Ecclesiastical Endorsement

The purpose of the endorsement is to certify whether or not the students have maintained their commitment to the CES and BYU–Hawaii Honor Code, including the Academic Honesty Policy, the Dress and Grooming Standards, and the Residential Living Standards and, in the case of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, have done their duty in the Church, attended meetings, and lived the rules and standards of the Church. Based upon the endorsement interview and the interviewer's knowledge of the conduct of the student, the interviewer certifies to the university that the student is eligible to continue at BYU–Hawaii.

Timeline for Continuing Ecclesiastical Endorsements

All continuing students must renew their ecclesiastical endorsement every year between January 1 and the Save Your Spot date for spring semester – generally a period of two months. This endorsement must be signed by the student’s current winter semester bishop in order for a student to attend classes in the immediately following spring, fall, or winter semesters. If the endorsing bishop has been the student’s bishop for less than six months, the current bishop and the prior bishop should confer and concur with the endorsement

Regardless of when the student received their last endorsement, if it was before January 1 of that year, the student is required to obtain an updated ecclesiastical endorsement.

Graduating students must also renew their ecclesiastical endorsement in order to participate in spring graduation commencement or receive their diploma.

Any student who does not renew their ecclesiastical endorsement within the time outlined will have their spring semester classes dropped, will not be eligible to participate in spring graduation, and will receive a hold on their student account. The hold may be removed and the student may re-register for classes if the student obtains an endorsement after the deadline, but the student may be unable to register for classes or obtain housing if the opportunities have been filled. Other consequences such as loss of the Student Medical Benefit may also occur when the student’s classes are dropped due to lack of an ecclesiastical endorsement.

Withdrawn Ecclesiastical Endorsement

A student’s endorsement may be withdrawn at any time if the ecclesiastical leader determines that the student no longer qualifies for endorsement. A student whose endorsement is withdrawn will be immediately withdrawn from school for at least one calendar year.

A student is who has had a withdrawal of membership, a formal membership restriction, or is disaffiliated from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is automatically withdrawn from school.

Ecclesiastical Endorsement Withdrawal Process

The ecclesiastical endorsement withdrawal process includes the following:

1. When a bishop determines it is necessary to withdraw a student’s endorsement, he should complete the Ecclesiastical Endorsement Withdrawal form and submit it to the Office of Honor.
2. The bishop has the option to set the date for the student’s discontinuance from BYU–Hawaii if the action takes place close to the end of the semester.
3. Upon receipt of the Endorsement Withdrawal form from the bishop, the Office of Honor initiates the student’s suspension and discontinuance process immediately.
4. The Office of Honor will notify by letter the university registrar and the student’s bishop and stake president that action has been taken and will outline the requirement that the student leave school. Included are instructions regarding the timing for leaving the university.
5. The Office of Honor will notify BYU–Hawaii Residential Living and other university departments as needed.
6. A hold is placed on the student’s BYU–Hawaii and CES accounts. A note is made in the comment section of the BYU–Hawaii account that the hold will remain until both the home ward bishop and the bishop who withdrew the endorsement have conferred and agreed that the student can be endorsed.

Re-admission After Suspension

The process for re-admission after suspension is the same as the pre-admission endorsement with the following exceptions:

A. Prior to re-admission, the withdrawing bishop and current bishop confer and concur with the endorsement.

B. After notification from the BYU–Hawaii bishop, the Office of Honor will remove both the BYU–Hawaii hold and the CES hold.

Application for re-admission to BYU–Hawaii is submitted no sooner than 365 days from sanction date. Prior to applying, all the requirements set forth by the Office of Honor must be completed in order to be returned to good Honor Code standing. If the application is returned to good Honor Code standing and believes they are qualified to be readmitted to the university, they may apply for readmission. As part of the reapplication process, the applicant is evaluated by a separate committee to determine whether they meet all the criteria of being admissible, including fit with the university mission and purpose. Return to good Honor Code standing is necessary but not sufficient to indicate a good fit for the university.

Online Curriculum

Students are required to obtain an ecclesiastical endorsement every semester they register for classes, including on-line courses. A student who has been suspended from any CES school may not register for online classes until they are in good Honor Code standing and ecclesiastically endorsed.

Upon written consent from the student, the Office of Honor, the dean of students, and the Student Life Vice President may communicate confidential information with the student's ecclesiastical leader and advise the student's ecclesiastical leader of disciplinary action taken by the university.

Ecclesiastical Endorsement Exception

Any student or prospective student who wishes to attend BYU–Hawaii without an ecclesiastical endorsement and believes that there is a justifiable reason for an exception can follow the process outlined in the Ecclesiastical Endorsement Exception Policy.