Brigham Young University - Idaho

BYUI is an online school where students can complete degrees entirely online. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reports that 52% of students engage exclusively in distance learning. The remaining students study on campus in Rexburg, Idaho. 

BYUI is relatively inexpensive with an average tuition cost of $6,600, and graduates have a higher expected median annual salary of $52,600 when compared to most other four-year universities. However, it's not a very diverse school with 65% of its student body being white and only 22% receiving income-based grants, according to College Scorecard. 

Students should also consider its accreditation status, which ensures that the school they're applying to has been evaluated for quality. BYU - Idaho is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) to offer distance education degrees.

All schools featured on OnlineU are accredited. 

BYUI is best known as a school strongly affiliated with the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The university's mission is to develop disciples of Jesus Christ through their social, cultural, and academic policies. For example, all online bachelor's degree students are required to complete 14 credits in religion courses, including The Eternal Family, Foundations of the Restoration, and Teachings and Doctrine of the Book of Mormon. 

The highest earning degree at BYUI is the online Bachelor of Applied Science in Software Development, where graduates can earn a median annual salary of $104,000, according to College Scorecard. There's also the online Bachelor of Applied Science in Information Technology, with an expected median annual salary of $92,900. While this program features software development courses, it also includes a broader array of courses in web development and technical support. 

Students can explore the school's Salary Score — OnlineU's proprietary metric that compares alumni earnings from different schools using the same degree. BYUI scores a 28 out of 100 for its bachelor's degrees.

Data from College Scorecard shows that 97% of applicants are accepted as long as they meet the school's admissions requirements. In addition to academic requirements, applicants must be in good standing with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and be ecclesiastically endorsed by a bishop or church leader. BYUI also notes that non-seminary graduates will have a more difficult time being accepted. 

BYU Pathway, which hosts BYUI's online degrees, requires all students to have a minimum high school GPA of 2.0 to apply for an online degree. Having this knowledge allows students to better understand their eligibility when picking a college.

Students applying to college at BYUI must first log in to their Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints account before completing the following steps:

• Fill out the BYUI online application. 
• Submit high school and/or college transcripts.
• Submit endorsements.

It's not required to submit SAT or ACT test scores in the application, although there is an option to include them. This policy will remain in effect until at least 2024.