USU Expands Admission Pathways to Include BYU-Pathway Worldwide

LOGAN, Utah — Students who have participated in BYU-Pathway Worldwide can now use this as an avenue for admission at Utah State University. After reviewing the first three BYU-Pathway courses (called PathwayConnect), USU administrators have approved these courses as a student success pathway which fulfills admissions requirements. This encourages closer ties between USU and BYU-Pathway and will help aid students’ completion of post-secondary degrees.

“As Utah’s land-grant institution, Utah State University’s mission is to bring quality education access to everyone,” said Rene Eborn, deputy of digital transformation & associate vice president. “By expanding our Admission Pathways to include BYU-Pathway courses, we are making admission to USU even more accessible for students who otherwise would not meet traditional admissions qualifications. Many of our students already have participated in BYU-Pathway and this allows them to use these credits without having to redo coursework.”

BYU-Pathway provides support for and access to online degree programs from BYU-Idaho and Ensign College, but students who are accepted to USU and who apply to any of USU’s Statewide Campuses after completing the three PathwayConnect courses will receive transfer credit equivalent to USU 1730 – Strategies for Academic Success.

In BYU-Pathway’s first three courses, students are taught, students are taught life skills, professional skills, and university skills (such as math, writing, time management, etc.), all of which provide a foundation for academic success. These courses can be completed completely online.

“These courses help students develop skills that build a foundation for success in their future academic work,” said Katie Jo North, USU executive director of New Student Enrollment. “Through this partnership with BYU-Pathway, USU is excited to offer another admissions pathway for students who want to be Aggies.”

BYU-Pathway is offered by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its Church Educational System. It started in 2009, with just 50 students in three U.S. locations. In 2022, BYU-Pathway served 61,338 students in all 50 states and more than 180 countries.

“BYU-Pathway provides an avenue for individuals to qualify for earned admission to higher education opportunities that help them achieve their career goals,” said Ryan Carstens, system liaison officer for BYU-Pathway. “We are pleased that students who complete their initial courses via PathwayConnect now have the option to continue their higher education at Utah State University.”

Admission Pathways helps students qualify for admission to USU even if they fall below the admission standard of a 2.8 high school GPA. Students who complete these requirements will be admitted in good standing to a four-year program at USU.

Students looking for more information on USU’s Admission Pathways should contact an admission specialist at the USU campus of their choice.

About Utah State University:

Since its founding in 1888, Utah State University has evolved from a small agricultural college tucked away in the Northern Utah mountains to a thriving, multi-campus research university known throughout the world for its intellectual and technological leadership. Utah State is a premier student-centered land-grant and space-grant university that fosters the principle that academics come first by cultivating diversity of thought and culture, and by serving the public through learning, discovery and engagement.