The 25 Most Desirable Large Schools

Named after a Mormon leader, Brigham Young University was founded in 1875 and maintains its close ties to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with the vast majority of its more than 30,000 undergraduates counted among adherents to the religion. It ranks 13th on Newsweek's list of most desirable large colleges.  
 
The school's Mormon culture is reflected in its honor code, which emphasizes "being honest, living a chaste and virtuous life, abstaining from alcohol and tobacco, using clean language and following other values encompassed in the doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ."   
 
Although the Provo, Utah-based school accepts 77 percent of applicants--many from within the state--Brigham Young students post among the highest SAT and ACT scores for religious schools rated by Newsweek, averaging a 1340 and 30, respectively. The student body is split almost evenly among men and women. The U.S. Department of Education estimates the annual expense for a full-time undergraduate student to attend Brigham Young for the 2009-2010 academic year was just over $4,290, making it quite affordable compared with other universities.