This article is not that. It presents what the United States government, through the system known as IPEDS, requires every university receiving federal funds to report. Hard, verifiable numbers, without marketing adjectives. Here I translate them for you for Southern Utah University, in Cedar City, Utah, so you can do what really matters with them: incorporate them into your family’s plan.
I am not going to tell you whether this is “the” university for your child. No federal data can tell you that, and neither can I. But I can help you understand what kind of institution it is, with the same clarity I would use to explain a financial statement.
Who This University Is
Let’s start with the basics. Southern Utah University is a public, four-year institution, and the Carnegie system—which classifies universities according to what they actually do, not what they promise—lists it as a master’s university with larger programs. IPEDS goes further: a doctoral degree is the highest level it reports offering, although that is an institutional fact, not a guarantee that the specific program your child is interested in extends to that level. That must be asked program by program.
Here is a fact that changes how you should picture the campus: Carnegie classifies it as “primarily nonresidential.” Technically, that means that fewer than 25 out of every 100 undergraduate students lived in institution-operated housing, or that fewer than half studied full time—the data do not clarify which of those two conditions applied. It does not mean that there are no residence halls: in fact, there are, as we will see later. It means that a substantial part of student life does not revolve around living on campus full time.
Cedar City is in Iron County, Utah, and the area around the campus is officially classified as a remote town, not an urban area. If your family does not live nearby, this is not a minor detail: you will need to calculate separately where your child would live and how they would get to campus. The data locate the university’s address; they do not locate your family or measure the commute.
One more thing to close out this first overview: Southern Utah University has none of the three federal designations that exist for institutions with a specific mission—it is not a historically Black college or university, a tribal college or university, or a land-grant institution. Of the 3,012 universities in this census, 138 do have at least one of those designations. Southern Utah University’s lack of one says nothing about which communities it serves today or how your child would feel there. That should be asked, not inferred.
The Size and Who Shares the Classroom with Your Child
Southern Utah University reported 15,033 enrolled students in the official fall count: a large university, in the government’s size category of between 10,000 and 19,999 students. Of that total, 13,043 are undergraduates and 1,990 are graduate students. Above all, it is an undergraduate institution.
But enrollment does not tell you how many people are on campus at the same time. There are quite a few part-time students here, so before assuming a particular schedule, ask when courses are offered in the program your child is interested in.
And who else is in the classroom? Of every 100 undergraduate students, 9 are Hispanic or Latino. This is a small minority, and compared with 519 similar selective public institutions, the share falls below the comparison-group midpoint. This does not make the university bad or any other university good. It only describes who is enrolled today. If your child will be one of the few, the worthwhile question to ask during the visit is which student group, cultural center, or person in the administrative offices speaks Spanish and can support them.
There are more women than men among undergraduates—59 out of every 100—and 27 out of every 100 students are between 25 and 64 years old, describing a broader age mix than the typical image of a recent high school graduate. And here is something useful if you live outside Utah: 69 out of every 100 entering students reported an address in the same state when they applied. It is mostly, though not exclusively, a university for people from the state.
How Academic Life Is Structured
Southern Utah University operates on a semester calendar: two long terms of about 15 weeks, with consistent dates for everyone. That is predictable, and predictability helps with planning.
The university reported that it accepts credit from AP exams as well as what IPEDS calls “credit for life experiences”—independent study, work experience, portfolios, licenses, and military training. This sounds like a way to save time and money, and it can be. But the fact that the university reports accepting it does not mean your child will automatically receive it. Request a written evaluation of equivalencies before enrolling. Do not budget for the savings until you have it in hand.
As for what students can study: between July 2022 and June 2023, the university awarded 1,567 bachelor’s degrees across 24 program families. None accounts for most of the total—not even business and management, the largest, with only 15 out of every 100 degrees. Compared with similar institutions, it ranks among those offering the broadest catalog. That is an indication of variety, not a list of specific programs: verify that the exact program your child is interested in is available, with its exact name and exact requirements.
One number worth examining directly: 22 full-time-equivalent students for every full-time-equivalent faculty member. That is a high ratio, in the top quartile compared with similar institutions. But be careful: this is not class size. It is an aggregate institution-wide ratio. If you want to know how many students are in the first-year class for the program your child is interested in, you must request that information separately, because IPEDS does not report it here.
