One CC, big pipeline.
The Utah transfer math favors BYU.
Utah students considering the CC-first path are working from a single large community college — Salt Lake Community College — and deciding which of six four-year universities to target. The data shows high transfer volumes at the top three destinations and a clear earnings premium at one selective private university.
Utah has 6 four-year transfer destinations and 1 community college spotlight. 4,738 transfers were admitted annually, with Salt Lake Community College sending 2,153 students to four-year programs. BYU leads on earnings ($75,790) and graduation rate (81%) at a 68% overall acceptance rate.
One massive CC feeds six universities — BYU's outcomes stand apart
Utah's transfer landscape is unusually concentrated on both ends. Salt Lake Community College, the state's only community college spotlight in this dataset, enrolls 27,437 students and sends 2,153 transfers annually — making it one of the highest-volume single feeders in the intermountain west. On the receiving side, six four-year institutions admitted a combined 4,738 transfers. The University of Utah leads by volume at 1,522 admits, but Brigham Young University is the outcome standout: 81% six-year graduation rate, $75,790 in 10-year median earnings, and the lowest median debt in the state at $11,069. Utah State University is the most accessible destination overall at a 92% acceptance rate, though its 10-year earnings of $54,022 are the lowest among the main public universities. Median debt across the state's four-years sits at $16,670 — notably lower than the national average — which improves the financial case for the CC-first path.
Utah's transfer picture is unusually clean for a mid-size western state: one large community college, six four-year destinations, and a clear hierarchy based on outcomes. Salt Lake Community College is the state's primary transfer feeder, enrolling 27,437 students and sending 2,153 of them to four-year programs annually. That is a functioning pipeline. On the receiving end, 4,738 transfers were admitted across six institutions, with the top three — the University of Utah, Brigham Young University, and Utah State University — absorbing more than 4,000 of those spots.
The earnings picture in Utah is genuinely worth paying attention to. Brigham Young University posts $75,790 in 10-year median earnings with only $11,069 in median debt — the strongest combination of outcomes and low debt of any destination in the state. The University of Utah is close behind at $67,170 with $19,000 in median debt, and Westminster University at $66,215. Utah State University takes the most applicants by acceptance rate (92%) but delivers the lowest earnings of the main public universities at $54,022. Median debt across the state's destinations is $16,670, which is lower than the national average and improves the financial math for anyone seriously considering the CC-first route.
Utah's CC-to-university transfer pipeline by the numbers
With 4,738 annual transfers across six four-year institutions, Utah's transfer market is functional and concentrated. Median 10-year earnings across destinations sit at $66,215 — a solid figure — with a median debt of $16,670, among the lower debt loads in the mountain west.
- ✓ Brigham Young University posts $75,790 in 10-year median earnings — nearly $22,000 above Utah State University — with the state's lowest median debt at $11,069.
- ✓ BYU's 81% six-year graduation rate is the highest among Utah's destinations and well above the state median of 63.6%.
- ✓ Salt Lake Community College sends 2,153 students to four-year universities annually from a 27,437-student enrollment — a large, well-established feeder pipeline.
- ✓ The University of Utah admitted 1,522 transfers at an 86% overall acceptance rate with $67,170 in 10-year median earnings and a 65% six-year graduation rate.
- ✓ Median debt at graduation across Utah's four-year destinations is $16,670 — meaningfully below the national median, improving the financial case for starting at a CC.
- ! BYU's 68% overall acceptance rate is the most selective among Utah's main universities — the highest-outcome destination is not the easiest transfer target.
- ! Utah State University, the most accessible destination at 92% acceptance, posts $54,022 in 10-year median earnings — the lowest of the three main public universities.
- ! Utah has only one community college spotlight in this dataset; students outside Salt Lake City face geographic constraints the data does not capture.
- ! Midwives College of Utah admitted only 20 transfers with a 40% six-year graduation rate and no available 10-year earnings data — a highly specialized, high-risk niche destination.
Top transfer destinations
The University of Utah leads all transfer destinations with 1,522 admits at an 86% overall acceptance rate, followed closely by Brigham Young University (1,248 admits) and Utah State University (1,230 admits) — the three together account for over 84% of the state's tracked transfer volume.
