University of Utah Acceptance Rate, Admissions & Graduation

What Kind of School It Is, in One Sentence

University of Utah is a public, four-year university classified under the Carnegie system among the institutions with the highest level of research activity in the country. It is large, primarily residential, and has historically enrolled many transfer students. The highest credential level it reports offering is the doctorate, and its profile combines bachelor's and graduate studies. None of those labels tells you, by itself, whether your child will do well there. They tell you what kind of terrain your child will be walking on.

It is in Salt Lake City, within Salt Lake County, in the Salt Lake City-Murray metropolitan area. The census code places it in a city, which tells you where it is, not how to get there. If your child is considering living at home, do yourself a favor: drive the route yourself on a weekday, at the time of your child's classes. The actual travel time is almost never what the map promises.

And one clarification is worth making up front because it prevents confusion later: University of Utah has none of these three federal designations. It is not a historically Black college or university (HBCU), a tribal college or university, or a land-grant institution. Of the 3,012 universities in this directory, 138 do have at least one of the three. The fact that this university does not have them says nothing about which students it serves or how your child will feel there. Ask directly what cultural centers and student organizations exist today.

A City Larger Than You Might Imagine

In the most recent official count, University of Utah reported an enrollment of 35,260 students. It is one of the largest schools among its selective-admission peers: at most one in ten similar universities has more students.

But that large number contains something worth separating: 26,827 are undergraduates and 8,433 are graduate students. If your child is just beginning a bachelor's degree, the number that matters to your child is 26,827, not the total. A large part of this university consists of people who have already completed a degree and returned for more education.

As for who will share the classroom with your child: Hispanic or Latino students account for 14 out of every 100 undergraduates. It is a small minority, although the university ranks above the midpoint of its similar schools on this proportion. The undergraduate population is almost evenly divided between men and women, with women accounting for 48 out of every 100 students, and students ages 25 to 64 are few, accounting for 12 out of every 100. If this matters to you or your child, do not stop at the percentage: during the visit, ask what exists today for Latino students—a student group, a cultural center, or someone in the office who speaks Spanish.

How the Academic Year Is Structured

The year is organized into semesters: two long terms of about 15 weeks each. The university states that it accepts credit from AP exams as well as what IPEDS calls credit for life experience, which may include independent study, adult courses, work experience, portfolios, prior licenses or certifications, and military or professional opportunities. It also reports accepting credit for military training and enrolling high school students in college courses for credit through a formal dual-enrollment program.

Here is a hard truth worth stating plainly: the university's statement that it accepts AP does not mean it will award credit for every exam your child takes. This information does not tell us what score is required or whether those credits will count toward your child's specific degree. Request the transfer-credit evaluation in writing before enrolling. Do not budget for the savings until you have it in hand.

As for its academic offerings, University of Utah awarded 5,556 bachelor's degrees in one year, spread across 25 different fields of study. No single field accounts for a large share: the most popular, social sciences, represented only 14 out of every 100 degrees awarded that year. Compared with similar schools, it is among those with the broadest and most widely distributed offerings. That does not mean there are 25 exact majors: a field includes several programs, and a row may report no degrees awarded that year. Verify the exact program your child is interested in by name.

Regarding group size, the university reports 18 students for every full-time-equivalent faculty member. That ratio is near the middle compared with the rest of the country, but among its similar schools it falls in the highest quartile. Both things are true at the same time, and neither tells you the actual size of the class in which your child will sit during the first semester.

The Paths It Has Already Built

The university reports offering study abroad, cocurricular undergraduate research, a complete program that can be taken only in the evenings or on weekends, developmental education for credit and not for credit, and several paths toward teacher certification, including state approval of the program for initial certification. These are elements that exist on paper. Which ones will help your child, and under what requirements, are questions to ask directly of the program that interests your child.

Getting In: What They Require and What Helps

University of Utah does not have open admissions: it reviews application materials before saying yes. Of nine possible considerations, it marks three as required: the high school transcript, high school grade point average, and an English-proficiency exam for applicants to whom it applies. Other materials are not required, but the university considers them if you submit them: the college-preparatory coursework the university requests, the personal essay, letters of recommendation, a demonstration of competencies, and work experience. The application fee is $55.

