BYU Requirements for Admission

What are BYU's admission requirements? While there are a lot of pieces that go into a college application, you should focus on only a few critical things:

  • GPA requirements
  • Testing requirements, including SAT and ACT requirements
  • Application requirements

In this guide we'll cover what you need to get into BYU and build a strong application.

School location: Provo, UT

This school is also known as: Brigham Young University


Admissions Rate: 67.5%

If you want to get in, the first thing to look at is the acceptance rate. This tells you how competitive the school is and how serious their requirements are.

The acceptance rate at BYU is 67.5%. For every 100 applicants, 68 are admitted.

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This means the school is moderately selective. The school expects you to meet their requirements for GPA and SAT/ACT scores, but they're more flexible than other schools. If you exceed their requirements, you have an excellent chance of getting in. But if you don't, you might be one of the unlucky minority that gets a rejection letter.


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BYU GPA Requirements

Many schools specify a minimum GPA requirement, but this is often just the bare minimum to submit an application without immediately getting rejected.

The GPA requirement that really matters is the GPA you need for a real chance of getting in. For this, we look at the school's average GPA for its current students.

Average GPA: 3.86

The average GPA at BYU is 3.86.

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(Most schools use a weighted GPA out of 4.0, though some report an unweighted GPA.

With a GPA of 3.86, BYU requires you to be near the top of your class, and well above average. Your transcript should show mostly A's. Ideally, you will also have taken several AP or IB classes to show that you can handle academics at a college level.

If you're currently a junior or senior, your GPA is hard to change in time for college applications. If your GPA is at or below the school average of 3.86, you'll need a higher SAT or ACT score to compensate. This will help you compete effectively against other applicants who have higher GPAs than you.


SAT and ACT Requirements

Each school has different requirements for standardized testing. Most schools require the SAT or ACT, and many also require SAT subject tests.

You must take either the SAT or ACT to submit an application to BYU. More importantly, you need to do well to have a strong application.

BYU SAT Requirements

Many schools say they have no SAT score cutoff, but the truth is that there is a hidden SAT requirement. This is based on the school's average score.

Average SAT: 1315

The average SAT score composite at BYU is a 1315 on the 1600 SAT scale.

This score makes BYU Moderately Competitive for SAT test scores.

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BYU SAT Score Analysis (New 1600 SAT)

The 25th percentile SAT score is 1220, and the 75th percentile SAT score is 1410. In other words, a 1220 on the SAT places you below average, while a 1410 will move you up to above average.

Here's the breakdown of SAT scores by section:

SectionAverage25th Percentile75th Percentile
Math655600710
Reading + Writing660610710
Composite131512201410

SAT Score Choice Policy

The Score Choice policy at your school is an important part of your testing strategy.


BYU ACT Requirements

Just like for the SAT, BYU likely doesn't have a hard ACT cutoff, but if you score too low, your application will get tossed in the trash.

Average ACT: 29

The average ACT score at BYU is 29. This score makes BYU Moderately Competitive for ACT scores.

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The 25th percentile ACT score is 26, and the 75th percentile ACT score is 31.

Even though BYU likely says they have no minimum ACT requirement, if you apply with a 26 or below, you'll have a harder time getting in, unless you have something else impressive in your application.

ACT Score Sending Policy

If you're taking the ACT as opposed to the SAT, you have a huge advantage in how you send scores, and this dramatically affects your testing strategy.

Here it is: when you send ACT scores to colleges, you have absolute control over which tests you send. You could take 10 tests, and only send your highest one. This is unlike the SAT, where many schools require you to send all your tests ever taken.

This means that you have more chances than you think to improve your ACT score. To try to aim for the school's ACT requirement of 29 and above, you should try to take the ACT as many times as you can. When you have the final score that you're happy with, you can then send only that score to all your schools.

ACT Superscore Policy

By and large, most colleges do not superscore the ACT. (Superscore means that the school takes your best section scores from all the test dates you submit, and then combines them into the best possible composite score). Thus, most schools will just take your highest ACT score from a single sitting.

We weren't able to find the school's exact ACT policy, which most likely means that it does not Superscore. Regardless, you can choose your single best ACT score to send in to BYU, so you should prep until you reach our recommended target ACT score of 29.


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SAT/ACT Writing Section Requirements

Both the SAT and ACT have an optional essay section.

BYU recommends that you take the SAT Essay/ACT Writing section. If you do well, they'll consider your application to be stronger.


SAT Subject Test Requirements

Schools vary in their SAT subject test requirements. Typically, selective schools tend to require them, while most schools in the country do not.

We did not find information that BYU requires SAT subject tests, and so most likely it does not. At least 6 months before applying, you should still doublecheck just to make sure, so you have enough time to take the test.



Final Admissions Verdict

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Because this school is moderately selective, strong academic performance will almost guarantee you admission. Scoring a 1410 SAT or a 31 ACT or above will nearly guarantee you admission. Because the school admits 67.5% of all applicants, being far above average raises the admission rate for you to nearly 100%.

If you can achieve a high SAT/ACT score, the rest of your application essentially doesn't matter. You still need to meet the rest of the application requirements, and your GPA shouldn't be too far off from the school average of 3.86. But you won't need dazzling extracurriculars and breathtaking letters of recommendation to get in. You can get in based on the merits of your score alone.

But if your score is a 1220 SAT or a 26 ACT and below, you have a good chance of being one of the unlucky few to be rejected.


