Private Nonprofit Graduate Excellent 87/100

Brigham Young University

See admissions data, costs, student outcomes, and academic programs, all verified from official US government sources.

Compare This College

Provo, Utah

About Brigham Young University

Thinking about Brigham Young University, a college in Utah where more students graduate in Business than anything else? The four things worth knowing are what it actually costs after aid, whether you would get in, whether students finish, and what they earn after they do.

Brigham Young University is a private nonprofit institution offering graduate degrees based in Provo, Utah. It enrolls 32,952 students (a very large student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.

Acceptance
67.8%
Graduation
65.6%
Net Price
$15,564
Median Earnings (10yr)
$75,790
Enrollment
32,952
Student : Faculty
21:1

Accreditor Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
Academic Calendar Semester

How It Measures Up

These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Selective), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.

Excellent
87/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes 89
Value 90
Affordability 60
Selectivity 76

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

Brigham Young University admits 67.8% of applicants, which makes it moderately selective, and realistic if you meet the academic profile.

Acceptance Rate
67.8%
Moderate
SAT Range (25th–75th)
1270 – 1460
Reading + Math combined
ACT Range (25th–75th)
28 – 32
Cumulative composite
Test Policy Not Considered Standardized test scores are not used in admissions decisions.

5-Year Admission Trend

Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Brigham Young University is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.

Stable ↑ 1.7 pts since 2019
67.5%201969.3%202059.2%202166.7%202269.2%2023

Cost & Financial Aid

Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $15,564 a year on average, it sits below what private nonprofit colleges charge nationally. That still leaves most families a gap to cover, but a manageable one. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.

The average hides a wide spread by household income, so it is worth estimating what a family at your income would actually pay before treating this as the price.

Average Net Price
$15,564
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
32%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
11%
Borrowing to attend

Full Cost Breakdown

Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.

Tuition & Fees
$6,688
Room & Board (on-campus)
$10,396
Room & Board (off-campus)
$11,364
Books & Supplies
$392
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$4,464
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$4,464
Total Cost of Attendance
$22,690

Application fee: $35 (one-time, due at submission)


Net Price by Family Income

Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.

  • Under $30,000
    $10,444
  • $30,001 – $48,000
    $10,112
  • $48,001 – $75,000
    $13,062
  • $75,001 – $110,000
    $16,378
  • Over $110,000
    $20,542

Debt at Graduation

Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.

$2,750
10% percentile
$5,018
25% percentile
$11,069
Median percentile
$16,435
75% percentile
$26,683
90% percentile

Median Debt by Student Type

Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.

GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $9,841 ↓ $1,228
No Pell $6,381 ↓ $4,688
Dependent students $8,454 ↓ $2,615
Independent students $8,250 ↓ $2,819
Female students $7,500 ↓ $3,569
Male students $9,564 ↓ $1,505
Pell recipients: 19.7% (2,179 students)No Pell: 12.8% (1,413 students)Dependent students: 16.9% (1,872 students)Independent students: 16.5% (1,827 students)Female students: 15.0% (1,661 students)Male students: 19.1% (2,118 students)Overall Median$11,069
Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $6,241, less than completers ($11,069), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.

Graduation Rate & Retention

66% of students who start here finish within six years, and 90% come back after first year. Roughly half finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.

6-Year Graduation Rate
66%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
90%
Returning for their second year
What this means: High first-year retention. Students who arrive tend to stay.

After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $75,790 a year, above the national median. That is a healthy return for most cost levels. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$75,790
Earning > $25K
81%
10 yrs after entry

Earnings Growth After Graduation

Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.

$55,000$60,000$65,000$75,000$80,0006 yrs8 yrs10 yrs

Earnings by Demographic

Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.

By Gender

Female graduates
$29,600

Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.

Male graduates
$90,500

Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.


By Family Income at Entry

Family income (lowest third)
$76,900

Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (middle third)
$63,800

Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (highest third)
$62,100

Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.

The gender gap: Male graduates earn $60,900, about 67% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.

Loan Repayment Progression

Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.

Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑ 7.5 pts across 6 years
85.1%1yr87%3yr89.2%5yr92.6%7yr
What this signals: Excellent. 93% of graduates were paying down at least $1 of principal seven years out.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 32,952 students, a sprawling student community.

