College Viability Inspection Report

Utah State University

Utah · Public

Utah State University is a public institution in Utah, enrolling 20,647 students as of 2024. It graduates 27% of students in four years, returns 71% of freshmen for a second year, and costs an average of $15,788 a year after grants and scholarships. Of the 9 inspection checks that could be evaluated, 2 are flagged: Retention and Graduation. This report benchmarks Utah State University's most recent reported year (2024) against 2,000+ U.S. colleges across three dimensions: student outcomes, financial health, and value for money. All figures are drawn from federal IPEDS filings and are reported without editorial judgment.

Utah State University Inspection Flags

Student Outcomes
Financial Health
Value for Your Money

Inspection flags are nine independent checks across student outcomes, financial health, and cost-to-value that surface areas of a college's reported numbers worth a closer look. A triggered flag means the college's data met a specific threshold that students and families may want to ask about — for example, graduation rates slipping below a level, or tuition rising while outcomes decline. A clear flag means the threshold was not met. Flags are signals for further conversation, not verdicts.

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College Viability
Data Summary

Utah State University — All Reported Indicators

Plain-text reference table of every metric and inspection flag for Utah State University. Values reflect IPEDS-reported figures; percent changes reflect endpoint-to-endpoint 2020 → 2024 comparison; percentiles reflect 2024 national rank against four-year public and private nonprofit institutions. Cells marked "not reported" indicate the indicator was not present in IPEDS for this institution.

Student Outcomes

Metric2024 Value5-Yr % ChangeNational Percentile
Four-Year Graduation Rate27.0%+28.6%27th
Six-Year Graduation Rate53.0%+10.4%46th
Full-Time Retention Rate71.0%-2.7%32nd
Pell Grant Six-Year Graduation Rate54.8%+13.8%63rd
Pell-to-Non-Pell Graduation Gap3.3pp+1052.5%28th
Pell Share of Cohort19.4%-25.1%15th

Financial Health

Metric2024 Value5-Yr % ChangeNational Percentile
Revenue-to-Expense Ratio1.15×+5.6%68th
Total FTE Enrollment20,647-1.4%95th
Endowment Value$635.3M+45.5%89th
Net Assets (End of Year)$2.00B+37.9%95th

Value for Money

Metric2024 Value5-Yr % ChangeNational Percentile
Instructional Spending %28.3%+0.7%30th
Student Support Spending %3.3%-4.4%9th
Administrative Spending %11.8%+32.6%22nd
Instruction+Support to Admin Ratio2.68×-24.5%48th
Average Net Price$15,788+16.7%36th
Net Price: $0-30K Income$12,057+31.8%41st
Net Price: $30K-48K Income$12,803+30.4%42nd
Net Price: $48-75K Income$13,521-0.2%33rd
Net Price: $75K-110K Income$16,094-4.2%27th
Net Price: $110K+ Income$19,169+7.1%24th

Inspection Flags

FlagSectionStatus
Retention Below 80%
Utah State University's retention rate fell below 80% in 5 of 5 reported years — triggering the 3-of-5 threshold.
Student OutcomesTriggered
Four-Year Graduation Rate Below 50%
Utah State University's 4-year graduation rate fell below 50% in 5 of 5 reported years — triggering the 3-of-5 threshold.
Student OutcomesTriggered
Pell Gap Exceeds 10 Points
Utah State University's Pell graduation gap stayed at or below 10 percentage points in all 5 eligible years.
Student OutcomesCleared
Revenue-to-Expense Below 1.0
Utah State University's ratio stayed at or above 1.0 in all 5 reported years — ending at 1.15× in 2024.
Financial HealthCleared
Enrollment Declined 5% or More
Utah State University's total enrollment fell from 20,932 to 20,647 students between 2020 and 2024 (-1.4%) — less than the 5% decline that triggers this flag.
Financial HealthCleared
Endowment Under $50M or Growth Under 15%
Utah State University's endowment is $635.3M and grew +45.5% between 2020 and 2024 — clearing both the $50 million size threshold and the 15% growth threshold.
Financial HealthCleared
High Cost, Low Completion
Utah State University costs less than the national median AND graduates students at below-median rates — only one of two conditions is met.
Value for MoneyCleared
Spending on Students Below the National Median
Utah State University's ratio fell below the national median of $2.75 in 1 of 5 reported years — below the 3-of-5 trigger threshold.
Value for MoneyCleared
Rising Price, Falling Outcomes
Either net price did not rise or the graduation rate did not decline between 2020 and 2024 — flag not triggered.
Value for MoneyCleared