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Best Colleges in Utah (2023 Rankings)

Best Colleges in Utah (2023 Rankings)
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While Utah is perhaps best known for its breathtaking natural beauty, it's also home to several excellent private and public universities. Whether you're thinking about getting a four-year degree after high school or looking to earn a master's degree that will take your career to the next level, Utah colleges and universities should definitely be on your radar. 

In this article, in no particular order, we'll tell you about all the excellent private and public colleges Utah offers. 

University of Utah

Location: Salt Lake City, UT

Acceptance rate: 79%

Undergraduate enrollment: 24,643

In-state tuition: $8,615

Out-of-state tuition: $27,220

Six-year graduation rate: 67% 

Student-to-faculty ratio: 18:1

The University of Utah is known for its commitment to innovation and discovery. The public school is recognized as an RI institution for its research activity, a prestigious designation given to less than 150 schools. Their Biology, Chemistry, and Mathematics programs are among the best in the nation.

Outside of academics, Utah recently joined the Pac-12 conference for athletics after being considered a "BCS buster" in college football for several years, and you'll often find special lectures, concerts, and Broadway-quality theater performances scheduled on campus.

Utah State University (USU)

Location: Logan, UT

Acceptance rate: 91%

Undergraduate enrollment: 24,647 

In-state tuition: $8,764

Out-of-state tuition: $23,452

Six-year graduation rate: 50%

Student-to-faculty ratio: 19:1

Utah State University is a public research university with a campus that spans 400 acres near Logan, Utah. The school's main campus first opened in 1888, and the school has since expanded to open an additional seven campuses throughout the state. The mission of the university is to empower students to lead successful lives through involvement, innovation, and impact. The student body represents all 29 Utah counties, all 50 states, and over 66 countries. 

Students pick from 114 undergraduate degrees and 130 minors when choosing what to focus on in school. The university also offers 90 master's degrees and 42 doctoral degrees. If you're interested in studying abroad, you'll be excited to hear that USU offers over 1,000 opportunities for global exploration and learning in 87 different countries, and around 450 USU students will study abroad each year. 

Brigham Young University (BYU)

Location: Provo, UT

Acceptance rate: 69% 

Undergraduate enrollment: 33,376 

Average tuition: $5,970 

Six-year graduation rate: 75% 

Student-to-faculty ratio: 21:1

Brigham Young University-Provo exists to assist students in their quest for personal and professional success. The school was founded by Brigham Young and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in 1875 and has since become the largest church-sponsored university in the United States. With nearly 34,000 undergraduate students, BYU is by far the largest school on this list.

The school offers almost 200 undergraduate majors along with 113 minors. Students can go on to choose from 96 master's programs and 30 doctoral programs. They rank highly for their actuary science programs and their foreign language degrees, and their business admin program is also widely respected.

Weber State University

Location: Ogden, UT

Undergraduate enrollment: 28,685 

In-state tuition: $5,956

Out-of-state tuition: $16,138

Six-year graduation rate: 36% 

Student-to-faculty ratio: 20:1

Weber State University offers over 220 degree programs taught by an esteemed faculty (80% of whom have terminal degrees). The school's Nursing program is by far its most popular, but many students will also graduate with degrees from the School of Computing or the School of Radiologic Sciences. 

During the 2021-2022 academic year, Weber State provided almost $86 million of financial aid to over 12,000 students. They have seen 15 faculty members named Fulbright Scholars since 1999, and their students' median starting salary after graduation is almost $60,000. They also care deeply for the environment, as reflected in their efforts to limit greenhouse gas emissions and electricity consumption. 