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We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools.

Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in.

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Admissions Calculator

What are your chances of admission at Brigham Young University?
Chances of admission with these scores:

Here's our custom admissions calculator. Plug in your numbers to see what your chances of getting in are.

Pick your test: SAT ACT

SAT Score
Your GPA

Note: Your admission decision relies not only on your GPA and SAT/ACT scores, but also on your coursework difficulty, extracurriculars, letters of recommendation, and personal statements. This tool provides only a simplistic estimate of your chances of admission. Instead of treating this tool as a crystal ball, we recommend you consider the big picture of what your chance means:
  • 80-100%: Safety school: Strong chance of getting in
  • 50-80%: More likely than not getting in
  • 20-50%: Lower but still good chance of getting in
  • 5-20%: Reach school: Unlikely to get in, but still have a shot
  • 0-5%: Hard reach school: Very difficult to get in
We recommend you apply to schools across a range of chances. Applying to some safety schools will guarantee you have a college to go to, while applying to some reach schools will give you a shot at getting into the school at the top of your range.

How would your chances improve with a better score?

Take your current SAT score and add 160 points (or take your ACT score and add 4 points) to the calculator above. See how much your chances improve?

At PrepScholar, we've created the leading online SAT/ACT prep program. We guarantee an improvement of 160 SAT points or 4 ACT points on your score, or your money back.

Here's a summary of why we're so much more effective than other prep programs:

There's a lot more to PrepScholar that makes it the best SAT/ACT prep program. Click to learn more about our program, or sign up for our 5-day free trial to check out PrepScholar for yourself:

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Application Requirements

Every school requires an application with the bare essentials - high school transcript and GPA, application form, and other core information. Many schools, as explained above, also require SAT and ACT scores, as well as letters of recommendation, application essays, and interviews. We'll cover the exact requirements of BYU here.

Application Requirements Overview

  • Common Application Not accepted
  • Universal Application Not accepted
  • Electronic Application Available
  • Essay or Personal Statement Required for all freshmen
  • Letters of Recommendation 1
  • Interview Required
  • Application Fee $35
  • Fee Waiver Available? Not available
  • Other Notes

Testing Requirements

  • SAT or ACT Required
  • SAT Essay or ACT Writing Recommended
  • SAT Subject Tests
  • Scores Due in Office February 1

Coursework Requirements

  • Subject Required Years
  • English 4
  • Math 3
  • Science 2
  • Foreign Language 2
  • Social Studies
  • History 2
  • Electives

Deadlines and Early Admissions

  •  
    • Offered? Deadline Notification
  • Regular Admission
    • Yes None
  • Early Action
    • No
  • Early Decision
    • No

Admissions Office Information

Our Expert's Notes

We did more detailed research into this school's admissions process and found the following information:

BYU has religious, and specifically LDS, requirements for admission. From their website: "The first consideration in the review process is the ecclesiastical endorsement. Each applicant must be endorsed by his or her ecclesiastical leaders as one who is worthy to attend BYU and is living in harmony with the Honor Code and the Dress and Grooming Standards (BeSmart.com/honorcode). Non-LDS applicants will only be required to meet with one of the following: an LDS bishop, branch president, or mission president (to locate these ecclesiastical leaders, enter your address into the meetinghouse locator tool."

Indeed, "liv[ing] the standards of the LDS Church" is first on their College Prep checklist, and attending and graduating from LDS Seminary is second.

The religious requirements are also reflected in their new freshmen profile. 82.7% of female accepted students received a Young Women recognition (an LDS religious award), and 84.8% of male accepted students got an Eagle Scout Award (another common award in LDS Churches). Furthermore, 97% served in the quorum (LDS) or class presidency, and 95.6% are four-year seminary graduates.

Source


Other Schools For You

If you're interested in BYU, you'll probably be interested in these schools as well. We've divided them into 3 categories depending on how hard they are to get into, relative to BYU.


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Reach Schools: Harder to Get Into

These schools are have higher average SAT scores than BYU. If you improve your SAT score, you'll be competitive for these schools.

School Name Location SAT Avg ACT Avg
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, NY 1409 31
Villanova University Villanova, PA 1395 33
Binghamton University Vestal, NY 1375 30
Lehigh University Bethlehem, PA 1365 31
University of Florida Gainesville, FL 1360 30
University of California, Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA 1355 29
University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX 1355 30

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Same Level: Equally Hard to Get Into

If you're competitive for BYU, these schools will offer you a similar chance of admission.

School Name Location SAT Avg ACT Avg
Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY 1335 29
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA 1335 29
University of Georgia Athens, GA 1325 30
University of Connecticut Storrs, CT 1315 29
University of California, Irvine Irvine, CA 1310 29
Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY 1300 30
American University Washington, DC 1300 29

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Safety Schools: Easier to Get Into

If you're currently competitive for BYU, you should have no problem getting into these schools. If BYU is currently out of your reach, you might already be competitive for these schools.

School Name Location SAT Avg ACT Avg
Syracuse University Syracuse, NY 1275 28
United States Military Academy West Point, NY 1270 28
Penn State University Park University Park, PA 1265 28
University of Cincinnati Cincinnati, OH 1265 27
Hofstra University Hempstead, NY 1250 28
Temple University Philadelphia, PA 1238 27
Seton Hall University South Orange, NJ 1231 26

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Want to build the best possible college application?

We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League.

We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools.

Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in.

Get Into Your Top Choice School

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