BYU–Pathway Worldwide


BYU–Pathway Worldwide is a higher education organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced on February 7, 2017. It is responsible for all online higher education within the Church Educational System.

History

BYU-PW started in 2009 as PathwayConnect, a program of BYU–Idaho. PathwayConnect is a non-matriculated program that makes higher education more attainable. From its creation in 2009, PathwayConnect enrollment has risen exponentially, from 50 original students, to approximately 7,000 students in 2013, to more than 15,000 students in 2017. The students take courses online, but they also meet once a week in small groups to create 'scaffolding confidence.'
On February 7, 2017, the LDS Church announced the creation of BYU-PW to provide strategic oversight and leadership for the church's online higher-education initiatives, which consists of PathwayConnect and online higher education certificate and degree programs. As of March 2020, those programs are developed by BYU-Idaho and LDS Business College. As of 2017, PathwayConnect covers one year, during which students take at least one academic online course and one religious education course each semester. Clark Gilbert, formerly the president of BYU–Idaho, was credited with developing the program in 2009 and was appointed to serve as the organization's first president, effective May 1, 2017.
In 2019, it was announced that all LDS Church returning missionaries automatically receive pre-approval for admission to BYU-PW’s PathwayConnect program. Gilbert stated that the program is intended to be scalable and currently has no enrollment cap.

Enrollment

During 2018, BYU-PW served 41,426 unduplicated students. PathwayConnect students participated in 529 locations throughout 81 countries, and BYU-Idaho online-degree students participated in all 50 states and 60 countries.