Where do USHE students come from?

79% of students within the Utah System of Higher Education are Utah residents and most commonly attend the institution within their home region. As the map below indicates, USHE institutions are critical to the home regions they serve:

 

A full 63% of USHE students enroll and graduate from a single institution, according to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. Due to a variety of factors–including the availability of USHE concurrent enrollment courses in high school and the ease of transfer within the USHE system–the remaining one-third of USHE students attend more than one USHE institution.

Other interesting facts regarding USHE students:

  • Over half of all USHE students come from the three largest counties: Davis (9.8%), Salt Lake (27.5%), and Utah (14.7%).
  • Approximately 1 in 5 USHE students is an out-of-state or international student.
  • Understandably, Salt Lake County enrolled the most USHE students in Fall 2013, with over 48,808 students. Daggett County enrolled the fewest: 26.
  • All but two USHE institutions enrolled students from all 29 counties. The University of Utah did not enroll any students from Piute County, and Dixie State University did not enroll any students from Daggett County.
  • Snow College has historically had the most widely dispersed in-state student population, with 74% of students from outside Sanpete County.
  • Salt Lake Community College has the least dispersed in-state student population with 82% of students from Salt Lake County.
  • Over the past ten years, the percentage of out-of-state and international students at a USHE institution has stayed fairly consistent at about 20% of all students.
  • However, the number of out-of state and international students at individual USHE institutions has significantly varied over the past decade.  For example, since 2004: University of Utah: +10%, Weber State University: -16%.

Sources: Utah System of Higher Education, 2014 Data Book, Tab C, IPEDS

Media Inquiries

Trisha Dugovic
Communications Director
801.646.4779