HIGHER EDUCATION

Left photo courtesy of Davis Technical College. Middle photo courtesy of Utah State University. Right photo courtesy of Salt Lake Community College.

Utah’s continued success is, in large part, due to the state’s robust, innovative, and efficient system of public colleges and universities. This system includes two research universities, the University of Utah and Utah State University; four regional universities, Weber State University, Southern Utah University, Dixie State University and Utah Valley University; two community colleges, Salt Lake Community College and Snow College; and eight technical colleges, Bridgerland Technical College, Davis Technical College, Dixie Technical College, Mountainland Technical College, Ogden-Weber Technical College, Southwest Technical College, Tooele Technical College and Uintah Basin Technical College. In 2020, the Utah System of Higher Education merged with the state’s technical college system, to create one higher education system for all Utah public colleges and universities. This newly combined system will better support students by increasing accessible, affordable higher education opportunities and by growing seamless education pathways from certificates to degrees. The merger has also enhanced collaboration between institutions and will allow Utah’s colleges and universities to meet the rapidly changing needs of a growing workforce over the coming years. One timely example of the system’s ability to rapidly meet the needs of Utah’s workforce was the Learn & Work In Utah outreach and education initiative. The initiative was developed in response to the coronavirus pandemic and the negative impact it had on Utah’s economy, specifically to provide education to employees displaced by COVID-19. The Utah System of Higher Education, in partnership with the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development and its Talent Ready Utah team, worked with public colleges and universities to create and promote short-term training programs, aligned with high-demand jobs across the state, to assist Utahns in upskilling or re-skilling to quickly return to work. These programs were made available at low or no cost to students through federal funding. Programs in high-demand fields were offered through the Learn & Work In Utah initiative in areas such as healthcare, information technology, business and finance, manufacturing, technical training, and others. The programs were available to students in a variety of online, in-person and hybrid formats. Utah’s public colleges and universities continue to offer credentials in high-demand fields to support Utah’s communities and workforce.

UTAHNS CONTINUE TO FURTHER THEIR EDUCATION Even in the midst of a pandemic, Utah students continue to further their education — with college enrollments reaching approximately 230,000 in 2019-20, including technical college enrollments. During the 2018-19 school year, Utah’s degreegranting colleges and universities alone awarded more than 38,000 degrees and certificates. Utah’s system of public colleges and universities is a vital piece in supplying the talent needed to sustain Utah’s robust economy. Each institution is uniquely tuned in to industry needs to ensure they provide students with valuable skills to succeed in the workforce. Utah’s colleges and universities are expected to collectively add more than 43,000 students over the next decade, making graduates from this system the primary talent pipeline for Utah’s rapidly developing economy.

UTAH’S UNIVERSITIES CONDUCT INNOVATIVE RESEARCH High-end research, innovative commercialization and entrepreneurship in higher education are also critical to sustainable economic growth. In 2020, Utah garnered a record $989 million of outside funds for research and grants at Utah’s public colleges and universities which not only provide significant benefits to the higher education community, the State of Utah, and society as a whole but also through patents and job creation. In 2020, both University of Utah and Utah State University were involved in researching COVID-19, contributing to the efforts worldwide to understand and develop a vaccine for the disease.

UTAH IS COMMITTED TO MAKING COLLEGE ACCESSIBLE FOR ALL STUDENTS The Utah Board of Higher Education is committed to providing students an accessible, affordable college education, with easily transferable credits, that gets students through school and into the workforce quickly. The Board of Higher Education continues to develop programs in partnership with K-12 that focus on college access and readiness, which are key to an educated and trained workforce. Concurrent Enrollment While in high school, students can also earn college credit through Concurrent Enrollment courses. Last year, high school students who participated in Concurrent Enrollment courses, saved an estimated $54 million in future tuition costs. High school students in Utah have the opportunity to earn credit for a single college course, a general education certificate of completion, or even an associate degree by the time they receive their high school diploma. Concurrent Enrollment saves Utah students time and money on their college education and gives them a direct connection to post-secondary opportunities. Utah College Application Week Utah College Application Week provides high school seniors the opportunity to apply to college during the school day, with support from educators, counselors, and volunteers. Each year, Utah’s high school students complete more than 24,000 college applications through this program. Utah Promise Scholarship The Utah Promise Scholarship was created in 2019 to help make college dreams a reality for all Utahns. The Utah Promise Scholarship covers up to the cost of tuition and fees for up to the first two years of college for qualifying Utah students. This scholarship is available to recent high school graduates and adult learners at all of Utah’s public colleges and universities.

UTAH’S COLLEGES ARE AFFORDABLE:

• Third-lowest tuition in the nation • Lowest student debt in the nation • Of those who borrow, the average student debt of Utahns ($17,935) is the lowest in the country (national average: $29,290) COLLEGE REMAINS A GOOD INVESTMENT:

• In 2019, the average Utah college graduate with a bachelor’s degree earned nearly $17,000 per year more than the average worker with a high school diploma. • In July 2020, the unemployment rate of a Utahn with only a high school diploma was 5.2%, while for a Utahn with a bachelor’s degree, it was 2.7%.