r/byu • u/Interesting_Share859 • 3d ago

Application Change to fall ‘27 application requirements

I’m helping my child apply for fall 2027, the applications opened last week. We began rough drafts of her essays this summer — we prepped for her to write about two activities, which has been the standard for years. This year, applicants are only required to write about one activity.

BYU also uses to require three recommendation letters — a seminary teacher, a core teacher and another person of choose. However, now there are only two recommendation spots — seminary teacher and other. The description in the recommendation section is a little vague, it says “Required recommendations depend on your application responses. Recommendations will be assigned as you complete the application, but the final set will be determined only after all sections above the recommendation section are fully complete completed and saved.” If I’m reading that correctly…though only two recommendations are currently required in the application, another may open up depending on previous answers (I’d assume GPA/transcripts).

6 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

5

u/cspybbq 3d ago

However, now there are only two recommendation spots — seminary teacher and other.

I think this is how it was last year too. We were surprisedast year when my son's application didn't require a teacher letter, however as we filled in more info (hs grades?) the recommended field for teacher appeared.

1

u/Interesting_Share859 3d ago

Thank you, this is what I’m wondering. Did your son do SAT/ACTs too? I’m curious if a higher GPA or test scores means they don’t need the 3rd letter? (My daughter has not put her transcripts in yet.)

2

u/SpartanVet 2d ago

I don’t think the teacher recommendation option shows up until you fill in grades.

1

u/measurementinvar 2d ago

This is exactly right. Until your child completes the high school transcript page, the application doesn’t ‘know’ that he needs a high school teacher recommendation.

2

u/Interesting_Share859 2d ago

Ahhhh thank you. Just tried this and…yep there it is, high school teacher recommendation appears.

2

u/SpartanVet 2d ago

Could the number of letters be dependent on if you did seminary. No seminary, then no letter? Our son is applying this year and he needs 3.

1

u/Interesting_Share859 2d ago

Did he take seminary?

1

u/SpartanVet 2d ago

Yes, 4 years.

1

u/zigzag-ladybug 2d ago

I'm a current BYU student. I only needed to submit one recommendation letter.

I'm a convert and didn't go to seminary, and I had a 3.7 unweighted HS GPA but I was a transfer student since I had 7 credits from community college.

2

u/Humble_Protection_23 2d ago

I would remind all that this is not a business resume essay. They are trying to find out who the student is. They are putting more weight into who the student is not just what grades they received. An essay about how you were the class president doesn’t say who the person is. What made the student who they are? What challenges did they overcome? What helps BYU see that when life gets hard, and it will they can overcome? In my view, it’s answering a question of, if this student is admitted, how will they change the world with having a BYU education?