Public
Accredited · Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
Salt Lake City, Utah
87.2% Acceptance Rate
University of Utah — Admission Snapshot 2026
A complete at-a-glance picture of every metric that matters for your 2026 application
87.2%Acceptance Rate
3.64Avg GPA
1231Avg SAT
26Avg ACT
$21,799Annual Cost
$67,170Grad Salary
20.1%Pell Grant
Acceptance Rate
87.2%
Avg GPA
3.64
Avg SAT
1231
Avg ACT
26
Selectivity
Inclusive
Institution Type
Public
Campus
Main Campus
Accredited By
Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
SAT Middle 50%
1180–1398
ACT Middle 50%
22–29
Avg Net Price
$13,172
Need-Based Aid
20.1% receive Pell
University of Utah is a premier public research university in Salt Lake City known for its impact on science, medicine, and entrepreneurship. Admissions are highly selective, evaluating students based on the rigor of their high school curriculum, academic performance, and evidence of engagement. Applicants should emphasize their potential for research, innovation, and leadership, as well as how they will contribute to a dynamic, high-energy academic environment.
University of Utah Acceptance Rate
University of Utah (The U) runs an open-access admission policy. With a 87.2% acceptance rate, the focus is on getting qualified students in, not filtering them out.
What to Expect
- Eligibility First: A high school diploma or GED typically clears the main bar.
- Plan Ahead for Placement: Placement tests can shape which courses you start in. They are worth preparing for.
Selectivity at a Glance
Inclusive
Selectivity scale: Inclusive — 87.2% acceptance rate
Most Selective (0%)Open Enrollment (100%)
Recommended Academic Profile
Candidate GPA Range
Admission Category
Strategic Requirement
3.64 – 4.00
Target Match
Maintain Rigor & High Testing
3.44 – 3.63
Competitive Reach
Focus on Score Compensation
Below 3.19
Secondary Reach
Requires Contextual Support
Source: IPEDS & College Scorecard (Nov 2025).
University of Utah Application Deadlines & Admission Dates 2026
The application deadline for University of Utah is April 1 for Regular applicants, with additional plans listed below. Admission decisions are typically released by May 15.
Key Admission Dates
⏳ 234 days left — Regular
Regular
April 1
Decision by: May 15
Early Action
December 1
Decision by: January 31
💡 The scholarship deadline (December 1, 2026) often falls before the regular admission deadline. Submit your application and FAFSA early to be considered for maximum aid.
Deadlines are verified from official institutional sources but may change each cycle. Always confirm final dates on the official website.
The U GPA Requirement
The average GPA of admitted students at The U is 3.64. That makes admissions here highly selective. Most admitted students carry mostly A's with the occasional B.
Between 3.34 and 3.64? A strong standardized test score is worth prioritizing.
Most schools report GPA on a weighted or unweighted 4.0 scale differently. For an unweighted profile like this, students with AP/IB coursework typically carry a weighted GPA of 3.84–4.04.The U GPA & Admission Outlook
Assessment: Selective; solid academic performance is expected.
Recommended Strategy: Focus on a Strong 'Spike' in extracurriculars or research.
Where your GPA falls in this range shapes what the rest of your application needs to do:
Candidate GPA Range
Admission Category
Strategic Requirement
3.64 – 4.00
Target/Match
Maintain Rigor & High Testing
3.44 – 3.63
Competitive Match
Focus on SAT/ACT Compensation
3.24 – 3.43
Secondary Reach
Personal Statement & Impact
Below 3.23
Institutional Reach
Requires Significant Contextual Factors
Evaluation Metrics That Matter Here
- Acceptance rate is approximately 86% (2024-25 cycle: 23,062 admitted from 26,822 applicants); 75% of admitted freshmen had an unweighted high school GPA of 3.5 or higher, though there is no published minimum GPA floor.
- The University uses Common App for freshman admissions; general admission requires no essay and no letters of recommendation - the only essay component is the optional Honors College supplemental, which appears within the Common App itself.
- Early Action decision notification is January 15 for students who complete their file by December 1; Honors College and scholarship notifications follow on February 1.
- The Eccles Distinguished Scholarship (full-tuition, highly competitive, Honors College preferred) and For Utah Scholarship (need-based, requires FAFSA by February 1) are among the most valuable awards; the Eccles goes to fewer than 2% of applicants per year and typically requires both top academics and significant extracurricular distinction.
- Rigor Over Raw Number: A slightly lower GPA (say 3.8) paired with multiple AP or IB courses often outweighs a flat 4.0 from a standard curriculum.
- Trajectory Matters: A lower start in 9th or 10th grade, followed by a clear upward trend senior year, reads as academic resilience rather than a weakness.
Data verified via IPEDS, College Scorecard (Nov 2025) and the Common Data Set (CDS). Expert Review led by Sohaib Khan and Dr. Waseem.
Check Your Admission Chances at The U
Admission Chance Predictor
Real-Time Sensitive Analysis — based on University of Utah's verified institutional data
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Calculating Profile...
Adjust the sliders to see how every decimal point affects your outcome.
Your SAT Score 1200
Your Unweighted GPA 3.00
✅ Verified Data: Institutional records for 2026.
