Photo: SounderBruce (CC BY-SA 2.0)
School data & stats
Outcomes
Cost
Community
Overview
The University of Utah is Utah's flagship research university, based in Salt Lake City at the foot of the Wasatch Range. It carries an unusually strong technical pedigree — the computer science department was one of the original ARPANET nodes and incubated a wave of computer-graphics pioneers in the 1960s and 70s — alongside a major academic medical center and a rapidly growing entrepreneurship culture tied to the Silicon Slopes tech corridor stretching south toward Provo.
Academics
Computer science remains a marquee program, with a research lineage running through early computer-graphics work that later shaped Pixar, Silicon Graphics, and Adobe, and today's Entertainment Arts & Engineering program is consistently cited among the best video-game-design programs in the country. The University of Utah Health system, anchored by the Huntsman Cancer Institute and a level-one trauma center, gives health-sciences students clinical and research access on a scale few public universities can match. The David Eccles School of Business runs the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute, a dedicated living-learning community where student founders build companies alongside coursework rather than after it.
Campus & student life
The campus sits directly against the Wasatch foothills, and skiing, hiking, and mountain biking are close enough to fit between classes rather than requiring a planned trip. A TRAX light-rail line connects campus straight into downtown Salt Lake City, so students get a genuine mid-size-city experience without needing a car. Rice-Eccles Stadium, which hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympics, anchors a football culture that has grown alongside the university's move into the Big 12 Conference. Housing mixes traditional dorms with a large commuter and Salt Lake Valley population.
Getting in
Admission is moderately selective and weighs academic preparation and program fit, with computer science, the Honors College, and health-sciences tracks drawing the most competitive applicant pools. The process is largely credentials-based rather than essay-heavy compared with elite private institutions, though the Honors College application asks for more reflective, program-specific writing. A meaningful share of students come from within Utah, but computing and outdoor-recreation draws pull in a steady out-of-state and international population as well.
After graduation
Computing and engineering graduates feed directly into Utah's tech and gaming industry, including studios and startups that trace their roots to the university's own graphics-research lineage. Health-sciences graduates often move into University of Utah Health itself or regional hospital systems across the Mountain West. The entrepreneurship culture produces a steady stream of student and alumni startups tied to the Silicon Slopes ecosystem, with Lassonde-affiliated ventures a visible part of that pipeline.
Worth knowing
Few public universities can claim a direct lineage from their computer science department to Pixar and Silicon Graphics, and that history still shapes the culture of the CS and gaming programs today. The mountain access is a real lifestyle factor — many students structure their schedules around ski season — and the Lassonde Studios residence hall lets undergraduates live and build startups in the same building. Utah's move from the Pac-12 to the Big 12 has also reshaped athletics and travel schedules recently.
Admissions
Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)
Applying (2026-27 cycle)
Apply through Common App or Own application.
Utah's Dec. 1 priority date (via the Beehive or Common Application) supports Early Action-style merit scholarship consideration rather than a binding early plan; admission continues through the April 1 regular deadline.
Verified from the school’s admissions pages ↗
utah.edu ↗High school coursework
Required4 units of English (composition and literature) · 2 units of mathematics beyond elementary algebra (geometry, intermediate algebra, trigonometry, advanced algebra, or calculus) · 3 units of biological/physical science (2 from chemistry, physics, biology; 1 with laboratory) · 1 unit of American history and government · 2 units of the same foreign language (grades 7-12) · 4 additional units from at least two areas (English, fine arts, foreign language, history, lab science, advanced math, social science)
Your fit, with your own numbers
With a free Dorado account, this tab fills in from your own profile and course plan:
- A chance band (Far Reach to Likely) calibrated against real admitted-student data — published test-score ranges and, where a school reports them, Common Data Set GPA profiles — with plain-English reasons.
- A fit breakdown across testing, grades, course rigor, activities, and honors, side by side with the numbers the school publishes.
- Deadline countdowns where verified application dates are on file.
Creating an account is free and takes no card — college search, list tracking, and fit are all included.
Create your free account