,·Private (nonprofit)·Est. 1875
“Private research university in Provo, Utah, affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”
Brigham Young University (BYU), located in Provo, Utah, is one of the largest private religious universities in the United States and the flagship higher-education institution of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS, often colloquially 'Mormon'). Founded in 1875, BYU enrolls about 36,500 students (33,000+ undergraduates) on a 560-acre campus at the foot of the Wasatch Mountains, with mountain views from nearly every classroom. Roughly 99% of BYU students are LDS Church members, and the university operates under a unique financial model: the LDS Church directly subsidizes tuition, making BYU one of the most affordable private universities in the country — about $6,500/year for LDS undergraduates and roughly $13,000/year for non-LDS undergraduates (still less than half the published rate of comparable private peers). Academically, BYU punches well above its tuition tier: the Marriott School of Business is consistently ranked top-25 nationally (Accounting top-5; Information Systems top-3), the Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering and Technology has a strong tech/CS pipeline into Silicon Slopes (the Utah tech corridor), and BYU's languages and area-studies programs are nationally distinctive — about 65% of BYU students speak a second language fluently, largely thanks to the LDS missionary tradition that sends most students abroad for two years before or during college. BYU also operates one of the largest collegiate flight schools (Aviation Sciences) and is home to the Mary Lou Fulton Conservatory and the BYU Cougars NCAA Division I athletics program (a recent Big 12 conference addition). Students at BYU — domestic AND international — must commit to and live by the BYU Honor Code, which includes academic integrity, abstaining from alcohol/tobacco/coffee/tea/illegal drugs, dress and grooming standards, and chastity outside marriage. Most students require an annual ecclesiastical endorsement from their LDS bishop (or, for non-LDS students, from a clergy member of their own faith). About 1,300 international students attend from 105 countries — the largest cohorts come from Canada, South Korea, China, and Brazil. International students are eligible for BYU's merit scholarships, but the LDS subsidy means even non-LDS international tuition is a fraction of comparable private universities. The Honor Code requirement is the single most important fit factor for prospective international applicants — admission requires accepting all of its terms.
Visa, OPT, H-1B alumni outcomes, and acceptance rates by country — sourced from FOIA, USCIS H-1B Hub, and DHS SEVIS.
National Universities
US News 2026
International Student Enrollment (F-1)
DHS SEVIS by the Numbers (2024)
Research Activity
Carnegie Classifications (2021)
Research classification
Carnegie
Research classification
Carnegie Classification
Test Optional — You can submit scores if they help your case, but they're not required.
Official SourcePriority Deadline
Priority consideration for scholarships
Regular Decision
Standard application deadline
The deep admissions playbook beyond the headline acceptance rate — round-by-round breakdowns, nationality data, requirements, and contact paths.
Tuition & Fees (All Students)
$6,688
/yr
Beyond the sticker price — every named scholarship, the financial aid policy, need-aware notes, and a personalized net-cost estimate.
How life on campus actually feels — clubs, sports, traditions, housing realities, and how the school integrates with its city.
AACSB-accredited; nationally top-25 with Accounting consistently top-5 and Information Systems top-3 by U.S. News and BYU's own employer reports. Strong recruiting from the Big Four (Deloitte, EY, KPMG, PwC), Goldman Sachs, McKinsey, Bain, and the Silicon Slopes tech corridor (Adobe, Qualtrics, Domo, Pluralsight).
Strong programs across Mechanical, Civil, Electrical, Chemical, and Computer Engineering plus a top-ranked Computer Science department. Major industry pipeline to Silicon Slopes, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, and L3Harris.
Distinctive BYU strength — the School of Family Life is one of the only standalone family-science schools in the U.S. Strong Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Political Science, and Geography departments.
Among the strongest language and area-studies programs in the U.S. — partly because ~65% of BYU students return from LDS missions speaking a second language fluently. Houses 50+ language offerings and the Center for Language Studies.
Strong pre-health pipeline with one of the highest medical-school acceptance rates in the U.S. (~85% of BYU pre-med applicants accepted to MD programs). Top departments include Microbiology & Molecular Biology, Neuroscience, and Exercise Sciences.
4 years
Consistently ranked top-3 nationally by U.S. News and Public Accounting Report. Highest CPA pass rate in the U.S. for several recent years. Direct-admission Macc (Master of Accountancy) 5-year track. Big Four firms recruit on campus aggressively.
4 years
Top-3 ranked Information Systems undergraduate program. STEM-designated. Strong feeder into Silicon Slopes (Qualtrics, Adobe, Pluralsight, Domo) and tier-1 tech firms (Microsoft, Amazon, Google).
4 years
Rapidly growing CS department with strong machine-learning, security, and graphics research groups. STEM-designated; STEM OPT-eligible. Strong Silicon Slopes pipeline.
4 years
BYU offers more than 50 modern and ancient languages — among the largest language curricula in U.S. higher education. Many BYU students take advanced coursework in a language they learned during their LDS mission.
Where alumni go after graduation — top industries, grad-school continuation, and the qualitative outcomes story.
Sticker price (annual, out-of-state): $21,940
Net-cost estimate is US-resident-only — international applicants are typically excluded from need-based aid at most schools and should treat the sticker price as the planning baseline.
