Admissions

Ensign College accepts qualified students without regard to race, color, creed, gender, national origin, age, or disability, provided they have met the equivalent of high school completion/graduation requirements and the ability to benefit; agree to abide by the Church Educational System (CES) Honor Code, including the Dress and Grooming Standards, and are otherwise qualified as determined by College policy through a holistic review.  Qualified applicants are admitted based on educational goals and commitment to College policies and standards.

Students who qualify for admission are admitted after reaching age 17.  All applicants must submit the equivalent of high school completion/graduation or completion of at least 24 semester credits of college work. The high school completion/graduation equivalency could be any of the following options:

  • High school diploma earned from a U.S. accredited public, private, or charter school
  • International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma
  • General Education Development (GED), High School Equivalency Test (HiSET), or the California High School Proficiency Examination (CHSPE) passing testing
  • Diploma, certificate, or transcript showing completion of Homeschool program that is recognized by a state as evidence of High School Completion/Graduation
  • Completion of secondary education (internationally) - must be evaluated by the International Education Research Foundation (IERF) or SpanTran and determined to be equivalent to high school completion/graduation

Non-native English speakers (domestic and international) must provide proof of English Proficiency.  International applicants requiring an I-20 to be issued an F-1 visa must also adhere to all federal immigration and laws and regulations, including affidavit of financial support and submitting necessary payment prior to being issued an I-20.

Admission may be restricted by semester or department depending on College or program capacities.

Admissions Procedures

Prospective students may apply via the Ensign College website.

All applicants will be required to complete an ecclesiastical endorsement as part of their admissions application.  Applicants who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will need to meet with the bishop of the ward where their records reside and a member of their stake presidency.

Those applicants who are not members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will need to complete an initial interview with their own clergy or a local Latter-day Saint bishop and then have a follow-up interview with the Ensign College Chaplain, Jonathan Browning at 801-524-1923 or via email: BrowningJ@ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

Application Fee

There is a one-time $35.00 application fee.

Application Materials

Applicants are to be honest and forthright in providing all education history on their application (from domestic and international institutions). Ensign College may require verification of this information and may require additional information, and any student who fails to provide correct information will be denied admissions. All admissions documentation received for an application becomes property of Ensign College and cannot be returned to the applicant. We will discard any international transcripts that are not properly evaluated.

If an applicant has already earned an Associate of Science (AS) or Bachelor’s degree in the U.S., they can only be in a certificate, Associate of Applied Science (AAS), or Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) program. They will not be able to earn a second AS degree.  If an applicant has been awarded an Associate of Science degree or Bachelor's degree OUTSIDE of the U.S., and an approved transcript evaluation service has evaluated the degree to be equivalent to a degree received from an U.S. accredited institution, the applicant will still be eligible to apply for any one of Ensign College's Associate of Science degrees or Bachelor of Applied Science degrees.

CES has a central processing center so all admissions application materials, including test scores for all CES schools (Ensign College, BYU-Hawaii, BYU-Idaho, and BYU) should be sent to:

CES Admissions Processing
B-226 ASB
Provo, UT 84602
Phone (801) 422-2507

Application Deadlines

Applications must have all application material submitted on or before the established deadlines listed below, for regular class schedules and Block B (classes that start the second half of the semester) schedules.  For more information on admissions dates and deadlines, please contact admissions@ensign.edu or visit www.ensign.edu/admissions-dates-deadlines.

Semester

Application Deadlines

Fall 2022 (September 12 - December 14)

International Applicants: August 1, 2022
Domestic Applicants: September 1, 2022

Winter 2023 (January 4 - April 6)

International Applicants: November 15, 2022
Domestic Applicants: December 15, 2022

Spring 2023 (April 17 – July 19)