The university also reports structured opportunities: study abroad, developmental education with and without credit, and teacher-certification preparation programs, including state approval for initial certification. If your child is interested in any of them, you now know where to start asking questions.
Admission: What the University Requires and How Likely a Yes Is
Here is something that surprises many families: applying for undergraduate admission to Southern Utah University is free. The published fee is $0.
As for what the university reviews for admission: of the nine considerations asked about by IPEDS, the university marked only two as required—high school GPA and, when applicable, an English proficiency exam. The list of factors it reported as not considered is longer: the complete high school record, class rank, the college-preparatory course sequence completed, the personal essay, letters of recommendation, a portfolio, work experience, and whether a family member attended the university. The SAT and ACT are also not considered in the admission decision, even if they are submitted—that does not indicate whether they are used for scholarships or placement; ask about that separately.
If your child studied outside the United States or completed high school in Spanish, ask now whether they must take the English exam and what would exempt them. It is one of those requirements families discover late, when there is no longer enough comfortable time to address it.
How selective is it in practice? Of 19,190 first-time applicants in the 2023 cycle, 15,443 were offered admission: 80 out of every 100. That is an accessible admission rate, although thousands of applicants are involved, so the application still needs to be complete and on time. That figure, however, comes from a single cycle, not a permanent rule: check it again when it is your child’s turn.
Here is a figure almost no one looks at, but it says a great deal: of every 100 admitted students, only 15 ultimately enrolled. In other words, of every 7 young people who receive a yes from this university, approximately one ends up attending. Do not read that as a blemish—the federal record does not explain why each person chose what they chose—but do read it as a reminder: receiving an acceptance letter is not the same as deciding to attend. And what other people decided does not tell you what the university will offer you. What really matters is your letter showing the net price: the actual amount the year will cost your family.
Regarding transfers: in fall 2023, 802 undergraduate students entered Southern Utah University for the first time after studying at another institution. That is a high count compared with similar institutions. What is not reported here is the transfer-out rate—how many students transfer elsewhere. That field is blank in the federal file, which does not prove that no one transfers; it means only that the figure is not reported.
Cost: Two Prices and a Gap You Need to Understand
At Southern Utah University, among 164 first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid, paid the in-state or in-district tuition rate, and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the average net price was $7,156. Among 134 students from the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $11,243; among 136 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $15,580. For dependent students, the income band combines their parents’ income with their own.
The difference between the average for the lowest-income band (164 students) and the average for the highest-income band (136 students) is $8,424. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship aid, the average was $12,375.
Among the 519 institutions of the same type and control included in this census that reported this figure with the same time coverage, Southern Utah University falls within the least expensive quartile for lower-income families after grants and scholarships are subtracted. That does not mean it will be inexpensive for your family. It is a fact worth considering when you make the list of institutions to which your child will apply.
The income bands in this profile describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; at this public institution, they use the in-state or in-district tuition rate. The overall average with grant or scholarship aid, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships; it also uses that tuition rate. If your family lives outside the state or district, the calculation is different. Ask for it before applying.
Aid and Loans
Of every 100 degree-seeking students here, 82 received some grant or scholarship aid that does not have to be repaid, averaging $10,003 among those who received it. The Pell Grant—federal aid for low-income families—reached 34 out of every 100. The difference between those two figures may come from state, institutional, or other sources; ask exactly which programs make it up.
As for federal loans: only 17 out of every 100 undergraduate students received them that year, averaging $5,961 among those who did borrow. Compared with similar institutions, federal loans are used less here than at nearly all of them. That is a good sign in one sense, but it does not tell you how everyone else covered the year—it may have been through scholarships, work, family savings, or another kind of debt not recorded here. And that average of $5,961 is not the debt with which someone graduates: it covers only one year and does not include Parent PLUS loans or bank debt.
The university also reports a tuition installment plan and participation in a Promise program, two mechanisms worth asking about in detail if monthly cash flow is your family’s real concern.
