Admission Requirements and Standards

Students are admitted into the undergraduate accounting program on a rolling admissions basis for study commencing in the Fall Semester. The design of the program is that, in general, a student will spend his or her freshman and sophomore years completing university general education and accounting prerequisite classes and commence work in the accounting program as a junior. As a junior, a student participates in an Accounting Jr. Core in which students attend class four or five days each week from 8:00 am to 10:50 am or from 12:30 pm to 3:20 pm and are occasionally required to attend guest speaker lectures.

The admission criteria listed below do not guarantee admission or rejection but are the minimum qualifications for students seeking entrance to the SOA. Admission is very competitive because of limited space in the program.

  1. Admission to Brigham Young University. Applications to the SOA are accepted only from students who have already been accepted to Brigham Young University. (If you have not been admitted to BYU, you must contact the Admissions Office, A-153 ASB, 801-422-2507.)


  2. Online Application. Admission to the undergraduate accounting program is by online application filed directly with the SOA. Applications are filed at marriottschool.byu.edu/soa/ugrad.cfm. Notice of admission decisions is given online.


  3. Application Data. Each year, the last day to apply to commence study in the fall semester is the last business day in June at 4:30 p.m. A student may, however, apply for fall semester admission as early as November 1, in the preceding year. (For example, a student wishing to begin study in Fall 20xx, may file an application as early as November 1, of the preceding year.) In most cases, admission decisions are made on a monthly basis.


  4. Prerequisite Classes. The following classes (or their equivalent) must be completed: Acc 200, Acc 310 (or Acc 201/202), I Sys 201, and MCom 320.

  5. Repeating Prerequisite Classes. Repeating any of the four preparatory classes (Acc 200, Acc 310, MCom 320 and ISys 201) to improve grades for purposes of admission is strongly discouraged. A repeat grade is discounted one letter grade; for example, a repeat grade of A is calculated as a B. For these four classes: (1) a minimum 3.0 GPA is required, and (2) a grade of B or better is required in Acc 200 and Acc 310. The preparatory classes must be completed at the time of application.


  6. Transfer Credit. Students must have all transfer work evaluated by the Management Advisement Center before the application will be processed. Grades from classes taken at a school other than BYU-Provo are discounted one step for purposes of admissions decisions. (For example, a transfer grade of B+ in Accounting 310, or its equivalent, will be valued as a B for purposes of admission.)


  7. Other Requirements. The accounting program is designed for entry at the beginning of a student’s junior year. Moreover, at the end of the junior year, many students immediately commence graduate studies. Therefore, a student entering the accounting program must have substantially completed general education requirements and the Management Core I classes (Econ 110, Math 118 & 116 and Stat 121). The Management Core I classes must be completed before taking the Management Integrated Core or before entering the MAcc program. Exceptions may be allowed, but it should be understood that it is difficult to complete such classes after entry into the accounting program.


  8. Transfer Applicants. Potential applicants who will transfer from other schools are strongly encouraged to take Acc 310 at BYU-Provo and include an ACT/SAT score with their application, if the test was taken. Grades transferred from other schools are discounted.


  9. Notification. When admissions decisions have been made, the SOA will send an email to the address provided in your application which will direct you to a website where you will be informed of your application status. You are responsible for reporting any problems in accessing that information to the SOA Office, 560 TNRB (soa@byu.edu or 801-422-4947).


  10. Deferrals. Students must begin the SOA program the Fall Semester for which they are admitted. The only exception to this policy is for prospective LDS missionaries. (See item #12 below.)


  11. Excessive Credit Hours. Applications with excessive credit hours (110+) will be subject to close scrutiny as will applications showing substantial completion of a major other than accounting. Students with excessive credit hours should justify their position relative to their admission in the SOA programs.


  12. LDS Mission Deferrals. Students who are planning, but have not served an LDS mission, should go either before entering the Jr. Core or after completing the Jr. Core. (Because of the makeup of the Jr. Core, the fall and winter semesters must be completed consecutively.)


  13. Exceptions. The SOA reserves the right to allow exceptions in the admission process where it is deemed necessary to admit the most qualified students.