Brigham Young University is founded in Provo, Utah.
Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young, and it is sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).
BYU offers a variety of academic programs, including liberal arts, engineering, agriculture, management, physical and mathematical sciences, nursing, and law. It has 186 undergraduate majors, 64 master's programs, and 26 doctoral programs. It is broadly organized into 11 colleges or schools at its main Provo campus, with certain colleges and divisions defining their own admission standards. The university also administers two satellite campuses, one in Jerusalem and one in Salt Lake City, while its parent organization the Church Educational System (CES) sponsors sister schools in Hawaii and Idaho. The university is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.
Almost all BYU students are members of the LDS Church. Students attending BYU agree to follow an honor code, which mandates behavior in line with teachings of the church, such as academic honesty, adherence to dress and grooming standards, abstinence from extramarital sex, from same sex romantic behavior, and from the consumption of drugs and alcohol. Undergraduate students are also required to complete curriculum in LDS religious education for graduation regardless of their course of study. An education at BYU is less expensive than at similar private universities, since the cost of operating the university is subsidized by the LDS Church's tithing funds. Due in part to the church's emphasis on missionary service, nearly 50% of BYU students have lived outside the United States, 65% speak a second language, and 63 languages are taught at the university regularly.BYU's athletic teams compete in Division I of the NCAA and are collectively known as the BYU Cougars. Their football team is a D1 Independent, while their other sports teams compete in either the West Coast Conference or Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. BYU's sports teams have won a total of 12 NCAA championships and 26 non-NCAA championships. On September 10, 2021, BYU formally accepted an invitation to the Big 12 Conference and will start participating in the conference in the 2023-24 school year.