Upsilon Pi Epsilon is the first, and only, nationally recognized honor society in the computing sciences. UPE was founded in 1967 at Texas A&M University with a mission to recognize outstanding academic and professional achievement in the computing field. Since its founding, over 150 institutions of higher education around the world have established local UPE chapters to honor their students as well as faculty and other professionals demonstrating a superior dedication the advancement of the computing discipline.

UPE has been recognized and endorsed by both the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Computer Society and the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), the two largest computer organizations in the world.

Membership in UPE constitutes outstanding scholastic achievement and dedication to the discipline. Each Spring semester, the chapter selects a group of eligible candidates that have demonstrated strong academic abilities to be invited for membership in the society. Invitations are extended only once and those who accept the invitation are placed before the Membership Committee for election. Once elected, the candidate must attend the annual Initiation Ceremony as a formal recognition of membership.