Rankings / By State
Best Business Colleges in Utah
- 10
- Schools
- $57,477
- Avg. Earnings
- 54%
- Avg. Graduation
- $12,879
- Avg. Net Price
- $13,514
- Avg. Debt
CollegeRanker Research
What Surprised Us Most
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Median graduate earnings across these 10 schools run from $41,022 to $75,790, a 1.8× gap. The category label alone says little about payoff.
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Utah Valley University delivers the most for the money: roughly $55,486 in median earnings against $6,376 a year in net price, the strongest earnings-to-cost ratio on the list.
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Snow College is the lowest-cost school here at $5,552 a year in net price.
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Brigham Young University graduates 82% of its students, versus a 54% average across the list. Completion, more than selectivity, signals whether a degree actually gets finished.
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Brigham Young University carries the healthiest debt load, with graduates owing just 0.15× their annual earnings.
Surprising Comparisons
- Snow College costs $5,552 a year and Westminster University costs $27,094. Yet their graduates earn $41,022 and $66,215, nowhere near the $21,542 price gap.
- On value, Utah Valley University beats Brigham Young University: comparable career payoff at a fraction of the net price.
- Graduation rates split the field: Brigham Young University finishes 82% of students while Salt Lake Community College finishes 29%. Same ranking, very different odds of leaving with a degree.
The Takeaway
The through line among the top-ranked schools is plain. They pair solid graduate earnings with affordable costs and meaningful social mobility. Prestige and selectivity matter far less than whether students end up better off.
What This Means for Students
Your shortlist should start with Utah Valley University and Brigham Young University. For each school, look up the net price your family would actually pay, weigh it against typical graduate earnings, and build the decision around the return instead of the name recognition.
Why this ranking matters
Business is one of the higher-return fields in the economy, but the payoff depends heavily on where you study it. Graduates of these programs earn a median of about $56K within a decade, and management analyst roles are projected to grow 10%. We rank programs by the outcomes they produce for graduates, not by reputation.
How we measure this — full methodology →How we rank · 4 pillars
Federal-source data only. Build your own weighting →
Data Behind This Page Updated 2026-06-14
Source datasets
Methodology
Schools are scored on the CollegeRanker 4-Pillar Algorithm: Economic Outcomes (30%), Social Mobility (25–35%), Academic Quality (15–20%), and Value (20–25%). Every weight is published and every figure traces to a public dataset.
See the full methodology and weights →Confidence notes
- Earnings, completion, and debt figures come from federal administrative records — tax data and student-aid filings — not surveys or self-reports, the highest-confidence tier of education data available.
- Social-mobility estimates are drawn from de-identified tax records covering more than 30 million students (Opportunity Insights).
- Where an institution is missing a metric, it is excluded from that metric rather than imputed, so averages are never inflated by guesses.
Limitations
- Federal earnings data primarily cover students who received federal financial aid; outcomes for non-aided students may differ.
- Earnings are measured roughly ten years after enrollment, so they describe how earlier cohorts fared — historical outcomes, not guarantees of future results.
- An institution's field-of-study mix affects raw earnings; scores reflect measured outcomes and are not fully major-adjusted unless explicitly noted.
- Net price is an average; the actual cost a given student pays varies widely by family income.
At a Glance
How the Top Schools Compare
| School | Earnings | Net Price | Graduation | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Brigham Young University #1 overall | $75,790 ▲ +32% vs avg | $15,564 | 82% | 85 |
| 2 Utah Valley University #2 overall | $55,486 ▼ -3% vs avg | $6,376 | 43% | 82 |
| 3 University of Utah #3 overall | $67,170 ▲ +17% vs avg | $16,200 | 64% | 81 |
| $54,022 ▼ -6% vs avg | $14,936 | 58% | 75 | |
| $60,615 ▲ +5% vs avg | $12,548 | 48% | 75 |
Score uses our 4-pillar methodology. Earnings % is vs. this list's average.
See full ranking →Executive Summary
Best Business Colleges in Utah
This analysis ranks 10 institutions on graduate earnings, social mobility, completion, and cost. Across the list, alumni earn a median of $57,477 ten years after enrolling, against an average graduation rate of 54% and an average net price of $12,879.
Key takeaways
- Strongest Earnings-to-Cost Ratio: Utah Valley University — Net Price: $6,376 | Graduation Rate: 43%
- Strongest Completion Outcomes: Brigham Young University — 82% completion rate
- Highest Earnings Generator: Brigham Young University — Median alumni earnings: $75,790
Research Note
Private nonprofit colleges cost 110% more in net price than publics, while their graduates earn 21% more.
Management Education Analysis
What does this ranking tell us about leadership and management education?
$55,887
Median earnings (10yr)
53%
Median graduation rate
$11,505
Median net price
0.9%
Avg. mobility rate
Business and MBA programs sell acceleration: faster paths into management, bigger networks, and a salary step-change. The return is famously dispersed, though. A handful of programs deliver enormous ROI through placement and alumni networks, while many barely clear the cost of attendance. Management education is less a single product than a wide spectrum of outcomes.
