Southern Utah University
Public College in Cedar City, UT. Six-year graduation rate 63%. Median 10-year earnings $50,296.
Students who entered Southern Utah University land at a median of $50,296 a decade later, close to what most four-year schools deliver. The six-year graduation rate is 64%, meaning about one in three students who start do not finish. Borrowing stays contained, with median debt at graduation of $12,500.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.25 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
- ! Mobility score 1.0 — limited economic uplift documented
Admissions
An acceptance rate of 82% puts Southern Utah University on the accessible end — a realistic target for a broad range of applicants. 19,080 students applied, a pool deep enough to make the acceptance rate meaningful. Only 14% of admitted students enroll — the great majority of admits go elsewhere or nowhere.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | — | — |
| SAT Math | — | |
| ACT Composite | — | — |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Southern Utah University →Academics
Six-year completion sits at 64%, meaning about one in three students who enroll leave without finishing. First-year retention is 76% — the single largest point of attrition on this campus. Retention and completion are close, which places the gap between entering and finishing almost entirely in year one. The part-time picture is harder: 32% return, against 76% full-time. The student-faculty ratio is 22:1 — typical, which in practice means large lectures early and smaller classes in the major.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 9,533 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Average net price is $11,840 a year after grant aid — low for a four-year institution, though your own figure depends on aid eligibility. Net price swings hard on family income here, from $6,070 at the $0–30k band to $14,917 at $110k+. About 82% get grants averaging $10,340, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price. Only 24% take federal loans. Private borrowing is not captured in this figure.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 2,152 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $6,070 |
| $30–48k | $7,235 |
| $48–75k | $9,297 |
| $75–110k | $12,487 |
| $110k+ | $14,917 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 2,270 of these 9,533 students, totalling $13,394,748 — an average of $5,901 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Iron County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)