advisor. At the end of the ceremony, the chapter president also takes a picture of the completed roll book page and emails it and the picture of those present to the national secretary within seven days of the ceremony.  No free keys are provided if chapter fails to email the roll book picture and picture of those present within seven days of the ceremony. The picture of the newly inducted members, chapter officers, and advisor is also included in the annual report at the end of the academic year. The roll book is returned to the advisor.
5. If a student misses the initiation ceremony, a makeup initiation ceremony needs to be held, within a week from the initial ceremony. The make-up initiation is recorded on the roll book, on a separate page, as a make-up initiation, documenting the ceremony exactly in the same way as described in item iv above. A picture should be taken at the end of the ceremony of all of the new initiates, chapter officers, and the advisor. At the end of the ceremony, the chapter president also takes a picture of the completed roll book page and emails it and the picture of those present to the national secretary within seven days of the makeup ceremony. The picture of the newly inducted members, along with a picture of the chapter officers and advisor is taken at the end of the ceremony and is included in the annual report at the end of the academic year.
6. In completing the registration form, it is paramount to download the form from the website and complete it following all the instructions on the form. It is essential, to have the initiates enter their non-university emails on the form. The completed form needs to be emailed to the national secretary, no later than 10 days from the date of the initiation. A paper copy of the registration form along with a check for the total amount is mailed to the national Secretary-Treasurer within 30 days from the day of the ceremony.
7. If a make-up initiation is required, the chapter holds on to the excel registration form from the first initiation, and after adding the names and date from the makeup initiation to it, the excel form is emailed to the secretary-treasurer for processing, within ten days from the date of the makeup initiation.
8. A chapter is allowed one initiation per semester or quarter if the university’s academic year consists of three quarters. If for some reason a second initiation must be held, a fee of $15 must be submitted, in addition to registration fees, to cover the extra shipping and handling costs.
9. If the date of the initiation is set, and you are certain that all initiates are committed to become members, you may complete the registration form and email it to the national secretary for processing, ahead of the initiation. If this happens at least two weeks before the initiation date, you will be able to receive the certificates and membership cards in time to distribute at the end of the ceremony. In these instances, the chapter should avoid adding or subtracting initiates from the original list submitted.
10. When emailing the excel registration form, please document the date that the signature page picture was emailed to the secretary treasurer.
11. If a chapter holds an initiation and does not register it with the national office, the initiated students are not considered Pi Tau Sigma members, and they should not indicate so in any form, as it might be viewed as plagiarism if a membership inquiry is made to the national office on their membership status, as there would be no such record. Note that government agencies tend to submit such inquiries.
12. There is a $50 inactivity fee assessed to chapters that did not register an initiation for the previous two or more academic years. This fee is entered on the excel registration form.