Brigham Young University (BYU) – Idaho

Brigham Young University – Idaho (known as BYU-Idaho or BYU-I), located in Rexburg, Idaho, was founded as a junior college but became a four-year institution in 2001. The private university is owned and operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Due to its affiliation, students are required to adhere to a strict honor code that mandates acceptable behavior including academic honesty, abstaining from alcohol and drug use, abstaining from premarital sex, and keeping clean dress and grooming standards. Approximately 99 percent of the school's 14,000 students are members of the LDS Church. It is not uncommon for students to take up to two years off from their studies to be missionaries for the Church.

The Jacob Spori Building.

The parent organization of the school, the Church Educational System, also sponsors sister schools in both Hawaii and Utah. BYU-I is organized into six different colleges offering programs in the performing arts, management, agriculture, engineering, and liberal arts. The university focuses solely on undergraduate education with 17 associates and 70 bachelor's degree programs. The school uses a three-semester system for its programs. The semesters are also known as tracks; BYU-I’s funding by the LDS Church makes tuition much lower than it would be at similar private institutions.

Internships are a major part of an education at BYU-I. One of the nation’s largest intern-providing institutions, the school sends students around the globe each semester to gain practical experience via hands-on opportunities.

Accreditation

BYU-I is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Online Degrees and Programs. The school offers bachelor's degrees, associate's degrees, and certificate programs online.

Degree Programs

Bachelor’s degrees include applied management, nursing, healthcare administration, and university studies. Associate programs include family history research, general studies, administrative assistant/office management, and web design and development. Certificates are available in fields including information systems, professional sales, basic accounting, and web media.

While students come from all 50 states and more than 50 countries, nearly 40 percent of those students hail from the state of Idaho. In addition, 10 percent are from Utah, 10 percent from California, 8 percent from Washington and 6 percent from New Mexico. An overwhelming majority – 91 percent – are Caucasian, with Hispanics as the largest minority group.

Departments, Colleges, and Schools

The school is divided into thirty-seven departments, which operate within six separate colleges:

• College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
• College of Business and Communication
• College of Language and Letters
• College of Physical Sciences and Engineering
• College of Education and Human Development
• College of Performing and Visual Arts

Financial Aid

Because of the funding it receives from the LDS Church, BYU-I tuition is relatively low. However, financial aid options are still available and include merit and need-based scholarships, and federal grants and loans.

Financial aid funds are earmarked for education expenses. These include:

• Tuition and class-based fees
• Books and school supplies
• Outstanding school balances
• Living expenses
• Food
• Travel
• Insurance

Athletics

Since its switch to a four-year college, BYU-I has only intramural college sports rather than intercollegiate teams. Each sport includes a variety of teams from around the university and the teams play each other throughout the year, even holding playoffs and championships.

Teams were previously known as the Vikings. The intercollegiate athletics program ran from 1919 to 2002, with teams playing in the National Junior College Athletic Association. They won 17 national titles, 61 individual national titles and produced nearly 100 first-team All-Americans. Major players included women’s cross country, men’s cross country and women’s volleyball.

Housing

Students from the BYU-Idaho Jazz Combos class performing at a local club.

Single students under the age of 30 are required to live in an approved form of housing unless they live with their parents. Those students seeking to live with other relatives must apply for an exemption. Both on-campus apartments and housing units for married couples are available.

Housing consists of several options:

• On-campus apartments
• Off-campus apartments
• Married student housing
• Remote student housing

Two different layout options are available for men: Lamprecht (a two-bedroom furnished apartment with four beds, kitchen, living room and bathroom) and Chapman (a three-bedroom furnished apartment with six beds, living room, and bathroom). Women’s apartments have similar floor plans, offered in four buildings: Perkins, Kerr, Barnes, and Ricks. BYU-I also connects students to approved off-campus housing. Married students are housed in University Village.