Brigham Young University-Provo

In the 2027 US News Best Colleges rankings, Brigham Young University-Provo placed 116th, moving down from 61st in 2018. Gaining admission is relatively accessible, with the university recording an overall admit rate of 67.8 percent in 2025. That acceptance rate was higher than 57 percent of peer schools in its comparison group of 30 private research universities. What sets the institution apart from peers is its ability to enroll accepted candidates. In 2025, the school achieved an admitted student yield rate of 77.5 percent, which was higher than all peer schools in that same comparison group. Most private universities experience substantial drop-off between admission offers and enrollment, but here, admitted applicants commit in heavy proportions. For students planning their college lists, this pattern shows that admission standards are not overwhelmingly restrictive, yet the campus community is filled with students who specifically prioritize enrolling at the university once accepted.

Applicants to Brigham Young University-Provo need strong academic credentials to be competitive. In 2025, enrolled students posted a median SAT score of 1360, placing the university higher than 79% of peer schools in its comparison group of similarly ranked private research universities. ACT results reflect similarly selective preparation, with the middle 50% of admitted applicants achieving composite scores between 28 and 32. In applicant cases collected by Forward Pathway, which represent unofficial tracking rather than official university statistics, admitted international students earned a median unweighted high school GPA of 3.88. These benchmarks show that prospective candidates generally need secondary school transcripts dominated by A grades and standardized test scores near the top quartile nationally to build a competitive application for admission.

Academic programs at Brigham Young University-Provo are broad, with students distributed widely across disciplines rather than clustered in a few fields. In 2025, the top three undergraduate programs accounted for only 12.6 percent of bachelor's degree recipients, led by Research and Experimental Psychology, Other, followed by Management Science and Exercise Physiology and Kinesiology. The university's largest majors do not align with its highest-ranked programs. The standout department nationally is undergraduate Accounting in the business school, which was ranked 2nd in the country by US News in 2027, alongside strong graduate accounting and public affairs offerings. According to 2023 earnings data, technical degrees generated the strongest initial compensation, led by Computer Science graduates who earned a median salary of $102,904 one year after graduation. International representation among degree recipients remains limited, with international students making up 2.8 percent of bachelor's graduates in 2025. For prospective students, the university offers elite professional training in business and high technical returns without forcing enrollment into a narrow set of fields.

The student body at Brigham Young University-Provo is predominantly domestic, with undergraduates forming the vast majority of enrollment. International and Asian students represent small segments across the campus community. In the incoming first-year class in 2025, 68 Asian students made up 1.1% of the cohort, while 58 international students accounted for 0.9%. Returning undergraduates follow a similar pattern, where both groups remain small minorities within a primarily White student body. International participation rises at the post-baccalaureate level, where 331 international students comprised 11.3% of the graduate population, while Asian students accounted for about two percent of graduate enrollment. For prospective applicants, these figures illustrate an undergraduate community with very limited international representation, meaning overseas students will find global peers concentrated primarily within graduate and professional programs.

Undergraduates at Brigham Young University-Provo are notably older than those at many traditional four-year colleges. In 2025, the largest undergraduate demographic was the 22-to-24 age group, comprising 14,035 students or 42.6% of all undergraduates, while students aged 18 to 19 made up 19.2%. This creates a campus environment where the undergraduate student body is predominantly composed of students in their twenties rather than recent high school graduates. At the graduate level, the population is also concentrated among young adults, with students aged 25 to 29 forming the largest share at 43.4% of graduate enrollment. For incoming students, this age structure means campus life and undergraduate classrooms are centered around older peers who may bring several years of life experience prior to completing their degrees.

International students represent a modest proportion of the student body at Brigham Young University-Provo, with greater representation at advanced levels. In 2025, international undergraduates accounted for 2.8 percent of the undergraduate student body, a share higher than 33 percent of peer schools in its comparison group of 30 private research universities. This undergraduate proportion has remained essentially flat since 2016. In contrast, international presence in graduate programs grew over the same period, reaching 11.3 percent of all graduate students in 2025. When looking at where international students earn degrees, concentration varies across departments. At the bachelor's level, international degree recipients are most visible in quantitative business disciplines such as Management Science and General Finance. At the master's level, the highest international representation appeared in Public Administration, where international students earned 12.1 percent of degrees awarded in 2025, followed by Management Science. Overall, while international presence remains relatively low on the undergraduate campus, international students find viable academic communities within graduate and specialized professional programs.

Families exploring higher education in the Intermountain West have several established alternatives to consider alongside Brigham Young University-Provo. Just 36.8 kilometers away in Salt Lake City is University of Utah, a public institution ranked 179th among National Universities in the 2027 US News rankings. Farther north, Utah State University is located 103.3 kilometers away and held a rank of 288th in the same 2027 listing. Across state lines in Wyoming, University of Wyoming sits 325.8 kilometers away with a national rank of 250th. In Colorado, University of Colorado Boulder provides another comprehensive option 337.3 kilometers away, holding the 109th spot nationally in 2027. These neighboring institutions offer regional options within driving distance, spanning both prominent public flagships and land-grant research universities.

Campus safety data at Brigham Young University-Provo indicates an overall low rate of infractions relative to the size of the institution. In 2025, the university registered a crime rate per 1,000 students of 2, slightly up from earlier levels but remaining low overall. Between 2023 and 2025, cumulative category records show that disciplinary and behavioral issues formed the bulk of reported cases. The most frequent category across that three-year span was liquor law arrests, with 53 incidents recorded, followed by sexual harassment with 47 incidents. Reports during the same period also included stalking, drug arrests, and dating violence in smaller volumes. These figures demonstrate that serious violent crime is infrequent on campus grounds, with documented violations primarily tied to conduct policies and interpersonal misconduct. For prospective students and families reviewing campus life, the overall environment maintains steady security conditions, though standard vigilance regarding campus conduct and reporting protocols remains relevant.