The median graduation rate across these 10 schools is 53%. Median graduate earnings reach $55,887 ten years after enrollment, roughly $7,887 more than the national worker average of $48,000. Average net price, the cost after grants, is $11,505 a year, and median federal debt at graduation is about $13,420. Some 25% of students receive Pell grants, and mobility, the share of low-income students who reach the top quintile, averages 0.9%.
What we’re seeing: value concentrates where networks and employer pipelines are strongest, and ROI varies more here than in almost any other field. Median earnings reach $55,887 ten years after enrollment, with Brigham Young University at the top of the list. The spread between the best programs and the median is the real story of an MBA.
The podium
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Full rankings
Why it ranks #1
Brigham Young University lands at #1 with a 85/100 composite, led by social mobility (84/100) and pulled down by value per dollar (75/100). Graduates earn a median $75,790 a decade after enrolling, 32% above this list's average, and net price runs $15,564 a year, above the field. Because the methodology weights social mobility (35%) and value (20%) above prestige, that mobility is what puts it near the top.
Pillar breakdown
Why it ranks #2
Utah Valley University lands at #2 with a 82/100 composite, led by value per dollar (84/100) and pulled down by academic quality (52/100). Graduates earn a median $55,486 a decade after enrolling, 3% below this list's average, and net price runs $6,376 a year, well under the field. Because the methodology weights social mobility (35%) and value (20%) above prestige, that low cost is what puts it near the top, even with below-average salaries.
Pillar breakdown
Why it ranks #3
University of Utah lands at #3 with a 81/100 composite, led by social mobility (82/100) and pulled down by value per dollar (67/100). Graduates earn a median $67,170 a decade after enrolling, 17% above this list's average, and net price runs $16,200 a year, above the field. Because the methodology weights social mobility (35%) and value (20%) above prestige, that mobility is what puts it near the top.
Pillar breakdown
Why it ranks #4
Utah State University lands at #4 with a 75/100 composite, led by social mobility (81/100) and pulled down by academic quality (68/100). Graduates earn a median $54,022 a decade after enrolling, 6% below this list's average, and net price runs $14,936 a year, above the field. Because the methodology weights social mobility (35%) and value (20%) above prestige, that mobility is what puts it near the top, even with below-average salaries.
Pillar breakdown
Why it ranks #5
Western Governors University lands at #5 with a 75/100 composite, led by economic outcomes (74/100) and pulled down by academic quality (64/100). Graduates earn a median $60,615 a decade after enrolling, 5% above this list's average, and net price runs $12,548 a year. Strong earnings drive the rank, but with mobility weighted 35% and value 20%, salary alone can only take a school so far.
Pillar breakdown
Why it ranks #6
Southern Utah University lands at #6 with a 75/100 composite, led by social mobility (81/100) and pulled down by academic quality (67/100). Graduates earn a median $50,296 a decade after enrolling, 12% below this list's average, and net price runs $10,462 a year, well under the field. Because the methodology weights social mobility (35%) and value (20%) above prestige, that mobility is what puts it near the top, even with below-average salaries.
Pillar breakdown
Why it ranks #7
Weber State University lands at #7 with a 72/100 composite, led by social mobility (79/100) and pulled down by academic quality (65/100). Graduates earn a median $56,287 a decade after enrolling, 2% below this list's average, and net price runs $10,258 a year, well under the field. Because the methodology weights social mobility (35%) and value (20%) above prestige, that mobility is what puts it near the top, even with below-average salaries.
Pillar breakdown
Why it ranks #8
Snow College lands at #8 with a 72/100 composite, led by value per dollar (87/100) and pulled down by academic quality (64/100). Graduates earn a median $41,022 a decade after enrolling, 29% below this list's average, and net price runs $5,552 a year, well under the field. Because the methodology weights social mobility (35%) and value (20%) above prestige, that low cost is what puts it near the top, even with below-average salaries.
Pillar breakdown
Why it ranks #9
Salt Lake Community College lands at #9 with a 69/100 composite, led by value per dollar (82/100) and pulled down by academic quality (43/100). Graduates earn a median $47,867 a decade after enrolling, 17% below this list's average, and net price runs $9,804 a year, well under the field. Because the methodology weights social mobility (35%) and value (20%) above prestige, that low cost is what puts it near the top, even with below-average salaries.
Pillar breakdown
Why it ranks #10
Westminster University lands at #10 with a 68/100 composite, led by academic quality (77/100) and pulled down by value per dollar (41/100). Graduates earn a median $66,215 a decade after enrolling, 15% above this list's average, and net price runs $27,094 a year, above the field. Academics score well here, yet mobility (35%) and value (20%) carry the most weight, so outcome-per-dollar sets the final position.
Pillar breakdown
Cut it by what you care about
The same 10 schools, re-ranked by the outcome that matters to you.
Where the programs — and the jobs are
Where these graduates work
Graduates of these programs most often become Management Analysts and related roles — a field with $99,410 median pay and 10% projected growth.
