Utah’s Senator Hatch introduces Bipartisan College Transparency Act to improve reporting of student outcomes
A bipartisan group of senators led by Utah’s Senator Hatch recently introduced legislation to overturn a federal prohibition on tracking the educational and employment outcomes of college students. The bill sponsors—all members of the Senate education committee—unveiled the College Transparency Act of 2017, which would allow the federal government, as well as families and prospective […]
USHE enrollment expected to grow to over 241,000 students by 2026
Over 61,000 students are expected to be added to Utah’s college and university campuses over the next ten years, according to enrollment projections approved at the May meeting of the Utah State Board of Regents. The total headcount in the Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) is expected to grow from 179,935 students in Fall 2014 to […]
Annual update on higher education finance shows Utah growth outpacing other states
The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) recently released its annual update on state higher education finance (interactive report here). This report provides a useful state-by-state comparison of funding of public higher education. Utah is among 10 “boomerang states,” defined as those that had a 20% or larger cut in educational appropriations per FTE […]
Analysis: Half of USHE students receive gift aid – 1 in 5, tuition & fees are fully covered
Scholarships and grants play a significant role in how students pay for college. 54% of USHE students who enrolled in both fall and spring semesters in 2014-15 received some form of gift aid, averaging $4,680 per student—approximately 75% of the average tuition and fees at institutions in the Utah System of Higher Education for 2014-15. […]
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 […]
Distance-delivered courses are mainstream: 40% of USHE students enroll in at least one distance-delivered course
40% of the 175,509 students enrolled at USHE institutions during the 2016-17 academic year take at least one distance-delivered course (courses in which 80% or more of the course is taught at a distance), significantly higher than the national average of 28%. Online courses are by far the most popular distance-delivered courses, and are the […]
In 2015-16, USHE awarded the most degrees ever in its history
The Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) has tabulated the total degrees and certificates awarded annually by Utah’s public institutions. In 2015-16, the most recent complete academic year, USHE institutions awarded the most degrees ever in its history. The details of the certificate and degrees awarded data are available in the USHE Data Book, published […]
Summary of the 2017 Legislative Session
The 2017 Legislative Session concluded on March 9, 2017. There were over 100 bills impacting public higher education during the 2017 Legislative Session on a variety of issues including mental health, student debt and student privacy. Commissioner Buhler will provide a more exhaustive report on the 2017 Session, including budgetary impacts, at the meeting of the […]
2017 Legislative Update – Week 6
2017-2018 Budget The Executive Appropriations Committee approved its first round of funding items on Friday. For higher education, initial items include: Compensation: 2% labor market adjustment increase (plus funding for health insurance rate increases), with the ratio of funding at 75% from state funds and 25% of tuition funds. Student Enrollment Growth: $3.5 million ongoing for […]
Higher ed in Utah is efficient, innovative and collaborative
*This op-ed from Commissioner David Buhler ran in the Deseret News on Sunday, February 26, 2017. In response to the recent editorial in the Deseret News, Utahns can be pleased that our eight public colleges and universities are the envy of the nation when it comes to scalable collaboration, innovation, and efficiency. Part of what […]
