Public · University

Southern Utah University

Cedar City, Utah · Remote town

#1 best value in Utah#3 most selective in Utah#5 graduation rate in Utah
81.8%
Admit rate
$10,462
Avg net price
61%
Graduation rate
$50,296
Median earnings

Southern Utah University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Cedar City, Utah (remote town setting), enrolling 9,289 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 9,289 undergradsRemote townAccessible · 82% admitNCAA Division I-FCS · United Athletic ConferenceCold wintersSnowy

About Cedar City, Utah

Cedar City is the largest city in Iron County, Utah, United States. The presence of prehistoric people in the Cedar City area is revealed by rock art found in Parowan Gap to the north and Fremont sites dated to A.D. 1000 and 1300. Ancestors of the present-day Southern Paiute people met the Domínguez–Escalante expedition in this area in 1776. The economy is mostly centered on a small manufacturing hub, tourism, Southern Utah University, and home construction. The largest employers in Cedar City (2019 data) are listed below. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Remote town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
390 miles
Nearest airport
2 miles to Cedar City (CDC)

How Southern Utah University compares

Selectivity81.8%

More selective than 41% · #3 most selective of 8 in Utah

Graduation rate61%

Higher than 61% · #5 of 11 in Utah

First-year retention76%

Higher than 47%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$50,296

Higher than 39% · #7 of 12 in Utah

Average net price$10,462

Cheaper than 89% · #1 cheapest of 12 in Utah

Median debt at graduation$12,500

Lower than 95%

Student–faculty ratio22 : 1

Lower than 6%

Undergraduate enrollment9,289

Larger than 88%

Percentiles compare Southern Utah University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Utah.

Southern Utah University campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

11,607students
  • Undergraduate9,28980%
  • Graduate2,31820%

Undergraduates by gender

9,289undergrads
  • Women5,13255%
  • Men4,15745%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White72%
  • Black1.9%
  • Hispanic8.9%
  • Asian1.6%
  • Other or multiracial15%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
9,289
Graduate enrollment
2,318
Student–faculty ratio
22 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
25%
First-generation students
32%
Students over 25
27%
Median family income
$41,064
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$79,623
Endowment
$41,795,372

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 2,281 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Utah69%
  • Other U.S. states25%
  • International5.3%

A regional draw: about 69% of first-years come from Utah, the rest from elsewhere.

5% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
81.8%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$6,962
Out-of-state tuition
$21,192
Room & board
$9,236
Books & supplies
$800
Total cost of attendance
$19,416
Average net price
$10,462

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
61%
Graduated on time (4 years)
33%
First-year retention
76%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$41,147
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$50,296
Median debt at graduation
$12,500
Students with federal loans
17%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
63%

About 27% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
33%
Low-income (Pell)
38%
First-generation
32%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
1,011
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
11%
Housing charge (year)
$4,038
Meal plan (year)
$4,786
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FCS
Football conference
United Athletic Conference
Varsity athletes
518 (279 men · 239 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (8)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)256
Football110
Basketball39
Soccer28
Gymnastics26
Golf23
Softball20
Volleyball16

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.7 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
20
Property offenses (2022–2024)
11

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (15,444 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

10reported offenses a year
6.7 violent a year3.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
3.7
Rape
2.7
Burglary
2.7
Motor vehicle theft
1.0
Aggravated assault
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$6,070
$30–48k
$7,235
$48–75k
$9,297
$75–110k
$12,487
$110k+
$14,917

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$43,477

$9,297/year × about 4.7 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

85%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$7,136
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 85% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $7,136. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 2,057 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$50,296
Typical debt at graduation
$12,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
25%
Out-earn a HS grad
55%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.5 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$38,289
Men
$63,630

Men out-earn women by $25,341 (66%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
88°F
Winter low
21°F
Annual rain
13″
Annual snow
59.6″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.00.71.4JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Cedar City, UT US station (1 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Southern Utah University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Southern Utah University side by side →

Colleges near Southern Utah University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.