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Fact Sheet

 

The Institution
Brigham Young University-Hawaii is:

  • Located in the community of Laie on the north shore of the island of Oahu.
  • An undergraduate university with an enrollment of 2,400 students who represent 70 different countries and cultures from Asia, the Pacific Rim, the islands of the South Pacific, the U.S. mainland and other parts of the world.
  • Part of the LDS Church Educational System, which serves almost half a million people worldwide in higher education, seminaries and institutes, elementary and secondary schools, and continuing education and literacy programs. In addition to BYU–Hawaii, the system includes BYU in Provo,Utah, BYU–Idaho, LDS Business College in Salt Lake City, and elementary or secondary schools in many countries, including Mexico, Fiji, Indonesia, New Zealand, Tonga and Western Samoa.
  • Comprised of an international student body—nearly 50-percent of whom come from more than 70 countries outside the United States, primarily in the Asia and Pacific regions.
  • Admired for its intercultural diversity, the four-year undergraduate institution offers a first rate curriculum, featuring excellent programs in business, education, computers and technology, the sciences and fine arts.
  • Accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). The most recent reaffirmation of accreditation was 1996.
  • Served by a full-time faculty and staff of 450 and represented worldwide by an estimated 20,000 alumni.
  • Consistently ranked by US News and World Report in the top tier of universities in the Western United States; Consumers Digest ranks BYU-Hawaii as best value in the U.S.
  • BYU-Hawaii awarded 215 bachelor's degrees during the 1996-97 academic year. Since the year 2000, the university has consistently awarded degrees to well over 500 graduates each school year. The top ten bachelor's degrees awarded in the 2002-2003 academic year were: Accounting, Biology, Exercise & Sports Science, Hospitality & Tourism Management, International Business Management, International Cultural Studies, Information Systems, Political Science, Psychology, and Social Work. Faculty profile: 183 total; 63% full-time; 50% have advanced degrees; 32% are minorities or international; 38% women.
  • Comprised of two 16-week semesters and two eight-week terms with 24 offered undergraduate degrees: Accounting, Art, Art Education, Biochemistry, Biology, Biology Education, Business Education, Chemistry Education, Computer Science, Elementary Education, Elementary & Special Education, English, English Education, Exercise and Sports Science, Exercise and Sports Science Education, Fine Arts: 2-dimensional, Fine Arts: 3-dimensional, Hawaiian Studies, History, History Education, Hospitality and Tourism Management, Information Systems, Interdisciplinary Studies, International Business Management, International Cultural Studies (Humanities, Communications, Anthropology), Mathematics, Math Education, Music Education, Pacific Island Studies, Physical Education, Physical Science Education, Physics Education, Piano Pedagogy, Political Science, Psychology, Social Sciences Education, Social Work, Special Education, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), TESOL Education, Vocal Studies.

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Location
Laie, Hawaii (population 7,000) is situated 35 miles north of Honolulu on the island of Oahu. The 100-arcre campus is nestled between lush mountains and ideal shoreline. The average annual temperature is 77 degrees F (25 C); the average annual precipitation is 23 inches (584 mm).

 

Student Body

  • Student profile: 24% Freshmen, 25% Sophomores, 22% Juniors, 29% Seniors
  • Average age: 25 years old
  • At least two-thirds of our students speak two or more languages
  • About 54% are female and 46% male
  • About 25% are married
  • Average GPA of incoming freshman: 3.64
  • Average class size: 25
  • Student/faculty ratio: 17 to 1
  • Cultural diversity: 21% from Asia, 16% from the Pacific, 12% Hawaii, 45% U.S. mainland, and 6% from elsewhere
  • With nearly half of our 2400 students coming from 70 nations, BYU-Hawaii is the most ethnically diverse campus per capita in the U.S.
  • About 91% are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
  • Tuition: About $12,000 total cost per year, BYU-Hawaii is rated as one of the most affordable private universities in America.
  • Over 95% of BYU-Hawaii students are on some type of financial assistance including scholarships, grants and loans.
  • Financial Aid: Scholarships are awarded for academics, art, athletics, music/drama; and other private scholarships are available.
  • Student services: Health services, personal counseling, veterans' counselor, student employment services, career counseling, and placement for graduates.
  • Disabled: Services for learning disabled; visually, hearing, speech impaired.
  • Computers on campus: 1,200 workstations in dormitories, library, and computer center. E-mail accounts for all students, repair service available.
  • Special study options: Accelerated study, cooperative education, double major, dual enrollment of high school students, ESL, exchange student, honors, internships, liberal arts/career combination, teacher certification, Army, Air Force ROTC.
  • Credit/placement is by examination for AP, CLEP, ACT, institutional exams.
  • Support services: Learning disabled program, writing center, learning center, tutoring, remedial instruction, pre-admission summer program, reduced course load, peer counseling.

