Analysis: USHE students likely to transfer & change majors before graduation

The general perception of a traditional college career goes as follows: upon high school graduation, a student immediately enrolls the following year in a college or university, attends full-time, and soon thereafter graduates from the same college two to four years later. A new analysis by the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education looks at how […]

New report: 30M good jobs that pay without a BA (but many still require college)

Although the decline in the manufacturing economy eliminated many good jobs for high school graduates, new research from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce (Georgetown Center) finds that there are currently 30 million good jobs in the U.S. that pay well without a bachelor’s degree (B.A.). These good jobs have a median […]

A long-term look at Utah’s college age population

By 2065 the number of college age population (ages 18-24) living in Utah is projected to increase by 65% (an increase of 196,705 students) to reach half a million, while the school age population (ages 5-17) is projected to increase by 49% (an increase of 329,743 students) to reach nearly one million, according to recently […]

How are tuition waivers used across USHE?

What are tuition waivers? Tuition waivers are a type of financial aid used to help students pay for college. Student aid—a critical part of keeping college affordable—comes in many forms, including federal grants and scholarships. From a student perspective, all student aid serves the same purpose: reducing the out-of-pocket amount a student must pay for […]

Year-round Pell grants available July 1

The US Department of Education (ED) recently announced higher education institutions can begin to award year-round Pell grants for students starting July 1, 2017. Before these changes, students could only receive Pell grants for their fall and spring semesters. The change reinstates what was briefly implemented in 2009 but pulled back in 2012 due to […]

12 key takeaways from the NCES Condition of Education 2017 report

The National Center for Education Statistics recently published its annual report, The Condition of Education 2017, which showcases national trends in education using data from the 2014-15 academic year. Below are higher education highlights from the report: 1.) The more education earned, the higher the medial annual earnings. For young adults ages 25–34 who worked full […]

USHE hosts first annual joint access & completion retreat

On April 21, 2017, the Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) hosted a retreat on college access and completion at the Leonardo in Salt Lake City. Higher ed enthusiasts including USHE institution faculty, staff, and administrators, representatives from community and state organizations such as United Way and the Department of Workforce Services, and public ed supporters […]

What percentage of Utah high school graduates go to college?

The Board of Regents adopted a ten-year strategic plan in 2016 focusing on three key objectives, one of which was Affordable Participation. The benchmark for this objective called for the rate of college participation among Utah high school graduates to increase to 75% five years after high school graduation. On average, 52% of Utah high […]

CollegeCon 2017

CollegeCon 2017 is a free one-day conference that allows parents and students the opportunity to explore college possibilities through booths, keynote speeches, and small-group breakout sessions. This year’s event, held at Davis High School on March 18, drew over 1,400 attendees. Representatives from the Utah System of Higher Education attended the event. Hundreds of students […]