The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is launching a new online higher education system called BYU-Pathway Worldwide.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf made the announcement on behalf of the First Presidency and the church’s educational system in a press conference Tuesday morning.

According to Uchtdorf, Clark Gilbert, current president of Brigham Young University-Idaho, will head the new online school. A replacement for Gilbert will be announced Tuesday afternoon. Gilbert will begin in his new position April 10.

“Pathway was created to make college educational opportunities available to those who otherwise would not have them,” Uchtdorf said. “Pathway is a bridge into the world of online college education and a pathway to opportunities for a successful livelihood.

“The program combines online learning with religious education in local institutes or meetinghouses in an environment of faith, grounded in the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

BYU-Pathway Worldwide will provide higher-education opportunities to students around the world, and will incorporate online education with religious curriculum.

“Pathway inspires increased faith in the Lord and opens new opportunities in higher education to learn by study and by faith,” Uchtdorf said.

The new system will expand upon a BYU-Pathway program that was organized at BYU-Idaho, making it a worldwide program. BYU-Pathway was created in 2009 with 50 students, at three pilot sites in Idaho, Arizona and New York. The program has since expanded to nearly 500 sites in 50 countries and has served 57,000 students.

Gilbert spoke of the thousands locally who have already benefited from the BYU-Pathway system.

“I think of a single mother in Orem, Utah who grabbed me by the lapels and said, ‘You tell the Brethren how grateful we are for this opportunity,'” Gilbert said.

According to Gilbert, the rapid growth in interest has prompted expansion of the program.

“We are part of a worldwide Church, and there are members all across the world who are ready for this,” he said.

BYU-Pathway Worldwide will partner with all other Church Educational System institutions — including BYU, BYU-Idaho and BYU-Hawaii — and courses will be accredited through those universities.

The program will incorporate online courses as well as in-person meetings at church meetinghouses or institutes for religious education.

It will also be offered to members of the LDS Church worldwide, without requiring an ecclesiastical endorsement for the first year. When students matriculate into a degree program, however, they will need an ecclesiastical endorsement and will be required to live by the Church Educational System’s honor code.

The church said the cost for the programs will be low. Current costs for BYU-Pathway are $69 per credit hour and are adjusted based on income levels in other countries — in Ghana for instance, the cost is $10 per credit hour.

The system will offer certificate programs that are geared to meet the needs of local economies in different countries. The certificate programs are typically four to five courses and then build into an associate’s degree and eventually into a bachelor’s degree.

The program will initially include programs in high-demand fields like business, health care and a variety of technology fields.

The headquarters for BYU-Pathway Worldwide will be in Salt Lake City.

The LDS Church Educational System currently oversees education at the three aforementioned BYU campuses, as well as at LDS Business College in Salt Lake City. The organization also oversees all religious education programs, including seminary and institutes of religion.

The church also owns several elementary and secondary schools in Mexico and the Pacific Islands.

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