BYU vs UofU vs USU — Here’s how three of Utah’s universities stack up, according to a recent study

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — A recent study from WalletHub ranked the best universities in the United States, and three of Utah’s largest universities made the list. Let’s see how they did.

To be considered for this ranking, Universities had to offer undergraduate AND graduate programs (master’s and/or doctorate degree programs). Three Utah universities were included in the ranking: University of Utah, Utah State University, and Brigham Young University.

WalletHub ranked over 700 universities in the U.S. using seven dimensions: student selectivity, cost and financing, faculty resources, campus safety, campus experience, educational outcomes, and career outcomes.

Brigham Young University ranked 87th nationally and number 1 for the state of Utah. It did best when it came to career outcomes, campus safety, and cost and financing. It struggled with faculty resources and campus experience.

The University of Utah was ranked as 232 nationally and the second-best university in Utah. U of U also did best in career outcomes, followed by campus experience and cost and financing. It did worst with faculty resources, campus safety, and student selectivity.

Utah State University ranked 475 nationally, and it was ranked last out of the Utah schools included in this study.

And if you’re curious, here are the top five universities nationally:

• Princeton University
• Harvard University
• Yale University
• Dartmouth College
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Methodology

The study included 719 universities and measured them across dimensions of student selectivity, cost & financing, faculty resources, campus safety, campus experience, educational outcomes, and career outcomes.

Student selectivity was measured based on admission rate, ACT/SAT scores, and how much of the freshman class was in the top 10% of their graduating class in high school. Cost & financing was determined by net cost, student employment, and student loan debt. Faculty resources looked at student-faculty ratio, average class size, share of full-time faculty and professors, and faculty salary.

Campus safety was measured by the number of arrests on campus and on-campus crime rates. Campus experience was determined by the number of international students, students living on campus, NCAA membership, study abroad programs, gender and racial diversity, earnings from on-campus employment, and placement services for graduates.

Educational outcomes was determined by retention rate of students, graduation rate, and the number of degrees awarded per students enrolled. Finally, career outcomes was measured by return on educational investment, number of graduates offered full-time employment within 6 months, median salary, number of graduates outearning those with only a high school diploma, number of students paying off their debt, and student loan default rate.

You can more about the study and its methodology on WalletHub’s website here.