Undergraduate Admissions Standards
An Extraordinary Undergraduate Experience Begins with You
An extraordinary undergraduate experience begins with you. Are you prepared for academic success? We assess applicants using a holistic review process that goes beyond GPA to evaluate each student’s individual qualifications and capabilities. Our process includes consideration of the following factors:
Primary Factors
- Rigorous course selection throughout high school career (i.e. Honors, AP, IB, and Dual/Concurrent Enrollment courses)
- Grade trends
- Cumulative unweighted GPA
- Excellence in academic achievement, intellectual pursuits, and creative endeavors
- Satisfactory completion of all high school graduation requirements
Secondary Factors
- Involvement in clubs and organizations, athletics, extracurricular activities, or work
- Family responsibilities
- Extraordinary circumstances
- Significant commitment to community engagement, citizenship, and leadership
- Ability to contribute to and benefit from a culturally and intellectually diverse learning community
- ACT/SAT test scores (for students who want their scores considered or are required to submit them)
- Awards and distinctions
** Likelihood of admission may also depend on the quality of the applicant pool and University enrollment goals.
Freshmen Student Body Statistics
Is the U right for you? Review academic statistics to see how you align with other incoming freshmen.
In the fall 2021 freshmen class:
- First-time, freshmen enrolled 5,361
- Average high school GPA for first-time, freshmen – 3.64
- 50 States Represented
- 26 UT Counties Represented
- 50 Countries Represented
Additional Guidelines
If admitted prior to high school graduation, you must complete your senior year satisfactorily and have a final high school transcript sent for review.
If admitted prior to high school graduation, you must:
- Complete your senior year satisfactorily OR receive a diploma equivalent by passing the GED or HiSET
- Have a final high school transcript sent for review
Test Optional FAQs
*New Admissions Criteria: The University of Utah is Test Optional for freshman applications for Fall 2023 admission.
ACT/SAT scores are not required for:
- Standard admission
- Merit scholarships (including department scholarships)
- Direct admission programs (including Engineering)
ACT/SAT scores are required for:
- Home school graduates
- Recipients of a high school equivalency credential through GED or HiSET
- Graduates of a US high school that is not regionally accredited
If you have already taken the exam, you can choose to submit those scores to our office for review. You will not be penalized in any way if you do not submit a test score, nor will you be specifically advantaged for submitting one.
If you respond YES to the Common App question Would you like your official ACT or SAT scores considered for admission to the university? the application will not be considered complete and therefore will not be reviewed for admission or merit scholarships until the official test scores have been received by our office.
You MUST submit an SAT or ACT score if any of the following apply:
- You are homeschooled
- You attend a high school that is not regionally accredited
- You received a GED or HiSET
Applications are only considered complete once all required documents have been received by the Office of Admissions.
Applications that are not complete by December 1 (for Summer/Fall 2023 applicants) will not be considered for merit-based scholarships.
Applicants who have the option of submitting SAT or ACT scores and would like them to be considered will have 30 calendar days from the date of application submission for us to receive their official ACT or SAT scores for consideration. After that time period, or on the day of the application deadline, we will move forward processing these files without test scores and can no longer guarantee that scores will be considered.
We do not have a cutoff GPA for admission, but the middle 50% of our admitted class has between a 3.46 – 3.93 unweighted GPA. That means that 25% of our class has a GPA above this range and 25% of our class has a GPA below this range.
No, the For Utah scholarship is based on Pell eligibility and GPA. You will need to submit a FAFSA by the deadline.
Yes. University merit scholarships do not require test scores for consideration. More information on scholarship consideration can be found here.
No. Test scores are not required for any direct admissions programs.
ACT/SAT scores are not required. Follow the essay prompts in the Common Application to apply to the Honors College.
Yes. Students who meet one or more of the following criteria will be required to submit standardized test scores:
- Have attended and will graduate from a home school
- Students who will not graduate from high school and have or will earn a GED
- Students who attended and will graduate from a school that is not regionally accredited
All international applicants must provide proof of English proficiency. We know that our international students have the greatest potential for success when they have an effective comprehension of the English language. View approved ways to demonstrate English language proficiency.
An official test score is one that comes directly from the testing agency to the Office of Admissions. Test scores listed on transcripts or sent by anyone other than the testing agency are not considered official by the University of Utah.
It can take a few weeks for scores to be sent by the testing agency and processed by our office. We work as quickly as possible to upload these, but we encourage you to send your test scores as soon as possible if you want to guarantee their consideration.
Please contact your admission counselor and let them know your name, UNID, and the change you would like to make. You can find your admission counselor here: Meet your Counselors | Admissions (utah.edu). If you are requesting to now have your test scores considered, you will be held to the timelines listed above.