BYU-Idaho sees a jump in Winter Semester enrollment
Feb 19, 2026, 6:15 AM
Credit: BYU-Idaho
REXBURG – After a slump in Winter Semester enrollment since the COVID-19 pandemic, BYU-Idaho is seeing more enrollment this semester than during the last four years.
The university’s Winter 2026 Semester student enrollment is up 5% from last year, with 23,708 campus-based students, compared to 22,336 students last year.
This total includes 20,173 campus-based students enrolled in face-to-face courses and 3,535 campus-based students enrolled in online courses and/or internships. The school estimates that about 21,500 of the total students currently live in Rexburg.
BYU-Idaho Social Media Manager Perry Rockwood attributes much of the growth to university President Alvin F. Meredith’s focus on boosting enrollment.
“It’s hard to increase enrollment if people don’t know about the university and if we’re not telling why you should come here,” Rockwood said.
Marketing has been a greater focus, and Rockwood said the admissions department is visiting more high schools and giving more presentations than ever before.
“It’s been such an increased effort from so many different people to share what makes BYU-Idaho special,” Rockwood said.
The university is also offering more scholarships, with an additional automatic scholarship for incoming freshmen with exceptional high school academic achievement, returned missionary scholarships and more.
Above all, Rockwood said the university’s mission to “develop disciples of Jesus Christ who are leaders in their homes, the Church, and their communities” draws new students more than anything else.
“For them to know they can come to a place, earn a great education, get amazing one-on-one teaching from their teachers, be prepared for their careers, but also be with people who have the same values and morals as they have and they can grow as a disciple of Jesus Christ at the same time, is more appealing than it ever has been,” Rockwood said.
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