Best Online Colleges in Utah of 2024

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University Headquarters (HQ) is an industry-leading, independent educational organization that provides independent college rankings using a proprietary formula to create first class, unbiased rankings. The team at University HQ strives to provide accurate and trustworthy rankings that highlight the best programs in Utah.

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Utah is a beautiful state. Its desert landscapes are second to none and everyone is impressed with Lake Tahoe and other beautiful places in the state. Utah also has a strong economy that supports its vibrant populace who can find work in the sector that suits them best. The diverse Utah economy is led by its real estate sector, professional & business services, manufacturing, financial sector, and social services including education and healthcare. The state is also reportedly focusing on developing a healthy technology industry that may someday rival Silicon Valley.

In fact, the information technology sector expanded its employment numbers by over 10% in the 12 months ending in March 2022. While technology reported the highest percentage growth to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the rest of the state's businesses are reporting employment growth in March 2022. For instance, construction added 6.2% more workers and the leisure & hospitality sector grew by more than 8%.

Whether workers are located in Salt Lake City, Logan, or Provo, they all need strong online degree programs to stay competitive.

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Online Higher Education in Utah

The cost of education is always a pressing issue for students and their families. The cost of online education in Utah varies according to whether the student is in a two-year community college environment or a full, four-year degree granting college or university. However, the average cost of tuition for Utah residents is just over $6,000. Once books, supplies, room, and board are tallied, Utah students pay under $20,000. Meanwhile, non-Utah residents see a total bill that averages just over $32,000.

One key variable in a student's overall expenses for a college education is their living expenses. While that expense is unavoidable, students can take measures to reduce their living expenses. With online education, students can attend a degree program in, say, Salt Lake City, but live in a rural, and far more affordable, town. In fact, it would appear that many Utah students are taking this approach.

Find Your Online Utah Program

A full 52% of Utah college students are enrolled in exclusive online degree programs. On top of that, 27% of Utah students take at least some of their courses online. This leaves a mere 21% of Utah college students who take their courses exclusively in a classroom. The numbers for online graduate students are even more dramatic. Over 77% of Utah's graduate students are enrolled in exclusively in online master's degree programs and only 9% take no online graduate degree courses at all.

Interestingly, Utah students have the option to earn their university degree from a program in another state that participates in the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE). This program allows students to attend out-of-state schools without incurring out-of-state tuition rates. Since the WUE includes online courses, Utah students can attend courses somewhere like UCLA and never have to pay rents at Los Angeles rates.

Our School Rankings Methodology

To arrive at our list of the best online degree programs in Utah, our research team needs to rely on the very best information possible. They use reliable, government sources to pull the educational data they need. That data includes metrics such as each online college's retention rate, graduation rate, net price, and even the salary outcomes of previous students.

The retention rate may be unfamiliar to some students. This is a measure of how many first-time, full-time students return to a college or university for their second year. It's assumed that students who return have found a great value on that campus. This naturally correlates with the graduation rate. However, researchers also factor in the school's transfer out rate when considering the graduation rate. This is because transfer students are often well-prepared enough that they gain admission into more competitive online degree programs.