Calculated via College Portal's Human-Intelligence (HI) Methodology & Editorial Standards. Verified by Sohaib Ahmad Khan.
University of Utah (The U) Test Requirements
Standardized scores still matter here: aim for the middle 50% range of the 2026 admitted class below, and if The U is test-optional, a high score submitted voluntarily still helps with merit scholarships.
Can I Get Into The U Without SAT or ACT?
The U considers scores when submitted, without requiring them. Prepare well and submit your best attempt. Most applicants test 2–3 times.
University of Utah Average SAT Score: 1231
The average SAT score of admitted students at University of Utah is 1231 on the 1600-point scale.
SAT Competitiveness
SAT 1231 — Slightly Competitive
This sits close to the national average SAT score.
Key Insight: Aim for the 75th percentile (1398 SAT or 29 ACT) to stand out. Below average? University of Utah allows Score Choice for the SAT, so a retake only helps — a low sitting never has to be sent.
If your score is below 1180, retaking the SAT is strongly recommended to improve your chances at The U. Retaking multiple times is completely normal. Most competitive applicants sit for it two or three times. There's no official limit on attempts.
SAT Scores Breakdown by Sections
| Section | Average | 25th Percentile | 75th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT Math | 645 | 590 | 700 |
| SAT Reading | 644 | 590 | 698 |
| SAT Composite | 1231 | 1180 | 1398 |
Below 1180, you're behind most admitted students; at 1398 or above, you're ahead of 75% of them. (25th/75th percentile = the score below which that share of admitted students fall.)
View list of all colleges with average SAT score of 1250
Can I get into University of Utah (The U) with a 1400 SAT?
A 1400 SAT puts you ahead of most of The U's admitted class, but admissions still weighs GPA, course rigor, and essays alongside it. A strong score opens the door; the rest of your profile decides what happens next.
University of Utah (The U) ACT Requirements
The average ACT score at The U is 26.
ACT Competitiveness
ACT 26 — Competitive
This average is solidly above the national mean without being elite-tier.
ACT Scores Breakdown by Sections
| Section | Average | 25th Percentile | 75th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACT Math | 8 | 7 | 8 |
| ACT English | 26 | 21 | 30 |
| ACT Composite | 26 | 22 | 29 |
Can I get into University of Utah with a 29 ACT?
A 29 ACT puts you ahead of 75% of The U's admitted students. That's a strong position, though the ACT is only one benchmark among several that admissions weighs.
Unlike the SAT, the ACT scores four separate sections: English, Math, Reading, and Science, each on a 1–36 scale. A noticeably weak section, especially Science at STEM-focused schools, stands out to reviewers, so it's worth checking your section breakdown for outliers before applying.
Your ACT score clears the first filter, but GPA, course rigor, extracurricular depth, recommendations, and essays are what carry an application the rest of the way at The U.
Your 2026 Admissions Roadmap for The U
Accessible Strategy: Academic Foundation
Getting into The U isn't the hard part. Building a solid academic foundation and securing aid early is where the real strategy lives.
December 1 Is the Real Deadline - Everything Else Is a Rolling Afterthought
The University of Utah accepts applications through a rolling process until April 1 for fall, but the December 1 Early Action deadline unlocks three things that later applicants cannot access: merit scholarship consideration (automatic, GPA-based, no separate application required), Honors College review (decisions released February 1), and the WUE tuition rate for out-of-state students from 21 Western states and territories. For a non-resident from California or Oregon, the WUE rate - capped at 150% of in-state tuition - can represent thousands of dollars in annual savings. None of these opportunities are available to students who apply after December 1.
Use the Optional Honors Essay as Your Only Real Differentiator
General admission to the University of Utah requires no essay, no letters of recommendation, and no supplemental materials - the application review is driven almost entirely by unweighted GPA and course rigor. This means the Honors College essay (embedded in the Common App application) is the only place a student can demonstrate intellectual curiosity, self-awareness, or extracurricular depth to an actual human reader. Honors readers explicitly evaluate quality of engagement over quantity of activities, and they look for applicants who show genuine interest in completing a thesis or capstone project. Students with a 3.75 or higher unweighted GPA who skip the Honors essay are leaving the most distinctive part of the U's academic experience off the table.
WUE Is Automatic but Requires the December 1 File - Know the Stacking Rules
Out-of-state students from WUE-eligible states (Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington, Wyoming, and several Pacific territories) receive the WUE tuition discount automatically if they complete their admissions file by December 1 and have a minimum unweighted GPA of 3.3. No separate scholarship application is needed. The critical trap: WUE cannot be stacked with Business Scholars Program scholarships or Eccles School of Business merit awards - students interested in the Eccles School must actively compare the value of WUE vs. the Eccles scholarship before accepting either. Utah also does not superscore the ACT or SAT for any decision, including scholarship consideration.
