Hometown friends, Lewis Skolnick and Gilbert Lowe, arrive for their freshman year at Adams College to study in the prestigious computer science program. As the bespectacled duo lug a trunk across campus, a crowd at a fraternity house points at them and chants “nerds.” Unperturbed by the taunts, Lewis and Gilbert settle into their dorm room and unpack components to build a robot. Meanwhile, the Alpha Beta fraternity, whose members are mostly football players, accidently set their house on fire while experimenting with 188-proof liquor and a lighter. Football coach Harris pressures Dean Ulich to let his players take over the freshman dorm, while the current residents, including Lewis and Gilbert, are temporarily reassigned to the gymnasium. As consolation for the inconvenience, the dean amends school policy and permits freshmen to join fraternities. However, Lewis and Gilbert are among a group of outcasts not selected for a fraternity and are stuck living in the gymnasium. The others include the marijuana-smoker “Booger,” the gay African-American Lamar, the bookish Poindexter, child genius Wormser, and a Japanese student named Takashi. As a last resort, the optimistic Lewis seeks advice from popular sorority girl, Betty Childs, who deceives him into believing that he and Gilbert have a chance to join the Alpha Beta fraternity. After the two nerds are subjected to a fake initiation, they return to the gymnasium humiliated. Meanwhile, in his computer science class, Gilbert befriends a girl named Judy, who plays the accordion. Joining forces with their fellow rejects, Lewis and Gilbert rent a dilapidated house near campus. After the nerds renovate the place, Stan Gable, who is leader of the Alpha Betas, quarterback for the football team, and Betty Child’s boyfriend, looks on with envy. Later, a rock, containing the warning “Nerds Get Out,” is thrown through their window. Police are unable to intervene and suggests the boys appeal to the school’s Greek Council. However, the Council, whose president is Stan Gable, is unwilling to help and informs the nerds that they are not allowed to form their own fraternity without sponsorship. Every national fraternity rejects the outcasts except the all-black Lambda Lambda Lambda, which does not have a chapter at Adams College and agrees to meet with the group. In accordance with their by-laws, Lambda president, U. N. Jefferson, accepts the nerds on a trial basis. Lewis is eager to prove their group is worthy of being “Tri-Lambs,” and invites the skeptical Jefferson to their first party. Judy contacts her Omega Mu sorority, known as the female nerds on campus, to help liven up the event, which initially fails to impress U. N. Jefferson. The party remains dull until Booger distributes marijuana cigarettes, stimulating the uptight crowd to dance and flirt with each other. The frolicking is interrupted when the Alpha Betas and the Pi sorority release a sounder of swine into the house. Deflated, the nerds are worried the prank will affect their chance to become Tri-Lambs, while Gilbert advises his friends that they must not resort to violence. In retaliation, the group surprises the Pi sorority girls while they are undressing, and during the commotion, Lamar and Wormser install hidden surveillance cameras in the house. To get even with the Alpha Betas, the nerds douse the jocks’ underwear with liquid heat before football practice. U. N. Jefferson is pleased the nerds fought back and officially accepts them as Tri-Lambdas. However, the Alpha Betas continue to harass the outcasts, and Stan Gable uses his influence as Greek Council president to block any appeals. The nerds realize they must win the Homecoming Carnival, which will give them the right to take over the Council presidency from Gable. During the event, which involves a beer-drinking tricycle race and a belching contest, the Tri-Lambs and their partner, the Omega Mu’s, surprise everyone and remain in second place behind the Alpha Beta/Pi team. For the fundraising competition, the Tri-Lambs collect the most money by selling pies with a naked photograph of Betty Childs. Meanwhile, Lewis approaches Betty in disguise, pretending to be Stan Gable, and seduces her in the fun house. Afterward, she is shocked when he takes off his mask, but is impressed by his lovemaking skills and suggests they meet later at the pep rally. Heading into the musical competition, the Tri-Lamb/Omega-Mu team is tied with their rivals for first place, but the nerds’ creative techno performance earns the loudest applause, and Dean Ulich awards them the Homecoming Carnival trophy. The Tri-Lambs appoint Gilbert as the next president of the Greek Council, while Betty informs Stan Gable that she is breaking up with him to date a nerd. Spurred on by Coach Harris, the humiliated Alpha Betas vandalize the Tri-Lamb fraternity house and wreck Lewis and Gilbert’s robot. At the pep rally that night, Gilbert shows up to confront the Alpha Betas as they are cheered for the upcoming football game. Coach Harris tries to stop him, but U. N. Jefferson and Tri-Lambs from other chapters arrive in time to support Gilbert. After Jefferson hands over the microphone, Gilbert and Lewis announce they are proud to be nerds and appeal to the alumni in the audience who might also have been harassed as nerds. Judy and Betty rush to embrace their respective boyfriends in the center of the field. The other Tri-Lambs join in as the pep rally crowd leave their seats to stand up for nerd rights.