Address: 201 Presidents Circle, 84112 Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
Medicine, Engineering, Computer Graphics and Visualization
The University of Utah began on 28 February 1850 as the University of Deseret, created by the provisional State of Deseret, and received its present name in 1892. In 1900 it moved to its current site on the east bench of the Salt Lake Valley in Salt Lake City, where the main campus covers 1,534 acres. It is a public university.
Academic work is divided among 17 colleges and schools, with fields that include medicine and engineering. The university describes itself as home to the state’s only academic medical center, and an artificial heart was implanted there in 1982. Fall 2024 enrolment exceeded 36,000 students, and research funding passed $700 million in both fiscal 2023 and fiscal 2025.
Visitors to the campus find the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, a natural history museum and Red Butte Garden among its public facilities. Degree programmes, tuition and admission requirements are published on utah.edu, and each college lists its departments, faculty and current research on its own pages.
Domains taught:
AI and Machine Learning, Bioengineering, Computer Vision, Data Analytics, Engineering, Life Sciences, Software Engineering
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master, MBA
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Flagship university of Utah. Home to a major academic medical center (University of Utah Health). Pioneer in computer graphics. Member of Pac-12 Conference (athletics) and AAU.
Research:
A leading research university with strengths in health sciences (genetics, medical innovation), computer science (graphics, scientific computing), engineering, and earth sciences. High research activity.
Famous Alumnis:
John Warnock, Ed Catmull, Nolan Bushnell, Stephen Covey, Mario Capecchi
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
10000
Current students***:
35000
Foreign students***:
5%
Cumulative former students***:
280000
Pros
Strong medical school and health sciences programs, notable contributions to computer graphics, located in Salt Lake City with access to outdoor recreation.
Cons
Large student population, significant commuter presence, conservative local culture can be a factor for some.
Best For
Students seeking a major public research university with strong programs in health sciences, engineering, or computer science, often valuing proximity to outdoor activities in the Salt Lake City area.
University of Washington is another public research university with medicine, computer science and engineering among its main fields, located in Seattle.
For aerospace engineering, physics and earth sciences in a mountain setting, University of Colorado Boulder offers a comparable public profile.
Within the same state, Utah State University in Logan is public too, though its specialties lean toward agriculture, aerospace engineering and water resources.
University of Arizona, a public university in Tucson, pairs astronomy and optics with water-resource research.
University of Minnesota Twin Cities combines health sciences, engineering and agriculture as a large public institution in Minneapolis.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Scotland's The University of Edinburgh, a public university, also builds on medicine and informatics, much like Utah's medical and computing strengths.
In Canada, McGill University is a public institution in which medicine, law and engineering sit side by side.
Australia's University of Melbourne is public and covers medicine, engineering and science among many fields.
Sweden's Lund University is a public university whose engineering, law and medicine faculties make it a reasonable counterpart.
In Germany, Dresden University of Technology joins engineering, natural sciences and medicine at a public institution.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
When was the University of Utah founded, and under what name?
It was established on 28 February 1850 as the University of Deseret by the provisional State of Deseret. The name University of Utah was adopted in 1892, and the move to the present campus followed in 1900.
Where does the main campus stand?
The campus lies on the east bench of the Salt Lake Valley in Salt Lake City and covers 1,534 acres.
How many students enrol at Utah?
Fall 2024 enrolment was above 36,000 students, and the university's own overview now cites more than 38,000. Current figures are published by the university and change from term to term.
How is the institution organised?
Teaching is spread over 17 colleges and schools. The university also operates what it calls the state's only academic medical center.
What medical milestone is linked to the university?
An artificial heart was implanted at the University of Utah in 1982. It was the Jarvik-7, described as the first permanent artificial heart in the world.
Where can an applicant find fees and entry requirements?
The official site utah.edu and the admissions office publish tuition rates, deadlines and programme requirements. Costs vary by residency status and by programme.
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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