Ecclesiastical Endorsement

Students are required to be in good Honor Code standing to be admitted to, continue enrollment at, and graduate from LDS Business College. Students are required to obtain a Continuing Student Ecclesiastical Endorsement for each new academic year.

LDS Students: All enrolled, continuing students at LDS Business College will be required to annually submit a continuing endorsement from the bishop of the ward (1) in which they live and (2) that holds their current Church membership record. Students attending wards on or off campus will need to obtain a form at the Registration Office, or online by clicking here. Endorsements expire April 1st of each year.

Other Students: Non-LDS students are to be endorsed annually by any local bishop or branch president. Students who wish to talk to an LDS bishop may contact the Honor Code Office to obtain that information. Please see BeSmart.com if you are applying as a new student.

Whether on or off campus, all students are expected to abide by the Honor Code, which includes the (1) Academic Honesty Policy, (2) Dress and Grooming Standards, and (3) Continuing Student Ecclesiastical Endorsement.

A student's endorsement may be withdrawn at any time if the ecclesiastical leader determines that the student is no longer eligible for the endorsement. If an endorsement is withdrawn, no confessional information is exchanged without authorization from the student. Students without a current endorsement are not in good Honor Code standing and must discontinue enrollment. Students who are not in good Honor Code standing are not eligible for graduation, even if they have otherwise completed all necessary coursework. Excommunication, disfellowshipment, or disaffiliation from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints automatically results in the withdrawal of the student's ecclesiastical endorsement and the loss of good Honor Code standing.

The decision to withdraw an ecclesiastical endorsement may be appealed through appropriate ecclesiastical leaders only. As a matter of practice, LDS Business College does not intervene in ecclesiastical matters or endorsements. In unusual circumstances, however, a student may petition the Honor Code Office to allow an exception to the ecclesiastical endorsement requirement. As part of the petition, a student must sign a release allowing appropriate university officials to freely communicate with the student's ecclesiastical leaders;  prepare a written statement outlining the reasons why, in light of the student's extenuating circumstances, the college should allow an exception; and submit this to the Honor Code office.

When considering the petition, the Honor Code Office will focus not on the merits of the ecclesiastical leader's decision to withdraw the endorsement but instead on whether the student has demonstrated sufficiently compelling grounds to warrant an exception to the college's ecclesiastical endorsement requirement. In addition to speaking with the student's present and former ecclesiastical leaders, the Honor Code Office may also choose to personally interview the student, who may further explain the circumstances that 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 Honor Code Office's decision regarding the petition will be reviewed by the Dean of Student Life if requested by the student. The decision by the Dean of Students is final.