Campus Life, Athletics, and Support
There is institution-controlled housing—with capacity for 1,011 students—and it is not mandatory for all first-time, full-time students. Meal plans are also available, with a fixed number of meals per week in the largest option. The existence of a room does not guarantee that a bed will be available: request the price, deadline, and whether space is guaranteed or there is a waiting list in writing.
ROTC is available, with the Army branch confirmed in writing; Navy and Air Force are not marked, which does not mean they are unavailable, only that they are not confirmed in this report.
The university competes in intercollegiate athletics and is affiliated with the NCAA, with membership reported in football, basketball, and cross-country or track and field. If athletics are part of the plan, contact the coach directly and request a written response about roster availability, division, and whether athletic scholarships are available.
Regarding instructional format: 27 out of every 100 undergraduate students take all their classes at a distance, a high share compared with similar institutions. This describes the undergraduate population as a whole, not your child’s specific program: one program may be almost entirely online while the program next to it is almost entirely in person.
The library has employed staff, physical and digital materials, and interlibrary lending. The reported list of support services is also broad: combined academic and career counseling, employment services, job placement for graduates, on-campus childcare, a point of contact for veterans and military service members, a student veterans’ organization, and a disability-services webpage. Their being reported does not measure their quality or actual effectiveness: that can be learned by talking with people who already use them.
What Happens After Admission: Retention and Graduation
Here we reach the figures that carry the most weight over the long term, and I will state them directly, without softening them.
Of the full-time cohort that entered in fall 2022, 74 out of every 100 were still enrolled or had already graduated one year later. That is slightly below the comparison-group midpoint among similar institutions. The part-time cohort had a substantially lower result, at 38 out of every 100—yet these are two different groups of people, not the same yardstick: if your child enrolls part time, that is the figure that applies, not the other one.
Regarding graduation: of the students who entered full time in 2017, 51 out of every 100 had earned a degree from this university six years later. At four years—the period most families budget for—the figure falls to 33 out of every 100. The gap of 18 points measures how much the share with a bachelor’s degree increased between the four-year and six-year checkpoints for the same cohort. The data do not say how many semesters each person attended and do not report tuition, rent, or wages. Before signing anything, ask in writing how long the program your child is interested in usually takes in practice and how required courses are scheduled.
Compared with similar institutions, this six-year graduation rate falls below the comparison-group midpoint. It is essentially a roughly even split: of every 100 students who enter seeking a degree, slightly more than half leave with one from this university, while nearly the other half do not. The report does not explain why in each individual case; it only counts the aggregate outcome.
A broader look at eight years: of a cohort that entered between 2015 and 2016—combining first-time and transfer students, as well as full-time and part-time students—57 out of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate from this university by August 2023. Among Pell Grant recipients, the figure was 53 out of every 100, six points below the group without Pell Grants. And 17 out of every 100 had unknown enrollment status: the report did not determine whether they remained enrolled anywhere, which does not mean they dropped out, only that their status is unknown.
What This Article Cannot Tell You
Your child is responsible for studying, exploring, attending class, asking for help when they need it, and taking responsibility for their part of the journey. You are responsible for the family’s finances, dates, and documents, and for supporting the major decisions without carrying them alone or leaving your child to carry them alone. Neither of you can do the other’s work.
What this federal dataset cannot tell you is whether Southern Utah University is the right university for your child. That depends on three things this article does not know: what your child wants to study and what they have built so far, what your family can comfortably afford in practical terms, and how far away—literally and emotionally—you are willing for your child to move.
What you can do with what you have just read is combine it with those other two pieces. You now know that this is a large public university in a remote Utah town, with relatively accessible admission but a substantial gap between the cost for residents and nonresidents, a broad academic catalog with no single dominant program, and graduation outcomes that are, honestly, close to an even split. None of those facts is a verdict on your child. They are the terrain your child will walk if they choose to walk there.
With this information in hand, you can now ask the right questions when you call admissions, review the financial aid letter, and sit down with your child to decide on the next step together.
Source note: The data in this article come from the U.S. Department of Education’s IPEDS system, primarily from the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cycles, as indicated in each section. Best College Aid does not represent Southern Utah University or any government agency; this article organizes public information to help families understand it.