FreeBYU is an advocacy organization dedicated to changing

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

(BYU) policies such that students can have an environment of religious and academic freedom. These policies mean that students who enroll in the university as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ( LDS Church) are not able to express a change in religious beliefs or express their lack thereof without risk of being evicted from their student homes, fired from their campus jobs, or expelled from the university. Currently BYU does not allow students who enrolled as Mormons to change their religious affiliation, and FreeBYU is advocating for university policy to apply the same standards for formerly LDS students as it does for non-LDS students, including charging a higher tuition rate.

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The organization has petitioned the university, as well as several of its accreditors claiming that it does not meet requirements for religious freedom. These include the

American Psychological Association The American Psychological Association (APA) is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States, with over 133,000 members, including scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students. It ha ...

and the

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of acad ...

which resulted in a change to BYU's

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in 2016. Shortly after FreeBYU's complaint to the American Bar Association in 2016, BYU had added an "Application for Exception" clause that would theoretically enable a formerly LDS applicant to be enrolled if there were "compelling," "extenuating," and "unusual circumstances." A BYU spokesperson stated in 2017 that the university believes it is in full compliance with accreditation standards and offers the option of applying for a religious exemption, though, FreeBYU states that exemptions are not being granted and students are discouraged from applying for them. In 2015 the group persuaded the president of the

American Academy of Religion The American Academy of Religion (AAR) is the world's largest association of scholarly method, scholars in the List of academic disciplines, field of religious studies and related topics. It is a nonprofit member association, serving as a profes ...

, Mark Juergensmeyer, to decline to speak at BYU's 2015 International Law and Religion Symposium in protest of the university's denial of religious freedom to their students.

Media coverage

The group's advocacy has received television coverage as well as nationwide newspaper coverage including in ''The Washington Post'', ''The Wall Street Journal'', and ''The Huffington Post''.

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Media coverage

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