Automatic Scholarships Are Entirely GPA-Driven - No Test Required, No Essay Required
The University of Utah's merit scholarship grid is one of the most transparent in the country: awards are calculated directly from a student's unweighted cumulative high school GPA at the time their application file is complete, with no test score required and no separate scholarship application. Resident and non-resident students are evaluated on separate grids. Students should verify their counselor has transmitted an official transcript to Utah before December 1, because the scholarship amount is locked at the GPA on file at that moment - a strong first-semester senior grade that arrives after December 1 will not be considered for scholarship purposes, even though it may factor into final admission.
Expert Insight:
The most common failure pattern at the U is the out-of-state student who discovers the WUE discount or Honors College in January - after the December 1 cutoff - and realizes they qualified but missed the only window that mattered. Because rolling admissions decisions continue through spring, these students often believe they are fully enrolled and in good standing, not understanding that their merit scholarship eligibility and Honors College consideration were permanently foreclosed when they applied late. A second related mistake: students who apply by December 1 but whose high school counselors submit transcripts in January. The file must be complete by December 1, not just submitted.
The U Profile
Full Name
University of Utah (The U)
City
Salt Lake City
State
Utah
ZIP Code
84112-9008
Type
Public
Campus
Main Campus
Official Website
Accredited By
Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)
Is a The U Degree Worth It?
Whether The U is worth it depends less on its reputation and more on your program choice, financial aid package, and career goals. Here's the data to weigh it against.
The average household income among admitted students is $69,500, with a graduate unemployment rate of 3.17%.
How much does a degree from The U Cost?
The sticker price is $21,799/year, but the average net price students actually pay, after Pell and federal grants, is closer to $13,172.
20.1% of students receive a Pell Grant and 21.5% take federal loans at The U. File your FAFSA early and list The U as a choice to be considered for both.
How much does a The U Graduate earn?
Median earnings 10 years after enrollment (roughly 4–6 years post-graduation) are $67,170. That's about 65% above the U.S. median graduate income.
Compare Similar Colleges
Less Competitive Schools
These schools have lower average SAT or ACT scores than University of Utah. If your SAT or ACT score is slightly lower, you'll be competitive for these schools.
| School | Location | SAT | ACT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham-Southern College | Birmingham, AL | 1197 | 24 |
| University of Mobile | Mobile, AL | 1220 | 24 |
| Samford University | Birmingham, AL | 1203 | 26 |
| Harding University | Searcy, AR | 1187 | 25 |
| Ouachita Baptist University | Arkadelphia, AR | 1212 | 25 |
| Dominican University of California | San Rafael, CA | 1194 | 26 |
| Eastern Connecticut State University | Willimantic, CT | 1200 | NA |
| University of Hartford | West Hartford, CT | 1207 | 29 |
| University of New Haven | West Haven, CT | 1190 | NA |
| Quinnipiac University | Hamden, CT | 1212 | 27 |
Equally Competitive Schools
These schools have the same range of average SAT or ACT scores as University of Utah. If your SAT or ACT score is competitive, you'll be competitive for these schools also.
| School | Location | SAT | ACT |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Brown University | Siloam Springs, AR | 1222 | 26 |
| California Lutheran University | Thousand Oaks, CA | 1224 | 26 |
| University of Redlands | Redlands, CA | 1231 | 28 |
| University of South Florida | Tampa, FL | 1235 | 27 |
| Berry College | Mount Berry, GA | 1223 | 26 |
More Competitive Schools
These schools have higher average SAT or ACT scores than University of Utah. If you improve your SAT or ACT score, you'll be competitive for these schools.
| School | Location | SAT | ACT |
|---|---|---|---|
| The University of Alabama | Tuscaloosa, AL | 1287 | 28 |
| University of Arizona | Tucson, AZ | 1261 | 26 |
| University of the Pacific | Stockton, CA | 1303 | 27 |
| Point Loma Nazarene University | San Diego, CA | 1278 | 26 |
| Thomas Aquinas College | Santa Paula, CA | 1277 | 29 |
Degree Programs at The U
Bachelor Degree Programs
Frequently Asked Questions About The U Admissions
Median graduate earnings at University of Utah run about $67,170 a year.
At about $21,799 a year, University of Utah is on the more affordable end.
University of Utah's Pell Grant rate of 20.1% sits below the national average. Merit-based aid is worth checking regardless of income.
At 87.2%, University of Utah's acceptance rate is on the more attainable end compared to top-tier selective schools.
Admitted students at University of Utah average a 3.64 GPA.
University of Utah doesn't publish a hard GPA floor, but landing at or above 3.34 keeps you in the typical applicant range; below it, lean on essays and recommendations.
Below 3.24, University of Utah becomes a harder reach, though a strong test score, meaningful activities, and AP/IB coursework can still make a real case.
A strong SAT score matters at University of Utah — aim above 1231, ideally within the 1180–1398 range admitted students typically fall in.
The application deadline for University of Utah is April 1 for Regular applicants. Admission decisions are released by May 15.
The application fee is 55. Fee waivers may be available. Check with admissions.
The scholarship/financial aid priority deadline is December 1, 2026. Submit FAFSA before then for maximum consideration.
Yes, transfers are common. Have transcripts, recommendation letters, and a solid personal statement ready to make your case.
Strong academics, a focused extracurricular profile, and standout essays move the needle most, along with a competitive SAT/ACT score where relevant.