| University | Transfers admitted | Accept rate | 6-yr grad rate | 10-yr earnings | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Utah Salt Lake City | 1,522 | 86% | 65% | $67,170 | $19,000 |
| Brigham Young University Provo | 1,248 | 68% | 81% | $75,790 | $11,069 |
| Utah State University Logan | 1,230 | 92% | 63% | $54,022 | $14,340 |
| Southern Utah University Cedar City | 657 | 82% | 63% | $50,296 | $12,500 |
| Westminster University Salt Lake City | 61 | 67% | 64% | $66,215 | $22,250 |
| Midwives College of Utah Salt Lake City | 20 | 86% | 40% | — | $21,054 |
The University of Utah in Salt Lake City sits at the top of the transfer intake table with 1,522 admits — the clear #1 destination by volume. Its 86% overall acceptance rate makes it broadly accessible, and the outcome profile is solid: a 65% six-year graduation rate and $67,170 in 10-year median earnings. Brigham Young University follows at 1,248 admits, and despite a lower overall acceptance rate of 68% — the most selective main destination in Utah — it delivers the state's strongest outcome numbers by a significant margin. An 81% graduation rate and $75,790 in 10-year median earnings, paired with $11,069 in median debt, put BYU in a different tier from the rest of the state's destinations. Utah State University rounds out the top three with 1,230 admits at a 92% acceptance rate, the most open admission of any destination in the dataset, but its 10-year earnings of $54,022 are the lowest of the three main public universities.
One important note on the acceptance rates throughout this section: these are overall IPEDS acceptance rates reflecting all applicants to each institution, not transfer-applicant-specific rates. The actual transfer acceptance rate at any given Utah university may differ from these figures.
Further down the table, Southern Utah University in Cedar City admitted 657 transfers at an 82% acceptance rate with $50,296 in 10-year earnings — a functional regional option but with the lowest earnings among the destinations that have data. Westminster University in Salt Lake City admitted 61 transfers at 67% acceptance with $66,215 in earnings — a smaller private option with outcomes nearly matching the University of Utah, though with the highest median debt in the set at $22,250. Midwives College of Utah sits at the bottom with 20 admits, a 40% graduation rate, and no available 10-year earnings data — it is a highly specialized niche institution, not a general transfer destination. The honest earnings-selectivity trade-off in Utah is direct: BYU's premium outcomes require clearing a more selective bar, while Utah State's full accessibility comes with the lowest earnings of the main public trio.
Utah community colleges at a glance
Utah's community college landscape in this dataset is effectively a single institution: Salt Lake Community College in Salt Lake City, which enrolls 27,437 students and sends 2,153 transfers annually to four-year programs — a high-output urban system that functions as the primary on-ramp to the state's universities.
Salt Lake Community College
- Undergrad27,437
- Transfers-in2,153
- 10-yr earnings$47,867
- Grad rate29%
6-year completion rates at top destinations
The six-year graduation rates in this grid are overall institutional rates from IPEDS for all enrolled students — not transfer-student-specific completion figures, which are not available in this dataset. They signal institutional finishing power broadly, not transfer cohort outcomes specifically.
Brigham Young University leads Utah's completion grid at 81% — the only destination in the state that clears the 70% threshold. For a transfer student landing at BYU, that means roughly four out of five enrolled students finish within six years. It is also a notably better number than most large public research universities nationally, where six-year rates for comparable institutions typically sit in the mid-60s.
The rest of Utah's destinations are compressed in a relatively tight band. The University of Utah comes in at 65%, Westminster University and Southern Utah University both sit at roughly 64%, and Utah State University posts 63%. That cluster of 63–65% represents a functionally similar completion environment — meaningful, but not exceptional. The gap between BYU's 81% and the public university cluster at 63–65% amounts to roughly one additional student in six finishing within the window. These figures are overall six-year institutional graduation rates from IPEDS for all enrolled students, not transfer-student-specific completion data, which is not available in this dataset. As a general proxy, institutions with higher overall completion rates tend to finish transfer students at higher rates as well, but the specific numbers here apply to the full entering cohort, not transfers alone.
What a bachelor's degree is worth here
The fastest-growing occupations in the state where a bachelor's degree is the typical entry credential — the jobs waiting on the other side of a completed transfer.
| Occupation | Projected growth | Avg openings / yr |
|---|---|---|
| Data Scientists | +58.1% | 420 |
| Information Security Analysts | +57.6% | 220 |
| Medical and Health Services Managers | +54.7% | 660 |
| Personal Financial Advisors | +52.1% | 490 |
| Software Developers | +47.7% | 2,290 |
| Mechanical Engineers | +40.4% | 410 |
| Coaches and Scouts | +40.1% | 590 |
| Producers and Directors | +38.9% | 150 |
For most Utah students weighing CC-first against direct enrollment, the data supports starting at Salt Lake Community College and targeting the University of Utah. SLCC sends 2,153 transfers annually, the U of Utah takes 1,522 at an 86% overall acceptance rate, and the combination produces $67,170 in 10-year median earnings with median debt of $19,000. That is a concrete, well-traveled path. Students who qualify for BYU should take that option seriously — the $75,790 earnings figure, 81% graduation rate, and $11,069 median debt represent the strongest outcome package in the state by a meaningful margin, and 1,248 annual transfer admits signal it is not a closed door.
