Skip to content
Best College Rankings

Public · Urban campus · verified rankings · federal data

University of Utah

Students comparing University of Utah on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Salt Lake City, Utah27,264 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 24Public universityUrban campusResearch university

The short answer

University of Utah: U.S. News ranks it #151 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #99 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #335 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #149 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #112 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); QS ranks it #542 on World University Rankings (2026). It enrolls 27,264 undergraduates, admits 86.0% of applicants, and posts a 65.0% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $30,860; aid recipients pay $16,200 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $67,170.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
86.0%

Above the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$16,200

63% below the $44,175 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$67,170

Above the dataset median of $54,053

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
65.0%

Above the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$19,000

Above the dataset median of $23,250

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
1190–1380

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardSum of reported reading and math section percentiles for the most recent entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release. Section percentiles added together approximate, but do not exactly equal, the composite score range.

Where Utah ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026National Universities#151of 436National universities
Forbes2026America's Top Colleges#99of 500Top colleges (Forbes)
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#335of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.#149of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)A#112of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value Colleges4 starsListedBest value (Money)
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)ListedOverall (Niche)
QS2026World University Rankings#542of 1,504World (QS)

Methodology sensitivity: Utah's position moves 32 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About Utah

University of Utah is a public institution in Salt Lake City, Utah. Federal data show 86.2% first-year retention and a 18:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $16,200 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $44,175 sticker cost against $16,200 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing University of Utah on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

In-state tuition & fees
$9,620

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Out-of-state tuition & fees
$30,860

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$13,315

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $44,175 a year, but the average family pays $16,200 — a 63% difference. 19.6% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Utah's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    18:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    86.2%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    27,264

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Utah: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $30,860 and on-campus room and board is $13,315, for a published total of $44,175 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $16,200.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 86.0%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

    Similar colleges

    Matched on institutional character, overlapping majors and comparable cross-source standing.

    University of Colorado Boulder

    Boulder, COPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    University of Colorado Boulder: U.S. News ranks it #97 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #93 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #511 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #228 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #198 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3.5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); QS ranks it #299 on World University Rankings (2026). It enrolls 31,939 undergraduates, admits 78.1% of applicants, and posts a 74.2% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $44,918; aid recipients pay $25,346 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $69,738.

    Acceptance rate
    78.1%
    Average net price
    $25,346
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $69,738
    6-yr graduation rate
    74.2%
    US News · National universities#97 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#93 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#511 of 1,504+5 more on profile

    31,939 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 25 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    University of South Florida

    Tampa, FLPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    University of South Florida: U.S. News ranks it #88 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #112 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #119 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #250 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #71 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4.5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026) — #25 Best College Radio Station; QS ranks it #659 on World University Rankings (2026). It enrolls 37,207 undergraduates, admits 43.2% of applicants, and posts a 76.8% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $17,324; aid recipients pay $9,812 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $57,743.

    Acceptance rate
    43.2%
    Average net price
    $9,812
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $57,743
    6-yr graduation rate
    76.8%
    US News · National universities#88 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#112 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#119 of 1,504+5 more on profile

    37,207 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 25 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    University of Houston

    Houston, TXPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    University of Houston: U.S. News ranks it #132 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #107 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #169 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #254 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #123 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); QS ranks it #558 on World University Rankings (2026). It enrolls 38,380 undergraduates, admits 73.9% of applicants, and posts a 64.6% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $22,547; aid recipients pay $14,276 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $62,377.

    Acceptance rate
    73.9%
    Average net price
    $14,276
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $62,377
    6-yr graduation rate
    64.6%
    US News · National universities#132 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#107 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#169 of 1,504+5 more on profile

    38,380 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 26 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Compare Utah against these