Beard Waiver

Student Health Services Medical Leadership in consultation with BYU Administration and the BYU Honor Code Office have decided that the diagnosis of Psuedofolliculitis Barbae is the only medical condition that merits a recommendation for a long-term beard waiver.

Exception Clarifications

1.) If the applicant for exception believes that severe pseudofolliculitis barbae is present, then he should set an appointment for a medical exam at the Student Health Center. The purpose of the appointment is to enable the clinician to confirm the presence of severe pseudofolliculitis barbae. Since the physician is charged with the responsibility of actually seeing and diagnosing the presence of severe pseudofolliculitis barbae, this observation can only be made if the patient has shaved every day for at least three days prior to the appointment. The patient's medical history alone is not sufficient.

2.) The patient will be charged for the medical exam regardless of whether severe pseudofolliculitis barbae is diagnosed. Therefore, it is in the patient's best interest to make sure the condition is present and visible enough for the clinician to make the diagnosis based on physical findings at the time of the visit, rather than solely on the basis of the patient's medical history.

3.) If the clinician is able to make the diagnosis based on the physical findings at the time of the appointment, he or she will notify the Honor Code Office of the diagnosis and make a recommendation relative to a beard waiver. The Honor Code Office, not the Student Health Center, makes the final determination of whether the applicant is granted the exception, and the Honor Code Office will notify the applicant of the decision.

4.) Once the applicant has completed the exam with the clinician, he will need to report to the Honor Code Office to complete the process.