The recommendation shifts in three situations. First, if a student's intended major is only available at Utah State University, the lower earnings outcome ($54,022) is the trade-off for a 92% acceptance rate and a 63% graduation rate — not a disaster, but materially weaker than the University of Utah or BYU. Second, for students outside the Salt Lake City area, the geographic concentration of SLCC is a real constraint: Utah has one community college spotlight in this dataset, and students in rural Utah face a different calculation than those within commuting distance of SLCC. Third, avoid treating Southern Utah University or Midwives College of Utah as equivalent transfer destinations to the main three — Southern Utah's $50,296 in earnings and Midwives College's 40% graduation rate signal materially different outcomes than the top-tier destinations. The transfer math in Utah works best when the target is the University of Utah or BYU, and the starting point is SLCC.
How we built Utah's transfer picture
Destination universities are Utah's 4-year institutions ranked by IPEDS transfer-in volume; we filter out community colleges that IPEDS files under the 4-year sector because they run bachelor's-pilot programs but remain open-admission. Community college spotlights are ranked by IPEDS undergraduate enrollment. 10-year median earnings and median debt at graduation come from College Scorecard; graduation rates come from IPEDS 6-year overall cohorts. Phase 1 deliberately leaves out transfer-specific completion rates (NSC), structured articulation-agreement data (ASSIST, ADT, TAG, FLVC, etc.), and state-funding context — all Phase 2.
Common questions
Is it worth starting at Salt Lake Community College before transferring to the University of Utah or BYU?
The data supports the CC-first path for most students targeting the University of Utah. The U of Utah admitted 1,522 transfers at an 86% overall acceptance rate, posts a 65% six-year graduation rate, and delivers $67,170 in 10-year median earnings with $19,000 in median debt. Salt Lake Community College sends 2,153 students annually to four-year programs, so the pipeline is well-worn. For BYU, the calculus is different — BYU's 68% overall acceptance rate is lower, and the institution has its own admissions criteria beyond academics. The financial advantage of starting at SLCC depends on how much the two-year tuition gap saves against the eventual destination's total cost.
Which Utah university accepts the most transfer students?
The University of Utah leads by volume with 1,522 transfer admits at an 86% overall acceptance rate, a 65% six-year graduation rate, and $67,170 in 10-year median earnings. Brigham Young University follows at 1,248 admits but with stronger outcomes: 81% graduation rate, $75,790 in earnings, and only $11,069 in median debt. Utah State University rounds out the top three at 1,230 admits and the highest overall acceptance rate at 92%, though its 10-year earnings of $54,022 are the lowest of the three. These three universities together account for over 4,000 of Utah's 4,738 tracked annual transfers.
What are the 10-year earnings differences between Utah's top transfer destinations?
The spread across Utah's main destinations is meaningful. Brigham Young University leads at $75,790 in 10-year median earnings — a $21,768 premium over Utah State University's $54,022. The University of Utah comes in at $67,170 and Westminster University at $66,215. The earnings-selectivity trade-off is real: BYU, the highest-earning destination, also has the lowest overall acceptance rate at 68%. Utah State, the most accessible at 92% acceptance, produces the lowest earnings outcome. Southern Utah University sits at $50,296 — the lowest median earnings of the clearly tracked destinations. A student who can qualify for BYU or the University of Utah faces a significantly different earnings picture than one who defaults to Utah State.
How do graduation rates compare across Utah's transfer destinations?
Brigham Young University leads the state at an 81% six-year graduation rate — the only destination in Utah's dataset above 70%. The University of Utah comes in at 65%, Westminster University and Southern Utah University both sit at roughly 64%, and Utah State University posts 63%. The outlier is Midwives College of Utah at 40%, though it is a highly specialized institution that admitted only 20 transfers. The spread between BYU's 81% and the pack clustered around 63–65% is significant — roughly 1 in 6 additional students finish within six years at BYU compared to the public universities. These are overall six-year institutional rates from IPEDS, not transfer-specific completion figures.
Does BYU's religious affiliation affect whether it's a realistic transfer target for all students?
The data shows BYU admitted 1,248 transfers at a 68% overall acceptance rate — a meaningful volume. But BYU is a private institution with its own admissions criteria beyond the academic and financial metrics in this dataset. The 68% overall acceptance rate does not account for faith-based or conduct-code eligibility requirements that apply to all enrolled students. Students who meet those requirements and qualify academically face one of the strongest outcome profiles in Utah: $75,790 in 10-year median earnings, an 81% graduation rate, and $11,069 in median debt. For students who do not meet those requirements, the University of Utah at $67,170 earnings and 86% acceptance is the realistic high-outcome alternative.
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