Total Enrolled
32,952
Part-Time
9%
First-Generation
14%

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.

GroupShareStudents
White 80.6% 26,549
Hispanic 8.0% 2,649
Other 5.1% 1,690
International 2.8% 929
Asian 1.6% 521
Black 0.3% 102
White: 80.6% (26,549 students)Hispanic: 8.0% (2,649 students)Other: 5.1% (1,690 students)International: 2.8% (929 students)Asian: 1.6% (521 students)Black: 0.3% (102 students)Total32,952

Student Life & Campus Culture

Where students live, learn, and connect at Brigham Young University. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.

Setting
Midsize City Provo, Utah
Housing
Partly residential 7,697 beds available
Adult Learners
7% of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAA athletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semester scheduling structure
Designation
Religiously affiliated

What You Can Study

After that comes the national picture for Biology graduates, which shows what the field pays across every college rather than just this one.

Brigham Young University offers an extensive catalog of programs: 174 distinct programs across 29 majors. Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings. Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.

13 Programs
21 Programs
16 Programs
7 Programs
13 Programs
5 Programs

Faculty & Resources

There are 21 students for every instructor here: on the higher side, so larger classes are common.

Student : Faculty
21:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Endowment
$6.4B
Strong financial cushion supports aid and stability
Avg Faculty Salary
$124,849
9-month equivalent across all ranks

Faculty by Rank

1,304 instructional faculty across 4 ranks. The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.

Rank Faculty Count Share Avg Salary
Full Professors 469 36% $153,619
Associate Professors 516 40% $116,342
Assistant Professors 310 24% $97,926
Instructors 9 1% $48,614

Pros & Cons of Brigham Young University

No college is right for everyone. Here is where Brigham Young University is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.

Read against a single profile these cut both ways, which is why it helps to put two colleges side by side on the same measures rather than judging one in isolation.

PROS
  • Below-average net price
  • Wide variety of programs and student life
  • Above-average graduation rate
  • Strong first-year retention
  • Above-average post-graduation earnings
  • Low typical debt at graduation
CONS
  • Larger class sizes than typical
  • Large institutional setting can feel impersonal
Best for: Based on the data, Brigham Young University is a fit for students prioritizing post-graduation earnings; students who want a large campus with breadth and variety.

Frequently Asked Questions about Brigham Young University

The questions families ask most about Brigham Young University, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.

Is Brigham Young University hard to get into?
Admissions at Brigham Young University are moderately competitive. The acceptance rate is 67.8%, so most applicants who meet the academic minimums are admitted.
What is the acceptance rate at Brigham Young University?
67.8% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What SAT score do you need for Brigham Young University?
Aim for 1460 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 1270 and 1460 (Reading plus Math), so anything above the top of that range makes you competitive and anything below the bottom means the rest of your application has to carry more weight. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What ACT score do you need for Brigham Young University?
Aim for 32 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 28 and 32 on the composite, so the upper half of that band is where you want to land. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
How much does Brigham Young University cost?
Budget around $15,564 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Brigham Young University worth it?
On the numbers, yes: solid return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $75,790 a year against a net price of $15,564, about 4.9 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Brigham Young University known for?
Mostly Physiology, Human Development, Accounting. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do Brigham Young University graduates earn?
About $75,790 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Brigham Young University accredited?
Yes. Brigham Young University is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.
How many students attend Brigham Young University?
32,952 students. Large, so expect big lectures and more independence in finding your own footing. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Brigham Young University?
66% finish within six years. That leaves a meaningful share who do not finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Brigham Young University a public or private college?
It is Private Nonprofit. Private nonprofit, so the sticker price is higher but institutional aid is often larger too.
Where is Brigham Young University located?
Brigham Young University is located in Provo, Utah.
What programs does Brigham Young University offer?
174 different programs, most commonly Physiology, Human Development, Accounting. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Brigham Young University?
21 students per instructor. On the high side, so expect big classes and to seek out contact time yourself. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

Continue Exploring

Browse our full directory: every college, major, program, and career we track, all built from verified government data.