We just got notified that my son was denied entrance to BYU. He has a 35 composite on his ACT with at least a 34 in every subsection. His highschool GPA is 3.75 unweighted. He is an Eagle Scout with 4 full years of Seminary attendance. He had several AP classes and passed all of the tests so far (6 of them including 5s on the AP Calculus and Physics test, with 5 more lined up for this May). We are so confused. We thought he was a shoe in for acceptance and maybe even a partial academic scholarship. The admission letter we got said that there is no appeals process. Any ideas? Is he just out of luck?
That makes no sense. I found out I got in today. I am also a eagle scout, 4 years seminary with a 4.00 unweighted and a 29 composite ACT. Maybe he didn’t have good LOR or was weak on essays. I wasn’t even on a major sports team/captain. Just clubs I started with friends.
I am from VA, not Utah which may make a difference. Maybe its harder to get in from UT because they want more diversity
Also, I don’t know how much Eagle Scout and seminary really matter. It seems to me that everyone that goes to BYU is an over the top kinda Mormon and so its more of a check in the box vs. something that makes you stand out. Maybe he didn’t show enough passion/energy in his writing. Just go to UVU/snow college for a year and transfer over. AVG. GPA of freshman are also a tad bit higher than 3.75
I suggest to serve a mission and try again after. You can also try enrolling somewhere else and then try to transfer in, but that is the riskier path in my opinion. BYU puts the bar pretty high for transfers.
Worse comes to worse he can just go to another fine college. BYU is not the only fish in the sea. A kid I know didn’t get into Provo so he went to UCSD instead - a much higher-ranked school academically. He graduated on time and got a great job in Silicon Valley. Life is turning our fine for him despite not getting into BYU. Things have a way of working out.
Is it possible that his application was incomplete? This is really puzzling. It says no appeal but it would be nice to have an explanation. Could your school’s GC get more information?
I have emailed admissions and though I am sure we won’t hear back before Monday, I hope to get some sort of explanation. I don’t think it was an incomplete application because he did get accepted to BYU Idaho a few weeks back. We are from Kentucky, so it isn’t a regional bias either.
He is in the process of mission paperwork and had planned to serve before he started college. Can he apply again as a new freshman once he returns even if he had already applied as a new freshman two years earlier? I though the only option was to get 24 credits somewhere else and then apply as a transfer student? If this is an option, we will definitely just have him apply again. The only thing that I can imagine might have been weak is his essays as he is not a great writer, but he has a ton of EC. He’s been in a number of plays and was the President of his choir this year. He also works as a math tutor at the local community college 12 hours a week.
So confused. But, if he can apply again while on his mission, that gives a lot of hope. Does anyone have more information on this?
Yeah that doesn’t make a lot of sense. He on paper had a much better app than me. You can apply again after mission, but it is hard. For example, I am leaving in the middle of June and am starting that fall. He probably wouldn’t be able to start until January after Christmas break if applying in the summer when he gets back. I would just go somewhere else and transfer. makes a lot more sens imo unless BYU Provo is something that is a must.
Lots confusion and inconsistency this year over who got accepted vs rejected (and why). My D and her friends who specified a summer semester start seemed to fare better. When specifying a fall start, the landscape and competition changes and the results become less predictable. The BYU application process changed significantly this year with more essays and letters required. I’m guessing that the admissions department is operating in unfamiliar territory as a result.
Based on the information shared in this thread, there does not appear to be any reason to deny admission.
Of course, we do not have access to the full file and there may be a recommendation that suggested non-compliance with the religious mandates or a violation of the prohibitions. This is just a guess however.
OOS with those stats and fulfilling all the BYU extraneous reqs should be a shoo in. BYU just isn't THAT academically selective. Does HE want to go to BYU P though? I imagine tons of kids don't want to even though families push it.
Although an ACT score of 35 should grab attention, not all schools give heavy consideration to that particular data point. The 3.75 GPA may have been a deal-killer.
“Can he apply again as a new freshman once he returns even if he had already applied as a new freshman two years earlier?”
At most schools, yes. The concept of an unsuccessful applicant taking a gap year to do something useful (in this case a gap 2 years) and reapplying as a freshman is very common. But if he enrolls anywhere else in the meantime then he becomes a transfer student instead of a freshman and that’s not an easy path. But you never know about BYU. They may have unique gap year policies that I’m not aware of.
In general, I think that the kids are ill-served by the “BYU or nothing” mentality that is common in many LDS families. With BYU admissions so unpredictable, many excellent students run the risk of ending up with nowhere to go due to not having applied to any school beyond BYU. There are hundreds of fine colleges and universities out there that would jump at the chance of enrolling a kid with a 35 and 3.75 uw. If you go the gap year route,I suggest to cast a wider net next time.
College applications are setting records this year, so it’s no surprise that bright students are getting turned down. If I were him, I would just send in my mission papers. He has a better chance of getting in as a returned missionary. If he wants to do some college, he can always go to Rexburg for a semester or two before going on a mission.
To answer your previous question, yes he can apply as a freshman after his mission. This is the kind of thing that happens ALL the time at BYU.
BTW, let us know where he gets his mission call!
My son had a 35 Act and a 4.84 GPA weighted and 4.0 unweighted. Eagle Scout National High School baseball champion and is American Indian I am a former BYU football player and also taught at BYU and my son did not get accepted. I have no idea what is the admission requirement for measuring stick is for my former alma mater but I can tell you that I will not be supporting the college any further