If your child studied outside the United States or attended high school in Spanish, do not leave this until later: ask now whether your child must take the English-proficiency exam and what qualifies for an exemption. This is one of those things families discover late, when there is no longer enough time to handle it comfortably.

And here is the number that most reassures a nervous family: out of every 100 people who applied for admission, 87 received an offer of admission. This is one of the universities that does accept applicants. Compared with similar schools, it is just above the midpoint in accessibility. Even so, 2,950 of the 22,996 applicants did not receive an offer that cycle. A likely admission does not make what follows easy: that percentage does not tell you how much it will cost, how many students finish, or whether the specific program your child wants has its own separate screening process. Ask those three questions separately.

One fact surprises many parents: out of every 100 students admitted for the first year, only 28 ultimately enrolled there. The other 72 had the letter in hand and chose another school. That does not measure how difficult admission is or the school's quality. It only counts what other families decided after receiving the letter. When your child's admission decisions arrive, that percentage does not decide anything for you: place the letters side by side and compare net price, program, and distance before the deposit deadline.

Regarding tests, the SAT and ACT are not required here. If your child submits them, they are considered; if not, the application remains valid all the same. Of the enrolled students, only 10 out of every 100 submitted SAT scores, and among them the middle half scored between 590 and 698 in reading and writing and between 590 and 700 in mathematics. Those numbers describe students who were already enrolled and chose to submit their scores, not all applicants: that 590 is not a minimum your child must reach, and that 698 does not guarantee anything either.

If your child is arriving as a transfer student: in fall 2023, University of Utah enrolled 1,368 undergraduates who were entering the university for the first time after studying at another institution. That is a high number compared with similar schools. What we do not know, because the report does not provide it, is how many credits the university accepted when they arrived. Ask the school that question directly and in writing.

The Sticker Price, and Why the Word “Resident” Matters So Much

At University of Utah, among 322 first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid, paid the in-state or in-district rate, and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the average net price was $10,447. Among 264 students in the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $12,398; among 253 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $17,278. For dependent students, the band combines their parents' income with their own.

The difference between the average for the lowest-income band (322 students) and the average for the highest-income band (253 students) is $6,831. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship aid, the average was $13,341.

$10,447 was the average net price for the lowest-income families in academic year 2022-23. That does not mean it is what your family will pay. It helps you decide whether it is worth requesting the financial aid offer.

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 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 rate. If your family lives outside the state or district, the calculation is different. Ask about it before applying.

Aid, Grants and Scholarships, and Loans: Separate the Three Piles

Financial aid that does not have to be repaid reached 62 out of every 100 degree-seeking students here. That is more than half, although compared with similar schools, the university falls in the quartile where grants and scholarships reach fewer students. Among those who did receive this aid, the average for the year was $10,312.

The Pell Grant, which is federal aid specifically for low-income families, reached fewer people: 21 out of every 100. The difference between that 62 and that 21 may include state, institutional, or other sources of aid that this breakdown does not allow us to attribute precisely. When your admission letter arrives, separate it by hand into three piles: what does not have to be repaid, what must be repaid with interest, and what must be earned through work. Many letters combine them in a single column, and that is where families become confused.

Regarding loans, only 22 out of every 100 undergraduates received a federal student loan that year. Most students here did not use that route. Among those who did borrow, the average was $6,339 that academic year. Compared with similar schools, University of Utah is on the low side for this proportion.

Here is another truth that must be stated plainly: the appearance of a loan here does not mean it was enough for that family to cover the full year. It only says that the student borrowed money. We do not know how they covered the remainder, whether through work, family savings, or other debt that this report does not record. And that average of $6,339 is for just one year and only for federal loans in the student's name: it does not include what parents borrow through Parent PLUS loans, credit cards, or the total debt with which a student graduates. Determining that would require adding together four or more years, and that number does not exist in this report.

The university also reports a tuition payment plan that allows payments in installments and participation in a Promise program, two mechanisms worth asking about to learn how they work in your family's specific situation.

