Services for Missionaries | Admissions | BYU-Idaho

# Missionaries

Information and resources for departing and returning missionaries.

Missionary Deferments

If you are currently serving, have received a call to serve, or plan to serve a full-time, teaching or service mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you can defer your BYU-Idaho admissions until you return.

Request a Deferment

Returned Missionary Scholarships

Scholarships for missionaries who enroll at BYU-Idaho within the first year after returning from full-time missionary service.

Review the Checklist

Prospective Students

Current Students

Missionaries Preparing to Serve

Missionaries Returning Home

Prospective Students

Current Students

Missionaries Preparing to Serve

Missionaries Returning Home

Prospective Students

Current Students

Missionaries Preparing to Serve

Missionaries Returning Home

## Prospective Students

BYU-Idaho encourages returning missionaries to apply for the first available semester after completing their service. Most new applicants will not be held to traditional deadlines if they apply to the earliest semester available after their mission release.

Students whose native language is not English will be required to take the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), even if they have served an English-speaking mission. Applicants who are not U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents of the United States are not eligible for early admission. U.S. law requires certain documentation and financial information that must be submitted at certain times in the application process. Thus, international applicants must adhere to regular admissions deadlines.

## Current BYU-Idaho Students

Missionaries returning to BYU-Idaho on deferment can request to enroll in the next available semester regardless of their track assignment. Where needed, an enrollment override can allow these returning students to attend the earliest available semester and then resume study on their regularly assigned track. (International students need pre-approval from BYU-Idaho International Services in order to return on a 'flex' semester.) To request an override or an earlier return semester, please call BYU-Idaho at (208) 496-1411.

## Preparing to Serve

Prospective missionaries are encouraged to apply for BYU-Idaho prior to beginning missionary service. After being admitted and receiving a track assignment, students with a mission call can submit a Missionary Deferment that will preserve BYU-Idaho admission until missionary service is complete. Learn more at out our Missionary Deferment page.

## Deferred Missionaries Returning Home Earlier than Expected

Students who have deferred, left on a mission, and returned earlier than initially expected from their mission will need to have their mission deferment removed before they can register for classes. To have the mission deferment removed the student should contact the BYU-Idaho Admissions office at (208) 496-1411 shortly after returning home. Students who do not intend to enroll in the first available semester following early return from missionary service may be asked to update their admission application for a future semester.

## Housing Questions for Mission-Bound Students

Get clear on deadlines, contract responsibilities, and when you're eligible to sign for approved housing again.

Once you sign a housing contract and pay the deposit, you are legally responsible for that contract. You may cancel it up to ****61 days before the semester begins****. After that deadline, the only option is to ****sell your contract to an eligible replacement****. 
 
**Example:** For ****Winter 2026****, the cancellation window has already passed, so selling the contract is the only way out.

Yes. Once a ****mission deferment**** is applied to your account, you become ****ineligible for approved housing****. Because of this, you should ****not add the deferment to your account**** until you actually leave on your mission. 
 
If you want it added early, contact ****Admissions**** and verify--more than once if needed--that the deferment will ****not**** be applied until your departure date.

If the deferment is added early, you may immediately lose housing eligibility. Contact ****Admissions**** right away to correct any timing issues and confirm when the deferment will be officially activated.

Mission deferments can only be lifted ****within six months of your return date****. Once it is lifted, you regain eligibility to sign a housing contract.

Immediately. Approved housing fills quickly, so plan to ****sign a contract as soon as your deferment is lifted****.

Pay close attention to your ****track assignment****. If you return during a semester that isn't part of your normal track (for example, you return in July but your track is Winter/Spring), you may need to ****request a Fall track override**** to sign a contract for Fall housing.

Once your deferment is lifted, you may sign a contract for the ****semester that matches your official start date****.

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Contact Admissions with your questions, no matter if you are a prospective, current, or Pathway student!

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