On February 7, 2017, the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced the launch of BYU-Pathway Worldwide, a global higher education program. Clark G. Gilbert, then president of BYU-Idaho, was appointed to oversee this new program that provided students all over the world with access to flexible, low-cost higher education centered in the gospel.
At the 2017 press conference, Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf said, “Pathway was created to make college educational opportunities available to those who otherwise would not have them. Pathway is a bridge into the world of online college education and a pathway to opportunities for a successful livelihood.”Since this announcement, BYU-Pathway has continued to expand its reach and, in 2019, served a new record of nearly 45,000 students in 145 countries and all 50 states in the U.S. The organization has been established in 500 locations and provides access to
In recent years, BYU-Pathway Worldwide has incorporated monthly worldwide devotionals; pre-accepted returned missionaries for admission to PathwayConnect; created a returned-missionary scholarship; and created a support system of mentors, instructors, and service missionaries to help students throughout their PathwayConnect experience.
In 2017, Elder Uchtdorf said that Pathway has been “a hidden treasure within the CES system.”