Online Colleges in Utah

With the increase of online colleges in Utah, the state has become a destination for continuing education.

The Southwestern state boasts a diverse list of postsecondary schools, from top-ranking public universities to world-renowned private schools, and some of the country’s best online programs.

Tuition is surprisingly low, and the state offers financial aid programs to help even further. Indeed, Utah is committed to providing residents affordable, convenient access to excellent higher education opportunities.

Online Colleges in Utah

Online colleges allow students to complete coursework at their convenience, working around a family, career, or other responsibilities, and without regard for their location.

According to a report by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), 46.2% of college students in Utah were enrolled exclusively in online courses, which is far more than in most states. Another 22.5% were enrolled in a combination of online and on-campus courses. Those numbers have continued to rise as schools have increased their online offerings.

The state of Utah is committed to the goal of providing greater scheduling flexibility to help more students graduate on time. The state aims to provide several new fully online and hybrid programs. Today, the state boasts one of the most impressive online initiatives and offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in popular fields like nursing, social work, business, and more.

At the community college level, the state offers robust online programs, with more than 200 courses in 50 academic disciplines. Online students can access 24/7 tech support, free online tutoring, and dedicated coaching and advising.

Choosing to attend an online program in Utah can allow you to complete your educational goals from the comfort of your own home. This can help you maintain your current responsibilities while achieving your academic goals.

Common Online Degrees in Utah

There are a wide variety of online degrees you can pursue in Utah, but here are some of the most common ones.

• Registered Nursing: These degrees typically teach students how to care for patients, including the technology and communication skills involved.
• Community and Public Health: You will likely learn how to build and promote programs that improve public health, and how to affect healthcare public policy.
• Sociology: This degree helps students learn to analyze cultural norms, social behavior in humans, and diversity within communities.
• Elementary Education: You’ll likely learn how to build curriculums and teach elementary school children, potentially in a specific subject.
• Accounting: This degree typically covers tax documents, financial reports, income and expense reports, and other financial materials needed to be an accountant in a business.

Additional popular Utah online degrees include adult development and agricultural business operations. Students also tend to enroll in programs focused on criminal justice and business administration and management.

Overview of Higher Education in Utah

In Utah, there are 27 degree-granting institutions, according to the NCES. Of these, 8 are public, 7 are private non-profit and 11 are private for-profit.

Tuition rates in Utah are among the lowest in the country. According to data from the NCES residents pay, on average, just $6,764 to attend one of the state’s 4-year intuitions, while non-residents pay around $21,595. Residents who are unable to find their chosen major within Utah can still take advantage of the state’s low tuition rates, thanks to the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB).

Through the SREB, Utahans can enroll in out-of-state programs offered in the other 15 participating states while paying in-state rates.

Employment Outlook for College Graduates in Utah

The Bureau of Labor Statistics states that about 1.5 million people were employed in the state of Utah. The unemployment rate in Utah is also extremely low and hovers around 2.4%.

Mining and logging, construction, and leisure and hospitality jobs have all seen an increase over the past six months. If you’re interested in working in office and administrative support, sales, or management occupations, these are some of the most-employed job categories in Utah.

Other areas with high employment are transportation and material moving, food preparation and serving, and business and financial operations roles.

Careers & Salaries in Utah

When browsing Utah online colleges, it may be helpful to have an idea of what kinds of careers are popular in the state. If you intend to stay in Utah after graduation, you’ll already have an idea of which careers may be the most strategic to pursue.

Business-related roles, such as software developers, accountants, operations managers, and customer service representatives, are highly employed careers in Utah. Sales representatives and retail salespersons also have high numbers of jobs in the state. Registered nurses, home health and personal care aides, and other healthcare careers are also popular options for professionals.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the jobs below are popular careers in the state of Utah.

There is a high concentration of administrative support jobs, such as bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks, in Utah. Some popular careers, like software developers and home health and personal care aides, are projected to grow faster than average over the next few years.

Online Utah Colleges Admissions Requirements

The admissions requirements for UT colleges online vary by school, but here are a few you may come across during your search.