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Academics
BYU-Hawaii has consistently been ranked by US News and World Report in the top tier of universities in the western United States; also Consumers Digest magazine ranks BYU-Hawaii as best value in the U.S.

  • The university has a special mission to educate students from Asia and the Pacific Islands.
  • BYU-Hawaii offers courses leading to the undergraduate degrees of Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Social Work.
  • BYU-Hawaii awarded 215 bachelor’s degrees during the 1996-97 academic year. Since the year 2000, the university has consistently awarded degrees to well over 500 graduates each school year.
  • BYU-Hawaii’s calendar is comprised of two 16-week semesters and two eight-week terms
  • Degrees: 24 offered
  • Undergraduate degrees: Accounting, Art, Art Education, Biochemistry, Biology, Biology Education, Business Education, Chemistry Education, Computer Science, Elementary Education, Elementary & Special Education, English, English Education, Exercise and Sports Science, Exercise and Sports Science Education, Fine Arts: 2-dimensional, Fine Arts: 3-dimensional, Hawaiian Studies, History, History Education, Hospitality and Tourism Management, Information Systems, Interdisciplinary Studies, International Business Management, International Cultural Studies (Humanities, Communications, Anthropology), Mathematics, Math Education, Music Education, Pacific Island Studies, Physical Education, Physical Science Education, Physics Education, Piano Pedagogy, Political Science, Psychology, Social Sciences Education, Social Work, Special Education, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), TESOL Education, Vocal Studies
  • Top ten bachelor’s degrees awarded in the 2002-2003 academic year: Accounting, Biology, Exercise & Sports Science, Hospitality & Tourism Management, International Business Management, International Cultural Studies, Information Systems, Political Science, Psychology, Social Work.
  • Faculty profile: 183 total; 63% full-time; 50% have advanced degrees; 32% are minorities or international; 38% women.

 

Partnership with Polynesian Cultural Center
BYU-Hawaii is closely linked with the Polynesian Cultural Center, the number one paid tourist attraction in Hawaii, where over 30-percent of BYU-Hawaii students work as performers, guides, food service personnel, and in a variety of other positions to help pay for their educations. Each year because of the employment the PCC offers, hundred's of students who would ordinarily be unable to afford a college education have that opportunity.

Approximately 90% of BYU-Hawaii students are employed, either at the Polynesian Cultural Center or at BYU-Hawaii part-time while earning a 4-year degree. Jobs on campus include janitorial and grounds crew work, cafeteria help, technical support, lab assistants, and general office work.


The Code of Honor
When applying to BYU-Hawaii, each student agrees to abide by the school's honor code, which is based on standards established by the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who owns the university. The agreement includes abiding by the standards of Christian living taught by the Church, being honest in all behavior, respecting personal and property rights, obeying the law, avoiding drug abuse, complying with all university regulations, observing the church's Word of Wisdom (which includes abstaining from alcohol, tobacco, tea and coffee), abstaining from sexual relations outside of marriage, observing high standards of taste and decency, observing university standards of dress and grooming, and helping others fulfill their responsibilities under this code.

The Dress and Grooming Standards expect students to be modest, neat and clean in their dress and grooming. Swimming suits, gym clothes and other extremely casual or grubby attire are not considered acceptable wear on campus. Facial hair (beards/moustaches) is not permitted.

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Physical Facilities
These facilities include: the 4500-seat Cannon Activities Center, natural history museum, Olympic-size swimming pool, English language institute, artifact collection housed in library, Institute for Polynesian Studies, TV studio, and fitness center. Also included on campus are on-campus housing in six dormitories for single students; 250 apartments for married students; 19 interest-based clubs and 23 ethnic clubs representing the Pacific Islands and Asia; performing arts and intramural athletic programs; health, counseling and student employment services; and services for the learning disabled, including visual, hearing and speech impaired students. 


Athletics
BYU-Hawaii students excel in athletics competition as well as in the classroom. In the NAIA and more recently in NCAA Division II, our teams have compiled 19 total national titles in: volleyball, tennis, and rugby.

Twenty percent of BYU-Hawaii's 150 student athletes are international students.

Intercollegiate: NCAA Division II, Pacific-Western conference: men's basketball, cross-country, women's softball, tennis, women's volleyball, and men's water polo.

Intramural sports include: badminton, basketball, bowling, cross-country, football, golf, racquetball, swimming, table tennis, tennis, track and field and volleyball.


Church Services and Activities
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has 20 wards (congregations) organized into 3 stakes (dioceses) on the BYU-Hawaii campus. About 100-150 students attend religious services in each ward. The experience that students gain in these wards as they carry out church responsibilities provides the LDS Church with a rich source of leadership when students graduate and participate in wards in their homelands around the world. Students who are members of other faiths are welcome to participate in LDS services or to attend other services in the area.

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