International Applicants: March 1, 2023
Domestic Applicants: April 1, 2023

Applicant Types

Domestic and international applicants will select one applicant type on the admissions application.
  • Freshman: The applicant has not completed any college or university work (in the U.S. or internationally) AFTER completing high school or its equivalency.
  • Transfer with fewer than 24 credits:  The applicant has completed fewer than 24 semester credits of college or university work (in the U.S. or internationally) after completing high school or its equivalency.
  • Transfer with more than 24 credits:  The applicant has completed more than 24 semester credits of college or university work (in the U.S. or internationally) after completing high school or its equivalency.
  • Former student with no additional credit:  The applicant has earned credits from Ensign College (formerly LDSBC) and has not attended any other college or university since last attending Ensign College.  
  • Former student with additional credit:  The applicant has earned credits from Ensign College (formerly LDSBC) and has attended another college or university after attending Ensign College. 
  • Visiting Student:  Any applicant wishing to enroll for a single semester to take courses with no intention to pursue and/or complete a degree. There is no federal financial aid available.
  • Former Online Student Via BYU Pathway Worldwide: The application has taken Ensign College courses through BYU Pathway Worldwide and is now interested in attending courses on campus.

Visiting Students

Definition:  A visiting student is defined as a student who wishes to enroll at Ensign College with no intention to pursue and/or complete a degree.  A visiting student is a non-matriculated student, meaning non-degree seeking.

Admissions, Visiting Students:

  1. Applicants wishing to enroll for a single semester at Ensign College but do not plan to earn an Ensign College degree may attend as a Visiting Student.
  2. International students living in the United States will not be permitted to see this applicant type on the admissions application as they are not eligible due to federal regulations.
  3. Visiting students can apply for any open semester.
  4. All admissions policies, application fees, processes, dates, deadlines, and discontinuance policies apply to the visiting applicant type.
  5. Prior educational documents will not be required for visiting students.
  6. All visiting students will have to complete the admissions application, which includes the ecclesiastical endorsement process, unless otherwise noted.

Registration, Visiting Students:

  1. All academic deadlines and tuition rates apply to visiting students.
  2. Visiting students may enroll in up to 12 credits per semester.
  3. Only 1 course taken as a visiting student will count toward an Ensign College degree.
  4. Courses taken and grades received as a visiting student will be posted on official Ensign College transcripts.
  5. The program of study noted on the transcript will be visiting student.
  6. Visiting students who wish to obtain a degree at Ensign College must reapply for admission as a degree-seeking student.
  7. Visiting students are not eligible for federal financial aid or Ensign College scholarships.
  8. Visiting students are not eligible for an Incomplete Grade process.
  9. Visiting students are eligible to audit a class.
  10. Visiting students will not be assigned an advisor.  In the event a student meets with an advisor, the academic requirements in MyEnsign will provide clarity showing no courses linked to their visiting program.
  11. Visiting students will be included in our headcount enrollment.

Notification of Application Status and Admission

Applicants can track their status and view their admission decision online at application.ensign.edu. Notifications for admission decisions begin on the date listed on our website, ensign.edu/admissions-dates-deadlines, but may take an additional two to three weeks after applicants complete their application.

International Students Admissions

In addition to the standard application materials listed above, international and domestic applicants who complete their high school/secondary or college education at a non-U.S. accredited institution outside of the United States must provide the following:
  • High school/secondary education transcripts and, if applicable, college or university transcripts must be evaluated by an evaluation agency as part of the application process.  Ensign College accepts evaluations from SpanTran: The Evaluation Company (https://spanside.secure.force.com/SpantranApplication?Id=a743884c-b6cf-42e2-8c0c-3de0dc350c77) and International Education Research Foundation (IERF) (https://www.ierf.org/uni-evaluation/byu-ces/). IERF is preferred.  These evaluations must show the equivalent of high school completion/graduation.
  • Proof of English Proficiency: Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), International English Language Test (IELTS), Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE), or Cambridge. International and domestic applicants not educated in an English language curriculum may be required to demonstrate English language proficiency by meeting minimum scores on one of the exams listed below.  In certain cases, these exams may be required of students educated in an English language curriculum as well. Official TOEFL, IELTS, PTE or Cambridge English results are required of applicants from non-English speaking countries or U.S. citizens whose high school education was not in English.  The minimum score requirements are as follows: (subject to change)

Effective September 1, 2017, Ensign College does not accept the Michigan English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB) or the Michigan Internexus tests.