See the Management Analyst career guide →This ranking scores 10 institutions on graduation rates, graduate earnings, debt burdens, and social mobility data from Opportunity Insights. Every data point comes from federal sources. No surveys, no opinions.
Social mobility carries the heaviest weight in our algorithm. We use Raj Chetty's Mobility Report Card — built on 30 million anonymized tax records — to measure whether a college changes a family's economic trajectory across generations. Schools that take low-income students and launch them into higher earnings rank higher than schools that admit wealthy students and take credit for their success.
The transparency penalty matters here. Schools that don't report their data get scored lower than schools that do. If an institution won't show you its numbers, we think you should know that before you write them a tuition check.
The story behind the ranking
A ranking gives you an order; these charts give you the shape. They show how this group of schools spreads across the four things that decide whether a degree pays off — what graduates earn, whether they finish, how far they move up, and what it costs. Look for the standouts, the outliers, and the trade-offs the list alone can't show.
Earnings Outcomes
What graduates earn 10 years after enrolling. Data from College Scorecard.
Distribution of Median Earnings
Earnings vs. Net Price
Top-left = best value. Top-ranked schools are highlighted.
Completion & Access
Graduation rates and who gets in. Data from College Scorecard & IPEDS.
Graduation Rates
Pell Grant Rate vs. Graduation Rate
Right = more low-income students. Higher = more graduate.
What the Mobility Data Says
Social mobility carries the heaviest weight in this ranking, and the measure comes from Raj Chetty's Mobility Report Card, built from more than 30 million anonymized tax records. Across the 8 schools here with that data, the average mobility rate is 0.9%. That figure is the share of students who start in the bottom income quintile and climb to the top. University of Utah leads the group at 1.1%, with Salt Lake Community College (1%) and Southern Utah University (1%) close behind.
Access varies widely. On average, 4.8% of students at these schools come from families in the bottom income quintile. Southern Utah University enrolls the most, at 7%, a sign it is reaching the students mobility is meant to lift. A high mobility rate paired with strong access is the combination that changes a generation's trajectory.
For the low-income students who do enroll, the success rate (the odds of reaching the top quintile) averages 20.3% across the list, peaking at 30.7% at University of Utah.
These campuses can also be measured on social capital: the cross-class friendships Opportunity Insights links to long-run economic outcomes. Economic connectedness here averages 1.62, where about 1.0 is the national norm, and Brigham Young University is highest at 1.79.
Mobility, access, and social-capital figures from Raj Chetty's Mobility Report Card & the Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas.
Cost & Debt
What families actually pay and what students owe. Data from College Scorecard.
Median Debt at Graduation
Frequently Asked Questions
Best Business Colleges in Utah: Your Questions, Answered
What is the #1 school in the Best Business Colleges in Utah ranking? +
Brigham Young University in Provo, UT ranks #1 in our 2026 Best Business Colleges in Utah ranking. It earns the top spot on the strength of a median $75,790 in graduate earnings ten years after enrollment and a 82% graduation rate. Our score is built entirely from federal data on graduation rates, graduate earnings, debt, and social mobility. Reputation surveys play no part.
Which school has the highest graduate earnings? +
Brigham Young University posts the highest median earnings on this list: $75,790 ten years after enrollment, well above the $57,477 average across the 10 ranked schools with earnings data. Earnings that outpace cost are what separate a degree that pays off from one that does not.
Which school offers the best value? +
On a pure return-on-cost basis, Utah Valley University leads: graduates earn a median $55,486 against net price of about $6,376 a year, the strongest earnings-to-cost ratio in the ranking. Applicants should weigh that payback against sticker price rather than prestige.
Which school has the highest graduation rate? +
Brigham Young University has the highest graduation rate in this ranking at 82%, compared with a 54% average across the list. Completion matters because the students who finish are the ones who actually capture the earnings and mobility gains a degree promises.
How much does it cost to attend these schools? +
The average net price, meaning what students actually pay after grants and scholarships, is about $12,879 a year across the 10 ranked schools with cost data. Snow College is among the most affordable at roughly $5,552. Net price is a far better guide to affordability than the published sticker price.
How is the Best Business Colleges in Utah ranking calculated? +
We score every school on a four-pillar algorithm: economic outcomes (graduate earnings and debt), social mobility (Raj Chetty's Mobility Report Card, built on more than 30 million anonymized tax records), academic quality (graduation and retention), and value (net price and loan burden). Social mobility carries the heaviest weight, so schools that lift low-income students into higher earnings rank above those that simply admit wealthy students. Every input comes from federal data, and schools that withhold their numbers are scored lower for it.
How many schools are ranked and where does the data come from? +
This ranking evaluates 10 institutions using the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, the Opportunity Insights Mobility Report Card and Social Capital Atlas, Times Higher Education, and NCES IPEDS. There are no opinion surveys or paid placements. The order is determined by the data alone and refreshed as new federal figures are released.
Sources & Citations
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