Changes for freshmen are already underway following the late 2025 announcement lowering the minimum age for sister missionaries to 18. Previously, women could not begin missionary service until age 21.
With a potential surge of female students leaving this semester and shifting enrollment patterns, the age and gender balance of the freshman class may shift, affecting housing, class ratios and other campus dynamics.
The policy change was released Nov. 21, 2025. Second-semester freshman Breanna Young recalled the immediate aftermath of the news in her Helaman Halls dorm.
“Right after it was dropped … everyone started talking about it (in our hall group chat),” Young said. “Everyone was like, ‘wow, I want to leave (on my mission) like right now.’”
She explained how this urgency changed things in her YSA ward immediately. Young’s bishop was suddenly overloaded with missionary candidate interviews, given the influx of young women starting their papers earlier than anticipated.
Young said many girls in her hall who were originally planning on staying to complete the semester already have calls and have since deferred to leave early, a mass change of plans that could result in substantially fewer female freshmen this semester.
It isn’t entirely clear what the impacts of this shift in enrollment will look like now and in the future. Some have pointed to the benefits of having more returned missionary freshmen on campus.
Bryce Bunting, director of the Office of First-Year Experience, said he doesn’t believe the age change will be a “silver bullet” for freshman difficulties. However, he highlighted the critical skills that will be added to students’ “tool kit,” especially in terms of adjusting to college.
He clarified that “no one gets into BYU by accident,” but didn’t sugarcoat the fact that many students aren’t initially prepared for the BYU rigor, where expectations are kicked into overdrive.
In his estimation, letting more freshmen start at BYU with the time management, study skills, and other habits missionaries develop will help bridge that gap between primary education and the BYU academic lifestyle.
Bunting also commented on the added benefit younger sister missionaries will have of time — time to examine interests, goals and strengths, ultimately leading to a better idea of what they want to pursue academically.
He referred to this as “major certainty” and explained that this mentality of beginning with the end in mind, not only saves students money and time in school but also leads to better performance.
“One thing we do know … is that students who are more certain about their major tend to have better academic outcomes,” Bunting said. He believes this is a result of students taking classes more seriously.
On-campus housing locations, specifically Heritage Halls and Helaman Halls, commonly see a large freshman occupancy. They are notoriously imbalanced between gender and occupant age, but may see a shift in those demographics.
Young commented on the ratio at Helaman. She said there were two floors of women’s apartments for every one of men’s. She said this created a strange, imbalanced dynamic.
“It’s definitely weird because it just doesn't feel equal when you go to church or other things. There are so many fewer guys … Especially with ministering assignments, those are affected by it too,” Young said.
Young said she wonders about what Helaman Halls will look like with more female post-mission freshmen, and thinks there may be fewer residents.
“RM’s aren’t trying to live in the dorms that much,” she said.
Chauncey Wilkes, assistant manager of the Campus Accommodations Office, explained it is hard to tell how the housing situation could change, if it changes at all.
He said in recent years, there haven’t been enough planned bedspaces or available rooms to accommodate all of the new female freshmen. As such, many had to look for off-campus options.
“If (numbers) did remain the same as last year, the mission age change would actually not change the current mix,” Wilkes said. “If they admitted fewer women than they did last year, then we would see a dip in the number of women on campus.”
Looking further into the future, Wilkes pointed to the likely balancing out of age and gender ratios that will occur within several years as missionary ages become more synchronous.
“It will look a little wonky for the next three years, but then after that, we’ll find a new normal,” Wilkes said.
Bunting also elaborated on this “new normal,” as it relates to UNIV 101 and other freshman class demographics.
“What we’ve seen over the last couple years with winter semester classes is they tend to be disproportionately male,” Blunting said. “It’s not the end of the world, it just creates a different dynamic.”
He foresees more evenly-balanced freshman courses in the future.