A Conversation about BYU Admissions

The Church projects a 40-percent increase in the number of Latter-day Saint high school graduates in the U.S. and Canada during the next seven years. The projected increase, as well as the increased number of applications for admission over the past three years, has required Brigham Young University to make modifications in its admissions policy to keep within its enrollment ceiling, as established by the Board of Trustees. To help hopeful students and concerned parents understand BYU’s admissions policy as well as other challenges facing the university, the Ensign spoke with BYU president Rex E. Lee and BYU provost Bruce C. Hafen.

Q: Can you identify BYU’s enrollment ceiling and comment on why that ceiling is necessary?

President Lee: Currently, the enrollment ceiling at BYU is 27,000 students. Up until recently, anyone who had college-level credentials and was willing to adhere to our standards was able to be admitted. That has been an important part of our heritage. But that is simply no longer possible.

Given the worldwide needs of a growing church, the Board of Trustees, chaired by the First Presidency, decided that an enrollment ceiling needed to be set. But it hasn’t been until recently that qualified students have actually not been admitted. This reality has required an adjustment for us and an adjustment for members of the Church.

An enrollment ceiling is necessary for basically financial reasons. Once a university reaches a certain size, in order to grow beyond that size, more buildings are needed. BYU has reached the limit of students it can serve with its present facilities. Of course, as technology increases and as we add to our libraries, we will have additional building needs that are unrelated to student enrollment.

Brother Hafen: To gain perspective, let’s go back a few years. In fact, this ceiling is not a recent decision—BYU has been operating under it since 1971. Even earlier, the First Presidency decided in the 1920s that the Church could not financially sustain a higher educational system for all members of the Church who wanted to go to college. Consequently, during those years the Church established the institutes of religion and divested itself of several colleges, keeping only BYU and Ricks College. Later, BYU—Hawaii and LDS Business College were added. Ricks College and BYU—Hawaii, by the way, also have enrollment ceilings.

Q: Can you explain the current admissions policy at BYU?

President Lee: For many years, admission of those who met the worthiness standards was based on a combination of high school grade-point averages and ACT scores. However, in company with most other universities, we found that some high school students were taking easy classes so they could get high grades. That was not the desired goal. As a result, in 1982 BYU reevaluated and modified its admissions policy. It is now more complex and sophisticated, but much more effective:

1. We now use a preparation index—a process that focuses on a student’s quality of preparation for college rather than just grades—though grades do still matter. Students are given credit for taking certain classes that will better prepare them for college—classes such as math, science, history, English, foreign languages—in other words, the academic core of classes offered in high school. Students are also given additional credit for advanced placement classes that prepare them for a college curriculum. The result is that a lower grade in a rigorous course can have more weight in the admission decision than a higher grade in a less-rigorous course. Furthermore, classes taken during the senior year in high school have an influence on the admission decision even though courses have not been completed.

2. However, since the academic credentials of our applicants are usually very good, we’ve now added some nonacademic factors to the admissions process. We have done this to include a broader cross-section of the entire Church population. The 1991 undergraduate admission application asks for the number of years of seminary attendance. It’s important to note that seminary attendance is not required for admission to BYU, but the number of years of seminary completed (either released-time, early morning, or home study) will be an added factor in the admission decision. Seminary grades, however, will not be a factor.

3. In addition, applicants are asked to respond, in writing, to two statements: “Relate your most significant experience (outside your academic work) that you believe warrants special consideration by the University Admission Committee,” and “Why do you believe this information warrants special consideration in evaluating your admission application?”

4. And, of course, we continue to require an ecclesiastical endorsement of worthiness from the bishop of each student applying for admission.

Q: What can a high school student who hopes to attend BYU do to enhance his or her chances of gaining admission?

Brother Hafen: Well, our admissions policy is one that rewards a student who prepares early and works hard. Anybody, regardless of age, income, IQ, race, or sex can do things to get into a better position for admission.

We encourage students to complete at least 50 percent of their high school work in college-preparatory subjects. These include four years of English, two years of math beyond Algebra I, two years of lab sciences, two years of history, two years of literature, and two years of a foreign language. Students with a GPA of 3.0 (B) or higher and an ACT score above 20 are encouraged to apply, though these are not minimum requirements, nor do they guarantee admission. We have discovered that there is a high correlation between taking college-prep classes and scoring well on the ACT.

We also encourage students to take seminary, whether it’s released-time, early morning, or home study. We want students to benefit from taking those classes and from learning gospel principles. Finally, the essay gives students an opportunity to explain additional personal circumstances that would affect the admissions decision.

The bottom line is that not everyone who applies to BYU will be admitted. Yet last year we admitted five out of six freshmen who applied. So, most students who apply do get accepted.

Q: Do some Church members feel that the cost of attending BYU is out of reach for students coming from families with a middle income or below?

President Lee: There are certain reasons that people like to go to a private school as opposed to a public school. In our case, BYU offers an environment that is impossible to find on any other four-year campus in the world. But private institutions don’t have access to public funds, and therefore they generally cost more.

Despite that, I feel strongly that tuition at BYU is one of the best college bargains around. Many people may be surprised to learn that according to Money College Guide 1990, BYU was ranked fourth on a list of one hundred of the best education buys (among private schools) in the nation.

In addition, approximately 95 percent of all private universities and colleges in the U.S. have a higher tuition than BYU. Further, when you compare us with state universities and colleges—whether you use resident or nonresident figures—the cost of attending BYU is about average for comparable institutions. BYU’s tuition is so affordable because approximately 70 percent of the cost is paid by Church funds.

Brother Hafen: The members of the Board of Trustees feel very strongly that tuition at BYU should be low. They do not want a BYU education to be financially out of reach for members of the Church from even the humblest circumstances.

Currently, I think most of the students who are admitted to BYU can, through a combination of low tuition, scholarships, and other financial assistance, afford to attend and earn their degrees. One of our major objectives is to make that possible for each student who is admitted. We are working with the BYU Alumni Association and the LDS Foundation toward accomplishing that goal.

For further information, write BYU Admissions and Records, A-153 ASB, BYU, Provo, UT 84602.

Brigham Young University Provost Bruce C. Hafen and President Rex E. Lee. (Photo by Philip S. Shurtleff.)