 Over three quarters of the student body has some proficiency in a second language ( numbering 107 languages in total ) . This is partially due to the fact that 45 percent of the student body at BYU has been missionaries for LDS Church , and many of them learned a foreign language as part of their mission assignment . During any given semester , about one @-@ third of the student body is enrolled in foreign language classes , a rate nearly four times the national average . BYU offers courses in over 60 different languages , many with advanced courses that are seldom offered elsewhere . Several of its language programs are the largest of their kind in the nation , the Russian program being one example . The university was selected by the United States Department of Education as the location of the national Middle East Language Resource Center , making the school a hub for experts on that region . It was also selected as a Center for International Business Education Research , a function of which is to train business employees in international languages and relations . 
