 Students attending BYU are required to follow an honor code , which mandates behavior in line with LDS teachings such as academic honesty , adherence to dress and grooming standards , and abstinence from extramarital sex and from the consumption of drugs and alcohol . Many students ( 88 percent of men , 33 percent of women ) either delay enrollment or take a hiatus from their studies to serve as Mormon missionaries . ( Men typically serve for two @-@ years , while women serve for 18 months . ) An education at BYU is also less expensive than at similar private universities , since " a significant portion " of the cost of operating the university is subsidized by the church 's tithing funds . 
