The National Pan-Hellenic Council was established in 1930 at Howard University as a national coordinating body for the nine historically African American Fraternities and Sororities which had evolved on American college and university campuses by that time. Blatant racism had prevented many African American students on historically white campuses from joining general fraternities and sororities. African Americans were denied admittance to large numbers of campuses which still prohibited blacks from attending. Therefore, African American students on both types of campuses established fraternities and sororities to enhance their college experiences. These organizations did not then nor do they now restrict membership to African Americans. They have developed, however, a distinctive African American style in their activities both social and philanthropic.

Post World War I:

NPHC chapters spread to major research university campuses that admitted blacks and to major historically black colleges in the south. Alumni chapters established in cities across the U.S.A. as civic and service organizations because blatant racism prohibited African Americans from participating in general civic organizations in their communities after graduation from college.

Post World War II:

NPHC chapters proliferated on southern historically black college campuses. Many cultural traditions which differed markedly from historically white college traditions became refined and embedded within the African American culture (i.e."lining" and public skits on campus as a part of "pledging").

Post Civil Rights Act 1964:

Many colleges and universities which had previously denied admittance to African Americans or had small enrollments grew in their enrollment of African Americans and established NPHC chapters on their campuses. This swelled the numbers of NPHC affiliate organizations to over 400 undergraduate chapters and as many alumni chapters on the average for each organization. Presently, there are approximately 1.5 million members of undergraduate and graduate chapters served by NPHC.

In many ways this upsurge in growth though welcomed, was unexpected and unplanned for by NPHC. By and large, even though the national office staffs of each of the nine affiliate organizations have increased dramatically, they have not matched the pace of growth of the chapters.  None of the historically African American fraternities or sororities have staffed their offices with field consultants (young, recent college graduate members of the respective organizations who actively visit college chapters to motivate, evaluate and sometimes recommend discipline for chapters that stray from the national or university standard). Historically African American fraternities and sororities and their office staffs must also give appropriate time and attention to alumni chapters. This further diminishes the time and attention proportionately that can be paid to collegiate affairs.

In 1992 through the joint cooperation of Indiana University - Bloomington and the National Board of Directors of NPHC, the first permanent national office for NPHC was established in Bloomington, Indiana. There had been a roving national office (usually the address of a national officer ) over the previous 62 years. In 1993, at its national convention, NPHC changed its national constitution to allow the appointment of its first Executive Director, Dr. Michael V.W. Gordon, faculty member at Indiana University, who had formerly been Vice Chancellor for Campus Life and/or Dean of Students at Indiana University 1981-91.

Also at the National Convention in 1993, NPHC changed its constitution to open the possibility of membership for other like organizations, many which have been established as national organizations after 1930. In 1995, the first international council (Nassau, Bahamas Council) was chartered by the NPHC. In 1996, Iota Phi Theta Fraternity joined as an affiliate organization of the NPHC. The NPHC is now the collaborative body for nine historically black fraternities and sororities. The International President of the NPHC is Cassandra Black. She resides in Dallas, Texas.