I’ve visited a lot of campuses for outdoorsy students this year, and after a visit to Salt Lake City last month, I have enthusiastically added another one to my list – the University of Utah. I love touring the country to learn more about colleges, and when I find a hidden gem like Utah, I can’t wait to come back to Minnesota and share what I’ve discovered with students. If you like four seasons and nature, as well as hiking, skiing, snowboarding, mountains, lakes and streams, I suggest you check out this campus. You may love it, too.
Utah’s access to adventure includes world-class skiing and five national parks; in fact, students regularly take weekend road trips to Arches and Zion. The university’s Outdoor Adventures program organizes outings and rents gear at a low-cost to students.
The MUSS and Tier-1 Research
This active-lifestyle energy shows up all over campus. Rice-Eccles Stadium comes alive when MUSS, the Mighty Utah Student Section, cheers on the Utes. The athletic teams’ namesake involves respect and recognition for the Ute Indian Tribe, which the university works with via formal agreements. Accompanied by Swoop, a red-tail hawk mascot, the 7,400-member MUSS section stands through entire games, leads cheers, does the First Down Chant and gets LOUD. If you love school-spirit, MUSS is the place to be.
Photo by Harriet Richardson
This pride extends beyond sports. The University of Utah is a Tier-1 research university and actively promotes undergraduate research, particularly in fields tied to health, engineering, computer science, environment, and entrepreneurship. It has 80+ undergrad majors and many minors/certificates, as well as its own medical school, dental school, and law school, plus a major academic medical center and an international campus in Incheon, South Korea. It also has a notable, top-ranked video game design program.
Urban Location
About 27,000 undergrads attend the urban campus. It’s located just a few minutes from downtown Salt Lake City, which provides access to restaurants, concerts, and public transportation, as well as job and internship opportunities in tech, healthcare, business and government – especially with companies in the nearby Silicon Slopes tech corridor. About 40% of students are from out of state, and freshman and sophomores mostly live on campus.
Admissions
Admissions is test-optional and requires no letters of recommendation or essays for general admission, although the Honors College does have essays. Most admitted freshmen have a 3.5+ gpa unweighted.
Dec. 1 is the priority deadline for merit scholarships and the Honors College. April 1 is the final application deadline for Fall. The University reviews applications on a rolling basis after its deadlines.
Fun Facts
Here are some more fun facts about the University of Utah:
– It is the flagship University of the State of Utah
– The campus covers 1,534 acres
– There are 10 world-class ski areas within 45 minutes of campus
– There are 5 national parks in the state of Utah
– It is the home of the Utah Bionic Leg, one of TIME Magazine’s Best Inventions of 2023
– 508 business startup teams launched through Lassonde Studios (2024)
– It is the only school to qualify for all 43 NCAA Gymnastics Championships
– It has the lowest tuition among AAU public universities in the West
Who would be happy here?
Outdoor enthusiasts who want to balance academics with nature and adventure. The campus would also appeal to students looking for a large public research university with a lot of school spirit around its sports teams, and to students who like the idea of an urban campus with access to restaurants, events and internships.
