Marriage rates among BYU students decline, prompting campus initiatives to encourage dating and relationships.

The number of married students at Brigham Young University’s campuses in Provo and Rexburg, Idaho, has shown a decline in recent years. In fall 2021, 25% of enrolled students at the flagship campus were married, according to previous reports. By fall 2025, that percentage had dropped to approximately 17%, with the marital status of 20% of students remaining unknown. At BYU-Idaho, the percentage of married students fell from 22% in fall 2021 to 20% by fall 2025. While data for BYU-Hawaii was not immediately available, the school did not respond to requests for further details.

Despite this decline, the predominantly Latter-day Saint student body at these institutions still marries at a higher rate than the general U.S. college population. In the 2019-2020 academic year, only about 4% of U.S. college students aged 19 to 23 were married, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. This trend reflects a broader cultural shift, with more young people choosing to delay or forgo marriage altogether, as reported by The New York Times.

Marriage and family researcher Jenet Erickson, who teaches at BYU’s Provo campus, noted that the drop in marriage rates among Latter-day Saints aligns with national trends. “The decline just tracks with the broader culture, as with almost all trends,” she said. However, church leaders, BYU administrators, and professors have expressed concern over the trend, viewing it as a challenge to traditional Latter-day Saint values.

Church authorities have long emphasized the importance of marriage, with recent messages from leaders reinforcing this stance. In 2023, apostle Dallin H. Oaks, now the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, stated in a worldwide devotional that “marriage is central to the purpose of mortal life and what follows.” Earlier this year, Oaks suggested lowering the minimum missionary age for young women to 18 could encourage earlier marriage, aligning with what he described as “the Lord’s plan to overcome the tendency of waiting until the late 20s” to marry. He expressed hope that this change would lead to a reduction in the average age of marriage for Latter-day Saints.

In response to the declining marriage rates, BYU has taken steps to support students in finding partners. Events such as the Night of Light Date Night, where students gather for social and romantic opportunities, have been organized to foster connections. These initiatives reflect the university’s ongoing commitment to promoting family values and addressing the challenges faced by its student population.

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