Freshman Academy Envelopes

Many students will participate in Freshman Academy (FA). FA provides new freshmen with the opportunity to take three or more classes with students who live in the same residence area. This program helps first-year students make important connections within the university during their first semester at BYU. By creating the best teaching-learning situation possible, FA strives to provide an academic environment that facilitates the development of well-rounded students and improves the transition from high school to college.

Freshman Academy students will be asked to register for three or more classes which together make up an “envelope”. FA envelopes are exclusive to FA students, who register for the classes as a unit. Students can only add and drop the entire envelope and not individual classes within the envelope. The envelopes make up “learning communities,” which are relatively small groups of students who participate in activities that enhance the academic experience.

The types of learning communities range from major-specific (i.e. business, music, nursing, and communications, to name a few) to university core to honors learning communities. All of the FA envelopes include Book of Mormon, as well as other classes that help students fulfill the University Core requirements. Academy students, like all other freshmen, are required to complete First-Year Writing, American Heritage, and Book of Mormon during their first year at BYU. Academy students whose learning communities do not include all required freshman classes should still plan to fulfill these requirements by the end of the first year.

Other benefits of FA include peer mentors, upperclassmen who have frequently taken the same classes as the students and can be great resources. Students will also benefit from structured interactions between students and faculty, from learning with fellow students, and living near others in the community (based on application to On-Campus Housing). In return for these benefits FA students are expected to fully participate in the classes and activities of the learning community.

If you would like more information about applying or registering for Freshman Academy, please call (801) 422-8176 or (toll-free) 1-877-890-5451, or visit the Freshman Academy webpage.