Southern Utah University (SUU)

Location: Cedar City, UT

Acceptance rate: 76% 

Undergraduate enrollment: 11,249 

In-state tuition: $6,770 

Out-of-state tuition: $20,586 

Six-year graduation rate: 46% 

Student-to-faculty ratio: 19:1

Southern Utah University offers career-focused learning through hands-on research, small classes, and multiple study abroad opportunities. Students can choose between 150 bachelor's degree programs and 32 post-graduate programs, including several doctoral degrees. SUU maintains an educational partnership with the National Park Service that allows students to learn and play in one of the several national parks nearby. 

Their tight-knit campus allows 90% of students to live within walking distance of all campus buildings, and you'll enjoy coming together with your classmates for special on-campus events and community-wide parades and fairs

Utah Valley University (UVU)

Location: Orem, UT

Undergraduate enrollment: 40,311 

In-state tuition: $5,906

Out-of-state tuition: $16,806 

Six-year graduation rate: 32% 

Student-to-faculty ratio: 24:1

Utah Valley University hopes to educate each student for success in both work and life. Not only are they the largest public university in the state, but they also combine the excellence of a high-quality teaching institution with the accessibility of a community college. Their goal is to provide a variety of educational resources to meet the needs of the local workforce. Students represent over 77 different countries, and three in ten students are non-traditional.

The school provides a mix of on-campus and online classes for students searching for extra flexibility. Students can complete their coursework virtually while maintaining regular face-to-face time with professors and classmates. Working students can also pick up an in-progress program and move closer to completing their degree while still balancing other responsibilities.  

Utah Tech University

Location: Saint George, UT

Undergraduate enrollment: 11,988 

In-state tuition: $5,662 

Out-of-state tuition: $16,260 

Six-year graduation rate: 35% 

Student-to-faculty ratio: 23:1

Formerly known as Dixie State University, Utah Tech offers students a hands-on education that prepares students for an enriching career. They offer students over 50 majors and 70 different areas of emphasis to choose from. Their College of Education is well-known throughout the region, and their College of Science, Engineering, and Technology is also highly regarded. 

Utah Tech offers students numerous opportunities to get involved with campus life through clubs, intramural sports, service opportunities, and other recreational activities. Students also enjoy living in St. George, where they receive an average of 300 days of sunlight each year. 

Snow College

Location: Ephraim, UT

Undergraduate enrollment: 5,800 

In-state tuition: $3,912 

Out-of-state tuition: $13,156

Six-year graduation rate: 41% 

Student-to-faculty ratio: 20:1

Snow College was founded in 1888 by a group of Danish settlers who identified with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, a religious group with a strong presence in the state of Utah. The school is named after former Church President Lorenzo Snow, who allowed an appropriation of $2,000 for the school in 1900, when they were going through financial hardship. The school has grown rapidly recently and boasts a new Fine Arts Division, library, and 400-bed student housing complex. In addition, the Graham Science Building opened its doors in 2018.

Snow College is widely recognized as one of the best two-year colleges in the country. They specialize in short-term vocational training and are highly regarded for their affordability. If you're looking for a top college that specializes in associate's degrees, Snow College might be the perfect fit for you.

Honorable mentions

We couldn't fit all our favorite Utah colleges into the list above, but we can't wrap up without mentioning a few more excellent schools.

Chart your course to higher education in Utah with College Rover

Whether you're looking for a big school with plenty of programs or a smaller school with a tight-knit community, Utah has something to offer everyone. After you do some research on a few schools, you might start thinking about planning an in-person visit where you can see the campus for yourself and meet faculty and staff. This will give you a better idea of whether the school is the right fit for you. 

Check out College Rover if you would like additional help to research schools, programs, and more. We've created an excellent database that you can use to find a wealth of information about all the schools you're interested in learning more about. We hope this makes choosing your dream liberal arts university a little more awesome.

College Rover gets the majority of its data directly from the U.S. Department of Education (DOE). The DOE publishing schedule "lags" the most current data which some colleges post on their official websites. This may cause there to be a difference in the data you see on College Rover and an individual college website. College Rover's website is updated as the DOE data becomes available and is configured for the College Rover website.

 
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