High School students who would like to personalize their own graduation path can now get a high school diploma through Brigham Young University’s BYU Online High School.

BYU announced Tuesday the new online program that will allow students to be full-time, online students and complete all their high school requirements online with a more flexible home study option.

The program will begin for the 2020-2021 school year.

The diploma will be offered through the Continuing Education’s Independent Study (BYU-IS) program, according to the BYU website.

The traditional Independent Study courses are available year-round. Students interested in just taking supplemental courses already offered online may continue that program.

“Students are looking for flexibility, and many parents are seeking alternative educational options that meet individual student needs,” said Lee J. Glines, Dean of Continuing Education at BYU on the byu.edu website. “BYU-IS offers more than 250 high school courses in a variety of subjects. Adding this structured diploma track enables BYU Online High School to offer a complete program similar to other virtual high schools.”

According to the High School Online website, “Students start and finish courses on a traditional two-semester schedule with fall and spring enrollment periods.

Requirements include the following:

• Complete 24.0 course credits in compliance with the Utah State Board of Education graduation requirements.
• Complete a minimum of 6.0 course credits through BYU Online High School.
• Diploma: Complete a minimum of 6.0 credits (12 courses) through BYU Online High School; 3.0 credits (6 courses) of the 6.0 required may be split between the junior and senior year. Students must be enrolled in the semester in which they intend to graduate.

Information about application, enrollment, and courses is available at highschool.byu.edu. BYU Independent Study is fully accredited by Cognia (formerly AdvanceED) and the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools.

“Whether you have already started taking our online courses or not, you can enroll and graduate from BYU Online High School if you complete all graduation requirements. To apply to join a limited 2020-2021 freshman class, email us at highschool@byu.edu,” the press release said.