• High school transcripts
• High school diploma
• SAT or ACT scores (only some schools require them)
• Letters of recommendation

While some schools may want to see SAT or ACT scores, not every school looks at these anymore, so you may want to check your preferred schools’ requirements before taking the test. Some schools may also want to see transcripts to check your high school GPA.

Online Colleges in UT Accreditation

When you’re looking for an online school in Utah, it’s important to check if the program is regionally accredited. If it has this status, the school has met a series of academic quality standards determined by a third-party accrediting organization. You can learn more about regional accreditation at the U.S. Department of Education website.

Attending a regionally accredited school may help open job prospects after graduation, since employers may be checking that you have attended this type of program. It may also help when applying for federal financial aid, which students can’t receive if their school is not regionally accredited.

Financial Aid and Scholarships

If you’d like to earn a degree at an online college in Utah, consider completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This can give you access to federal, state, and even some private financial aid.

The state of Utah also offers a number of assistance programs to its residents, including:

• H. Bell Education Scholarship: This program is aimed at recruiting first-generation students into teaching, especially in high-need fields. The award may be for up to the cost of tuition, fees, and books and may be for up to 4 years.
• New Century Scholarship: This is intended for students who earn an associate degree in high school from an institution within the USHE or complete a specific math and science curriculum.
• Public Safety Officer Program (PSOCAR): This program reimburses up to half of tuition and fees (up to $5000 per year) for students enrolled in criminal justice-related programs at a USHE institution.
• Regents’ Scholarship: This program is intended for high school seniors who have taken the required courses, have a GPA of 3.3 or higher, and have an ACT score of 22 or higher.
• Utah Promise Scholarship: This award is for recent high school graduates and adult learners at Utah’s public universities and technical colleges. It covers tuition for up to 2 years.
• Veterans Tuition Gap Program: This program covers tuition, fees, and books for veterans who have exhausted other benefits.

These scholarships may be need or merit-based, or awarded based on geographic location, chosen major, athletic accomplishments, a winning essay, or other unique factors.

Here are some private scholarships open to Utah students:

• Rocky Mountain Coal Mining Scholarship: (8) $5500 for engineering and (8) $1,000 for technical-related degrees
• The Jiffy Lube “What Drives You?” Scholarship Program: (1) $6,500 and (2) $1,500
• The Ruth S. Clayton Memorial Nursing Scholarship Fund: Several awards up to $4,000
• Utah Jump$tart Coalition Financial Literacy Scholarship: (6) $,1250

Some schools offer additional aid, including both merit-based and need-based, to admitted students. It can be helpful to check with the financial aid office at the college or university you have chosen.

Utah Online Education Resources

If you’re looking for more information to help you along your educational journey in Utah, you may be interested in the resources below.

• Utah System of Higher Education: You can find information about financial assistance, student loans, student safety, transfers, and more.
• Hippocampus: This website offers educational videos in a variety of subjects, from science to math to humanities.
• Utah Academic Library Consortium: You can get access to a variety of educational resources at this online library, including newspaper articles and professional journals.

Websites like these can help provide information for research papers and essays in school as well.

How Much Does It Cost to Go to an Online University in Utah?

The cost of online universities in Utah varies, but on average, public four-year universities are the most expensive for out-of-state students. The average cost of tuition for these types of schools and students is around $21,595.

However, the average tuition cost in Utah is typically a lot cheaper than in other states. The average tuition for private four-year universities is $7,753, and it’s only $6,764 for in-state students attending a public four-year university.

Tuition Breaks for Out-of-State Students

While it’s typically fairly expensive to attend public universities as an out-of-state student, Utah may be a state more affordable than most. It’s also worth looking into state reciprocity programs that Utah schools may be part of.

In these programs, certain states partner up with each other to offer their students more affordable tuition if they’re attending schools in their sister states. Utah is part of the Western Undergraduate Exchange.

This means that if you attend one of the specified schools in Utah, but you’re from one of the participating sister states, you may receive tuition at 150% of the rate of the resident tuition rate.

