Utah State University (September 18, 2024)

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Utah State University

9.18.24 Campus Visit Report

Lindsay Woodard - San Marcos High School



ADMISSIONS

  • USU has an episode of The College Tour

  • Students apply on the USU website

    • USU is not on the Common App

    • No essays or letters of recommendation

  • Students must apply by Aug 1 for the WUE discount

    • All California students qualify for the WUE discount (no restrictions)

  • Out-of-state students can get fee waiver codes from their admissions specialist

    • Ours is Nicole Larson

    • 435.797.1095

    • nicole.larson@usu.edu

    • Schedule an appt with her HERE

  • 2.8-4.0 GPA or 2.7 GPA w/ 21+ ACT admits to all programs on the Logan campus in good standing

  • 2.0-2.79 = earned admission to the Logan campus

    • Students must attend a 2-hr workshop

    • Students get support from an Aggie Advocate

    • Students complete some add’l steps

    • Upon completion of the above, they are admitted to USU in good standing

  • The Southeast campuses (i.e., Price (where many of the technical programs are) and Blanding are open enrollment

  • Students can attach an unofficial transcript to their application

    • College transcripts, including DE, must be official and set via the college (or Parchment in SBCC’s case)

  • Rolling admissions = decision within 4 weeks

    • If admitted, the student will get a mailed package of info and goodies 1 week later

    • Final transcripts are not required

    • Students can defer enrollment for up to 3 years

  • Junior Preview Days are March 27 & 28, 2025

    • These are separate events; there is no overnight option


ACADEMIC

  • Large number of technical programs, both certifications and associate’s degrees, including the major trades, aviation tech, health professions, and cosmetology

  • R1 research institution

    • Undergrads have lots of research opportunities

    • Only MIT has an older undergrad research program

  • Hands-on learning focus

  • Top-10 online division

    • Had already been doing online learning for 25 years when the pandemic hit

  • Collaboration with NASA

  • Professors are very good about knowing students’ names and can be very helpful with connecting students to internships

    • There’s an elementary lab school on campus for education majors’ student teaching, but students also student teach at school all over Logan

  • There’s a cadaver lab for the health-related majors

  • Strong audiology program

    • The dept invented the infant hearing exam that is now regularly used on all US newborns before they leave the hospital

  • There’s a major for designing outdoor adventure gear

  • Natural Resources major is especially strong

  • Jon M. Huntsman School of Business

    • Entrepreneurship Center

    • 100% placement for internships

  • On average, classes in a student’s major will be 20-40 students


SOCIAL

  • The Friday before school starts, students do the luminary commencement procession in reverse, carrying lights to Old Main, where they light the giant blue A

  • The True Aggie Night tradition started in 1916

    • There is one line for couples and one for “single riders”

    • If you kiss someone on the A at midnight during a full moon, you get a card and a chapstick

    • Around 200 students show up for these nights

  • Logan is a college town of ~50,000 people

  • Beaver Creek Ski Resort is 45 minutes from campus

  • Students can get discounted outdoor gear rentals at the rec center (e.g., $16 for skis, boots, and poles)

    • There are also guided outdoor excursions that students can sign up for

  • There are discounts for students at businesses all over the Cache Valley

  • 4 years of housing is guaranteed

  • There’s a print version of the student newspaper

CAMPUS

  • There are some streets that run through campus

  • There’s a free shuttle that runs around the USU campus as well as one that runs around the Cache Valley

  • Lots of skateboards on campus

    • No so many bikes, probably because the campus is on top of a hill and so many students use the free shuttles

  • Lots of new construction happening

  • Lots of contemporary architecture


FINANCIAL

  • USU puts a huge emphasis on financial access for all students

  • With the WUE discount, all direct costs (i.e., tuition, fees, housing, and meal plan) are ~$24,000/yr

    • Alternatively, a student could pay the full out-of-state direct cost of attendance (~$34,000/yr), stay in the state of Utah for the summer after the first year, and then qualify for in-state tuition going forward, making year’s 2, 3, & 4 ~$18,000/yr)

    • This option requires that the student get a Utah driver’s license and registers to vote in Utah

  • For Eastern (Price) and Blanding campuses, the WUE discount for a 2.0-4.0 GPA is $5,500/yr for 4 years, making the direct cost of attendance ~$12,000/yr

  • Must apply by Aug 1 for WUE discount

  • Students can apply for add’l academic scholarships that do stack on top of the WUE discount

    • Comprehensive Scholarship Review is a separate application for students with Honors/AP/IB/DE courses

    • Deadline is Jan 10 for the Logan campus and Mar 14 for the Eastern (Price) campus

    • USU Scholarship Portal matches students to USU and outside scholarships that they are eligible for

  • If an incoming students applies for the Ambassador Program and is selected (400-700 students apply and ~25 get selected), they get a full-tuition scholarship for all the years that they are at USU

  • Incoming students also get a $1,000 scholarship for the 2025-2026 school year if they complete the FAFSA (b/c Utah ranks 48 out of 50 for FAFSA completions by state)

    • Includes first-years, transfers, Utah residents, non-residents, and undocumented students

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