Here's the game plan: 1. Research other schools, in the area and online. 2. Contact their academic counselors and find out what credits will transfer for which degrees you're interested in. 3. Apply for Pell grants (which you don't have to pay back), scholarships (there are thousands out there, many that few people apply for), and work study. Debt-free college money. 4. Go somewhere else and be happy. 5. If you decide to suck it up, get your associate's and get outta there before someone rats you out or you mention info that could get you kicked out before you have the degree in hand.
They can force you to drop out at any time if someone (anyone) rats you out on an Honor Code violation or you fail to get the ecclesiastical endorsement. This happened to a friend of mine. Her roomie wanted friend's hot fiance for herself and figured the best way to do it was to trash friend's education/life; she ratted friend out for fictional Honor Code violation a semester before graduation. Friend was kicked out of BYU and housing even though there was no proof (couldn't be, because the accusation was a lie). I've heard other stories similar, as well. It happens.
Any BYU school can refuse to grant your degree for the same reasons EVEN IF you have completed all the required coursework and earned the credits. They can revoke your degree at any later point (as they did to a BYU grad who made a shirtless-missionary calendar). Why leave your educational future up to your bishop?
Um, no. BYU CANNOT (I repeat, CANNOT) revoke your degree after it is awarded unless there is evidence of academic fraud. They can't touch you after you graduate and then decide to leave the church; many people (including me) have done so.
The missionary calendar incident was different; he had not yet graduated and thus he was in violation of the honor code.
Please don't post misinformation that confuses others unless you have done adequate research.
Agreed. Practically everything OP wrote is alarmist nonsense. The FERPA law regulates in great detail what universities can and can't do. It is similar to HIIPA law for health care.
You can get expelled from bYU for a wider range of activities than at other schools, but once expelled, what they can do is the same everywhere. There is a required appeals process. Quite often, you can negotiate being able to finish out the current semester and getting the credits for that semester.
Even with a bishop who yanks your ecclesiastical endorsement, the bishop does not get the final say. A university dean does, and he or she may very well let you at least finish the semester.
Chad Hardy was denied his degree because he was excommunicated before the degree had actually been conferred. They can and did do that, but that was a highly unusual and high media profile case.
Reasonable advice to a BYU student - don't get excommunicated or resign. That will get you expelled. Even then, negotiate to finish the semester. There is substantial wiggle room on lesser infractions.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/20/2014 11:27AM by Brother Of Jerry.