Sorority recruitment drew viral attention on campuses nationwide in fall 2025 as “RushTok” videos flooded TikTok with the help of brand deals and influencer culture.
The TikTok phenomenon known as RushTok features videos of students documenting each step of sorority recruitment, from outfit checks to bid day reveals. What began as a campus tradition at schools like the University of Alabama grew into a viral trend. “RushTok” has drawn millions of views from incoming first-year students and current college students, as seen with Georgia TriDelta.
The trend also gave rise to a new wave of college-aged influencers. Sisters Kylan and Izzy Darnell, students at the University of Alabama, became two of the most recognizable faces on RushTok. Their daily updates on outfits, house tours and bid day reveals attracted thousands of followers and national media coverage. RushTok transformed a weeklong recruitment tradition into a social media platform for both girls.
The popular trend soon attracted brands eager to market to incoming and current college students. Fashion, beauty and lifestyle companies began appearing in RushTok content to advertise and increase sales.
Brands that dominated “RushTok”, such as Tarte, Poppi and Altar’d State, were featured regularly in unboxing videos. Some brands sent promotional boxes to participants, creating a bridge between recruitment videos and influencer marketing.
At TCU, RushTok has also shaped the tone of recruitment in fall 2025. Potential new members posted daily outfit videos and rush clips, which drew attention from beyond campus and made their national TikTok audience a part of the process.
Sororities such as TCU Gamma Phi Beta and TCU Alpha Delta Pi joined the trend by each posting a RushTok video that caught the eyes of many viewers. Many of TCU’s sororities are still accepting girls through continuous open bidding (COB) to increase their recruitment numbers from RushTok.
Viral videos, student influencers and branded products have brought national attention to recruitment week, highlighting the growing influence of digital platforms on college life.
