You may apply to and begin the BGS Program at any time during the year. There are no application deadlines, and you may enroll in BYU Independent Study courses as soon as you are formally admitted to the BGS program. However, if you want to attend classes at the Salt Lake Center, Evening Classes, or on campus during Spring or Summer terms, please note the formal admission deadlines.
STEP 1: Complete the online application
As part of the BGS application process, you will need to have a BYU Net ID (unique personal network identifier) and password. This Net ID will also allow you to complete the online ecclesiastical endorsement, register for classes, pay tuition, check your grades, change your address, access MyMAP, sign up for Independent Study classes, and perform a number of other functions dealing with personal information.
Contact the BGS office if you need help with creating or retrieving your Net ID username and password. Your BYU Net ID is valid for the entire life of your relationship with BYU. Do not create an additional Net ID.
Submit any necessary letters of explanation as indicated on the online application form.
If your BYU records are under a former name, upload a photo of your driver’s license, marriage certificate, passport, or Social Security card showing your current name to your application. If you are unsure about the name on your BYU record, please call the BGS office prior to submitting your application.
Ensure that official transcripts of all prior university credits that have not already been posted to your BYU record are sent directly by your previous college/university (not by you) to the address below. Digital transcripts may be emailed to bgs@byu.edu.
Bachelor of General Studies
102 HCEB
770 E University Pkwy
Provo UT 84602
Note: Any current work at other colleges/universities must be completed before applying to the BGS Program.
STEP 2: Pay the $35 nonrefundable Bachelor of General Studies application fee
STEP 3: Complete the online ecclesiastical endorsement
You will be expected to live by the BYU Honor Code. Prepare your portion of the ecclesiastical endorsement using the ecclesiastical endorsement link above. Click on Student to begin. After completing your part, you must be interviewed by your LDS bishop or branch president and by a member of your current stake or district presidency before these leaders can complete your endorsement online. Non-LDS applicants must be interviewed by an LDS bishop or the BYU Chaplain. Please contact BGS if you need help locating a bishop.
Your application is complete once we have received the online BGS application form, the $35 application fee, all transcripts from other universities attended that are not already on file, and the completed online ecclesiastical endorsement.
Student Commitment and Ecclesiastical Endorsement
Brigham Young University, including the Bachelor of General Studies Program, exists to provide an education in an atmosphere consistent with the ideals and principles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. That atmosphere is created and preserved through commitment to conduct that reflects those ideals and principles.To that end, each student is required to submit the Student Commitment and Confidential Report (also known as the “Ecclesiastical Endorsement”).
Any applicant who is or ever has been a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter–day Saints must submit the endorsement, filled out online at endorse.byu.edu and completed by the applicant’s LDS bishop or branch president and by a member of their current stake or district presidency after an interview with them. The endorsement certifies that the applicant is in good standing in the Church and demonstrates in daily living, both on and off campus, his or her commitment to the BYU Honor Codeand all moral virtues encompassed in the Gospel of Jesus Christ including regular church attendance.
Applicants who are not members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints must maintain the same standards of conduct as Church members, except church attendance. Non-LDS applicants must obtain an ecclesiastical endorsement by interviewing with their local ecclesiastical leader if they are an active member of the congregation or the bishop of the LDS ward in which they currently reside, and the nondenominational BYU chaplain, 3490 WSC, BYU, Provo, UT 84602, 801-422-2293. Please contact BGS if help is needed in locating a bishop. The stake president interview is not required.
Unless granted an exception, an applicant who is currently excommunicated, disfellowshipped, or disaffiliated from the Church is not admissible until reinstated to full fellowship in the Church. Also, unless granted an exception, an applicant who is on probation with the Church or who otherwise lacks an ecclesiastical endorsement is not admissible until the issue giving rise to the probation or lack of ecclesiastical endorsement is resolved with the applicant’sauthorized ecclesiastical leader. Applicants seeking an exception to this policy must complete an Application for Exception to Policy form available from the executive director of BYU Enrollment Services. The university ultimately reserves the right to make the admission decision.
As an admitted BGS student, you will need to have an annual renewal of the ecclesiastical endorsement at endorse.byu.edu. Should the endorsement not be renewed or if it is withdrawn for any reason, you will be discontinued from the BGS program. The Continuing Student Ecclesiastical Endorsement is due annually, following formal admission to the BGS program.
Provisional Acceptance
You will be notified of your provisional acceptance once the evaluations are complete and eligibility has been determined. You will also receive an information packet and a summary of your credit evaluations listing requirements that have been completed by prior work. The next step in the admission process is to enroll in the Student Development 100 Independent Study course.
Student Development 100
Instructions for this course are included in the notification of provisional acceptance. This one-credit BYU Independent Study course can be completed at your own pace; however, a deadline of three to five months will be specified in your provisional acceptance letter.
As part of Student Development 100, you will complete your BGS graduation plan. The materials you receive with your provisional acceptance notification will be used in preparing this graduation plan.
Notification of Formal Admission
Upon successfully completing Student Development 100, including the approval of your graduation plan, you will be notified of your formal admission to the Bachelor of General Studies Program. You may then proceed by enrolling in those courses outlined on your approved plan. Any changes you make to your plan must be approved by the BGS Office before you proceed.