What Jobs Are in High Demand in Utah?

According to the Utah Department of Workforce Services, the below careers are in high demand in the state of Utah.

• Construction trades workers
• Information and record clerks
• Business operations specialists
• Retail sales workers
• Food and beverage serving workers

Solar photovoltaic installers, restaurant cooks, athletes, and sports competitors are all projected to see a significant increase in job growth over the next few years. Top executives, material moving workers, and general and operations managers are also in high demand.

What Are the Highest Paying Jobs in Utah?

The salary in any role depends on a variety of factors, such as city, education, skill level, certifications, soft skills, and more. In Utah, family medicine physicians are the highest-paid job and make a median annual salary of $201,573, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

General internal medicine physicians follow with a median annual salary of $177,112, along with chief executives at $162,802. Air traffic controllers are also typically highly paid, making $134,285, as well as pharmacists making $128,690.

List of Online Colleges in Utah

Methodology: The following school list is in alphabetical order. To be included, a college or university must be regionally accredited and offer degree programs online or in a hybrid format.

Brigham Young University–Provo offers a number of courses online. Popular courses include Principles of Accounting, Business Law in the Environment, Principles of Biology, How to Program, Web Programming, and Human Anatomy. Courses may be taught in either asynchronous or synchronous formats and tend to follow a traditional semester schedule.

BYU is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.

Southern Utah University offers programs for an associate’s, bachelor’s, or master’s degree fully online. Potential programs include accounting, chemistry, criminal justice, data science, English, finance, and health education. Many courses are taught in an asynchronous format and may be accessed using a mobile device.

Southern Utah University is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.

The University of Utah offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs online. Potential programs include economics, nursing, psychology, social work, and sociology. Courses are typically 12 or 16 weeks long. Tuition is usually charged at the same rate regardless of residency. U.S. News & World Report named the University of Utah one of the best schools for online bachelor’s degrees.

The University of Utah is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.

Utah State University offers associate’s through doctoral degree programs entirely online in over 70 study areas such as Agribusiness, Veterinary Public Health, and Career and Technical Education. Courses typically follow either a full semester or a 7 week schedule. U.S. News & World Report ranked Utah State University among the best schools in the country for online undergraduate degrees.

Utah State University is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.

Utah Tech University offers associate’s through master’s degree programs online. The school also offers degree completion programs after the earning of general education requirements. Popular programs include enterprise management and nursing education and leadership. Courses are typically 6, 12, or 15 weeks long and are often taught in synchronous and asynchronous formats.

Utah Tech University is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.

Utah Valley University offers over 40 online undergraduate and graduate certificate and degree programs. Options for on-campus classes may also be available. Potential programs include aerospace technology management, communication, criminal justice, marketing, public service, and respiratory therapy. Courses typically have start dates in the fall, spring, and summer.

Utah Valley University is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.

Weber State University offers over 25 degree and certificate programs, including associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorates. Potential programs include emergency healthcare science, radiologic sciences, professional sales, and medical laboratory science. Courses may be taught either following a regular semester schedule or through self-paced classes with up to 6 months to finish.

Weber State University is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.

Western Governors University offers competency-based online bachelor’s and master’s degree programs that are typically self-paced. Common programs include business, education, health, and information technology. Courses generally have monthly start dates, and tuition is commonly charged at a flat rate paid every 6 months.

Western Governors University is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.

Westminster College offers a bachelor’s degree in business administration and an MBA program online. Westminster generally allows the transfer of credits earned at other schools as well as for work experience. An international trip as a cohort is usually taken, with the aim being putting newly-learned skills into practice. The program may be completed in 12 months.

Westminster College is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.

Getting Your Online Degree in Utah

Clearly, Utah has more to offer than landscapes. The state is home to affordable, award-winning colleges and universities, with online and on-campus opportunities to help launch you into a successful career.

If you’re ready to take the next step in your educational journey, you may want to consider researching accredited online universities in Utah that offer your chosen degree path.

You can also view our Online Colleges in Texas and Online Colleges in Vermont guides for more options.