Ecclesiastical Endorsement and Continuing Ecclesiastical Endorsement

POLICY STATEMENT 

The Board of Trustees requires that every student admitted to and enrolled in online certificates and degrees  offered through BYU-Pathway Worldwide have a valid ecclesiastical endorsement.  New applicants who are  members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints must be endorsed by their bishop and stake president  (or counselor) of record.  Member students must regularly be endorsed by their bishop of record.  BYU-Pathway will notify students when an endorsement is required.    

Applicants and students who are not members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints must be endorsed  by a local bishop or by their own faith leader and the BYU-Pathway Worldwide Chaplain to be eligible for  admission to online certificate and degree programs.  Non-member students must regularly be endorsed by the  BYU-Pathway Worldwide Chaplain.  BYU-Pathway Worldwide will notify students when an endorsement is required.  

An ecclesiastical leader may withdraw a student's endorsement at any time or may decline to endorse a continuing  student if the leader determines that the student is no longer eligible for the endorsement. If an endorsement is  withdrawn or if a Continuing Ecclesiastical Endorsement (CEE) is denied, no confessional information is exchanged without authorization from the student. The withdrawal of a student's ecclesiastical endorsement automatically results in the loss of good Honor Code standing. Students who are not in good Honor Code standing are no longer eligible for enrollment or graduation, even if they have completed all necessary coursework.  

Process for Requesting an Exception 

The decision to withdraw an ecclesiastical endorsement or to deny a CEE may only be reviewed  through appropriate ecclesiastical leaders. As a matter of practice, BYU-Pathway Worldwide does not intervene in  ecclesiastical matters or endorsements. However, a student may petition the Wellness Committee to allow an  exception to the ecclesiastical endorsement requirement. This exception does not affect the withdrawn endorsement. If granted, it only allows the student to finish the current semester. As part of the petition, the  student must (i) contact the Wellness Manager to request an exception; (ii) prepare a written statement outlining  the reasons why BYU-Pathway should allow an exception; and (iii) within two business days of receiving notice that  the ecclesiastical endorsement has been withdrawn or that a CEE has been denied, submit the written statement  to the Wellness Manager for consideration. 

Reviewing A Petition for Exception to Policy 

When considering the petition, the Wellness Manager will determine whether the student has observed and  continues to observe the standards of the Honor Code or has demonstrated other sufficiently compelling grounds  to warrant an exception to the university's ecclesiastical endorsement requirement. The Wellness Manager will not review the ecclesiastical leader's decision to withdraw or deny the endorsement or the process for reaching that  decision. The Wellness Manager and other institutional officials will not discuss confidential matters with the  student's present or former ecclesiastical leaders unless the student voluntarily signs a Permission to Exchange Information allowing that communication. The Wellness Manager may also choose to personally interview the  student, who may further explain the circumstances which might justify an exception to the ecclesiastical  endorsement requirement. The student bears the burden of persuasion that he or she should be considered to be  in good Honor Code standing, notwithstanding the lack of an ecclesiastical endorsement. The Wellness Manager’s  decision regarding the petition will be reviewed by the Student Wellness Committee if requested by the student.  The decision by the Admissions Committee is final. 

APPROVER 
System Exchange Team Executive Group (SETEG) 

APPROVAL DATE 
2023.10.23 

POLICY STEWARD 
Admissions Manager 

EXECUTIVE SPONSOR 
Student Success Vice President 

APPLICABILITY 
This policy applies to all BYU-Pathway Worldwide Online Degree students.