Organized as Kappa Alpha Nu Fraternity on January 5, 1911, the organization received its charter and incorporation on May 15, 1911.  Four years later, on April 15, 1915, the fraternity renamed itself Kappa Alpha Psi.

Kappa's founders successfully developed a formula to immediately heighten the vision of black collegians, stimulating them to accomplish more than they had imagined.  With achievement as its purpose, Kappa Alpha Psi began uniting college men of culture, patriotism and honor within its fraternal bond.  In rapid succession, chapters spread to the University of Illinois, the University of Iowa, and Wilberforce University campuses.  By 1919, the Kappa Alpha Psi experience had generated enough serious interest among black college degree holders that alumni chapters began to form.   Undergraduate and alumni chapters now are worldwide.

Kappa Alpha Psi is based in Philadelphia, the site of its international headquarters.  Historically, its members predominantly have been African American.  One of the fraternity's objectives is to train its members, particularly undergraduates, to assume leadership roles in their communities and achieve a high degree of excellence in academic pursuits.