Subject Area/ Sub Scores

Reading

Listening

Speaking

Writing

Composite

TOEFL (iBT)

17

16

16

17

66

IELTS

6.0

6.0

5.5

5.0

6.0

Pearson’s PTE

47

45

45

47

46

Cambridge English -
Advanced Placement Test (CAE) or Proficiency Test (CPE)

169

169

162

154

169

For those who have attended Brigham Young University - English Language Center, the Level Assessment Test may be used to demonstrate English Proficiency; however, it is at the discretion of Ensign College's Admission Committee to accept this assessment and scores for admission purposes.

International Student Deposit
In order for students to be successful academically at Ensign College, they must also be financially prepared.  All F-1 students are required to pay a deposit.

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will be required to pay $5,000 USD and those students who are not members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will be required to pay $7,500 USD to the Ensign College cashier’s office following notification of their admission.  Students will not be able to register for classes, nor will the I-20 be created until the deposit is paid and all other documents are received.  The registration hold will be removed once all required documents and full deposit are received.  There is no option for students to pay a portion of the deposit.  A full deposit is required.

The deposit will be held in escrow with the intent that it will assist the student to begin school. International students may access all but $2,000 of their deposit for tuition and fees. The remaining $2,000, set aside for the student as an emergency fund, is for the purchase of a plane ticket to return to their home country.

Homeschool Applicants

Homeschool students who qualify for admission are admitted after reaching age 17, or after the graduation date of their traditional high school class.  Students must submit the equivalent of high school completion/graduation.  The following are the equivalent of high school completion/graduation:

  • Diploma, certificate, or transcript showing completion of homeschool program that is recognized by a state as evidence of high school completion
  • General Education Development (GED) certificate
  • Evidence of a passing score on tests recognized by the state and similar to the GED, such as the High School Equivalency Test (HiSET), and the Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC)

High School Transcript Verification

For students who have completed their high school work at a U.S. accredited institution, the applicant will need to self-report their high school GPA.  However, the Admissions Office reserves the right to request a transcript to verify high school completion and GPA at random as well as in the event that conflicting information may be present in the application.  If a transcript is required, it will be indicated on your status screen or from the admissions@ensign.edu email address.

PathwayConnect Students

Students who completed PathwayConnect at BYU-Pathway Worldwide are invited to apply for admission to Ensign College and, if admitted, are eligible for a Pathway scholarship, if the program is completed in the U.S. with at least a 3.0 GPA. On the admissions application, applicants will report having received PathwayConnect credit in their educational history and provide their PathwayConnect transcript and any additional materials required as outlined in the admissions application. These applicants will follow the regular admission process and are subject to the same admission requirements for all applicants.  Completion of PathwayConnect courses does not guaranteed admission, and the PathwayConnect transcript does not take the place of the high school equivalency or the English Proficiency requirements for on-campus students.

PathwayConnect Transfer Guide 
Ensign College will accept transfer coursework from BYU-Pathway Worldwide for students who completed PathwayConnect.  This can transfer as individual elective credit provided the student earns a minimum grade of C- or higher.

PathwayConnect Course

Ensign College Transfer Guide

PC 101: Life Skills

Elective credit (3)

PC 102: Professional Skills

Elective credit (3)

PC 103: University Skills

Elective credit (1)

REL 275: Teachings & Doctrine of the Book of Mormon

Cornerstone Religion

REL 250: Jesus Christ and the Everlasting Gospel

Cornerstone Religion

REL 200: The Eternal Family

Cornerstone Religion

ACCPC 101: Financial Accounting I

ACC 101: Financial Accounting I

CSPC 105: Introduction to Programming

CS 105: Introduction to Programming

DMPC 105: Intro to Digital Marketing

DM 105: Introduction to Digital Marketing

BUSPC 113: Intro to Hosp. and Tourism

BUS 113: Intro to Hosp. and Tourism

MCOPC 180: Introduction to Medical Billing and Coding

MCO 180: Introduction to Medical Billing and Coding

PMPC 140: Introduction to Project Management

PM 140: Introduction to Project Management

On-campus students who completed PathwayConnect are encouraged to contact the Student Success Center 
(801-524-8151) and schedule an appointment with an Ensign College Student Success Advisor to plan their course of study and create a graduation plan.