Campus Life: Housing, Sports, and Everything Else

University of Utah does have institution-controlled housing, with a reported capacity of 5,956 students, either on or off campus. It does not require all first-time students to live there. It also offers meal plans, with a fixed number of meals per week under the largest plan. The existence of the option does not guarantee a bed or mean the plan is included: request this year's price, the housing application deadline, and whether you are guaranteed a place or placed on a waiting list in writing.

Regarding ROTC, the university marked all three branches—Army, Navy, and Air Force—as well as the Marine Corps option within Navy. Marking all three is uncommon; only 135 of the 3,012 universities in this guide do so. But a checked box does not demonstrate that the program operates on this specific campus or establish the availability of spaces or scholarships. Ask about each path by name before building a plan around it.

In sports, University of Utah competes in the NCAA. The report confirms membership for football, basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track and field, but it does not specify the division or scholarships by sport. If your child has athletic aspirations, write directly to the coach of the sport that interests your child and request a written response.

The university offers distance education at the undergraduate and graduate levels, although it is the exception, not the rule: 6 out of every 100 undergraduates take all their courses through distance education; the other 94 take at least one class in person. The library operates with paid staff and expenditures above the threshold recorded by the government, has physical and digital materials, and participates in interlibrary lending. The institution also reports services such as combined academic and career counseling, student employment, on-campus childcare, participation in the Yellow Ribbon program for veterans, a point of contact for service members and their families, and a services webpage for people with disabilities. Their inclusion in the report confirms that they exist as declared services; it does not measure their quality or how easy they are to access. Ask about that directly.

The Numbers That Matter Most: Do Students Stay and Graduate?

Here we reach the heart of the question every family asks: if my child enrolls, will my child finish?

Of the cohort that entered full time in 2022, 85 out of every 100 were still enrolled at the university or had already graduated one year later. That is a high proportion compared with similar schools. Among those who entered part time that same fall, the outcome was lower: 62 out of every 100. These are different groups, and the data do not distinguish how many within that 85 had already graduated from how many were simply still enrolled.

Regarding graduation, here is the figure that truly affects a family's budget:

There is a difference of 30 percentage points between the fourth year and the sixth. That gap matters because almost no family budgets for six years of tuition when creating a financial plan; most budget for four. Before signing anything, request in writing how long the program that interests your child actually tends to take, how its required courses are scheduled, and how the total cost changes if the plan extends one or two years beyond what was expected. Compared with similar schools, University of Utah is above the midpoint of the group on this six-year rate.

And there is a third, broader view that follows students for eight years, including those who entered with prior postsecondary education and those who entered part time: of that cohort, 70 out of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate from this university by the end of that period. Among Pell Grant recipients, the figure was 66 out of every 100, seven percentage points below the group without Pell Grants. Compared with similar schools, University of Utah falls in the highest quartile for this eight-year outcome.

None of these percentages predicts what will happen to your child specifically. They describe earlier cohorts, in different years, under conditions that are not exactly the same as today's. What you can do with them is ask a concrete question during the visit or the call with the program: what support exists right now to help a student finish on time, and what the outcomes of the most recent cohorts show.

What You Already Know, and What Is Still Yours to Build

You now know one important part of University of Utah precisely: what kind of institution it is, how much it costs under its different pricing structures, how accessible admission is, what happens with financial aid, and how likely a student is to stay and graduate. That is real, and it is not insignificant.

But this part, by itself, is not the complete plan. What your child wants to study and what your child has already done to get there are still missing. So is what your family can and is willing to pay, given the two very different rates discussed above. A real plan emerges from those three pieces together: what the university is, what the student wants, and what the family can pay.

Your child's role is to explore, work hard, and choose a field of study. Your role is to understand the money, support the major decisions, and ask the questions a teenager does not yet know need to be asked. It is not your job to guarantee that the door will open. It is to reach that door having done, on time, what is yours to do.

Note on sources: the information in this article comes from IPEDS and the U.S. Department of Education, primarily from the 2023 reports and academic year 2022-23, depending on the data point. Best College Aid does not represent University of Utah or the U.S. government; this article organizes public data to help you understand them.