byu idaho accreditation

Degree Programs Offered at Brigham Young University – Idaho

Brigham Young University – Idaho appears in our ranking of the Top 30 Most Affordable Online RN to BSN Programs.

Brigham Young University – Idaho spent many years as a junior college before becoming a university. It still offers some of the same programs that it did during its junior college days, which allow students to earn associate’s degrees. The university offers more than 80 bachelor’s programs, 20 associate’s programs and 26 different certificate programs. Those programs include some traditional options available on its campus and others that are available online.

The associate’s programs include only 60 credits of courses and feature some of the general education classes that students in its bachelor’s programs take. Students can major in the administrative assistant/office manager and learn how to manage the daily operations of an office. The family history research program teaches students how to trace the ancestry of an individual and find other people related to that person. Some of the other majors available for associate’s students include general studies, business management, and web design and development.

All the bachelor’s programs offered by the university require that students take a minimum of 120 credits. The business management program allows entrepreneurs to learn more about starting and running a business and how to work for others. Students who aren’t sure what they want to study and those who don’t want to pick one specific major can enroll in the university’s interdisciplinary studies program. The university also offers majors in fields such as software engineering, nursing,  and marriage and family studies. Students can also earn certificates in fields that include computer information technology, home and family studies and web media.

About Brigham Young University – Idaho

Brigham Young University – Idaho is a private university in Rexburg, Idaho owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Better known as the LDS church, it is the same religious institution that established Brigham Young University in Utah. The campus in Idaho also uses the names BYU-Idaho and BYU-I. Established in 1903, it originally used the name Ricks Academy and served as a small prep school for Mormon settlers. Though it functioned as a secondary school, that changed when it became a full college in 1923 called Ricks College. It used the name Ricks to honor the man who served as the head of the region’s Board of Education. The college would not become BYU-I until 2000.

The connection the university has with the LDS church is evident in its code of conduct. This code outlines exactly how students can act and what they can and cannot do on the campus as well as when they leave the university. The code prohibits students from engaging in sexual activities and bans them from using alcohol and drugs. BYU-I developed a track system that requires students to take three semesters of classes each year. Though the university has an enrollment of more than 20,000 students, more than 99% of those students are members of the LDS faith.

Brigham Young University – Idaho Accreditation Details

BYU-I has both the specialty accreditation that applies to select programs and the regional accreditation that applies to the university itself. Its regional accreditation comes from the NWCCU, which is the organization that accredits colleges in the western United States. BYU-I students can both apply for financial aid programs from the government and bring credits with them. The specialty accreditation that the university holds applies to its nursing, music, physical therapy, social work, and engineering and technology programs.

Brigham Young University – Idaho Application Requirements

Prospective BYU-I students can sign up for a campus tour online and decide what they want to see in advance. These tours let them check out buildings on the Idaho campus, sit in on classes in their future majors and meet with current and prospective students. The university allows students to apply for a spot in any program without taking a campus tour though. Students will need to pick the application type that best describes their circumstances. BYU-I offers applications for transfer, dual enrollment, online and freshman students.

The university looks at five different types of criteria when making its admissions decisions, including:

  • The essays the student writes
  • Any activities the student did in high school
  • Whether the student comes from a religious background
  • General academic information
  • Any church endorsements

Students typically need an ACT/SAT score of 24/1090 and a GPA of 3.5 or higher. Members in good standing with the LDS church receive automatic acceptance to the university. Those who belong to other faiths must read the code of conduct established by the university and sign a form that promises they will follow that code. It gives priority to students who completed seminary or a religious school too. All prospective undergrads must submit the BYU-I application and submit their test scores and transcripts. They will also need to write essays to the questions listed in the application.

Tuition and Financial Aid

The cost of attendance for undergrads at BYU-I is $172 per credit hour if they are members of the LDS church and $334 per credit hour if they belong to a different faith. Full-time LDS members pay $2,059 per semester, while those who are not members of the church pay $4,118 per semester. Students spend around $200 a semester on their books and are responsible for their room and board charges. The university offers on-campus housing with a meal plan for $2,086 per semester for single students and $3,556 each semester for married students. There are residence halls designed specifically for married students and their spouses.

One way that students can get help paying their tuition is through the Idaho Work Study program. They will work for BYU-I in different roles and get regular paychecks each semester. Students who submit the FAFSA may take join the Federal Work Study program and receive both loans and grants. The BYU-I scholarship application allows students to apply to all the scholarships offered by the university through one application. Though some scholarships require that church members and others nominate students for those prizes, others award funds based on the needs and/or the merit of each student. There is also a scholarship that helps students get funding as they do internships. All the scholarships and other financial aid offered by Brigham Young University – Idaho goes to any student in an associate’s or a bachelor’s degree program.