Usually, percentage of frosh in campus housing is a proxy for non-commuter students. The percentage of all students living in campus housing says little, since the other side of that percentage (87% living off campus or commuting) combines resident students living nearby off campus and commuters who live where they lived before college. It is a common pattern at state flagships for resident students to live in the campus housing first year or first two years only and move to nearby off campus housing in later years.
Note that Salt Lake City metro area has a large percentage of Utah’s population, so the relatively large percentage of presumed commuters (the frosh not living in campus housing) is not too surprising. This probably contributes in part to the low average student loan debt levels in Utah (of course, what is probably the most popular private university in Utah is also low cost).
More students may go home on Sundays if their parents live close as they may go to their home Wards and many strictly follow their religion not to do work (including studying) and not to spend money.
I had one roommate in Boulder who followed this practice, and we didn’t have evening meals on Sundays, so she always went home. I imagine this practice is much more common in Utah so the campus may look ‘thinner’ on Sundays.
The MUSS alone is evidence enough that it isn’t a typical commuter school. But, alas, until you look it up, you’ll have no idea what I’m talking about.
Only 14% of the undergraduate students live on campus at the University of Utah.
Salt Lake City is not a college town.
As I wrote earlier, much depends upon one’s definition of “commuter campus”.
Even the Fiske Guide To Colleges 2020 edition makes reference to the University of Utah’s reputation as a commuter school, but “students say that is changing.”
Unless one believes that a total absence of on campus living facilities is the only acceptable definition of a commuter school, then Univ. of Utah–with only 14% of undergrads living on campus–is a commuter school.
Whether or not one “feels” that the a school is not a commuter school is not a quantifiable standard.
P.S. Just googled: “Is the University of Utah a commuter school ?”
The first result was composed of two University of Utah student quotes found on Unigo:
“It’s [the University of Utah] mainly a commuter campus, which means that many people only see each other during class.”
“The saddest realization about the University of Utah is that it is a commuter school. What that means is that most people drive to school like any job and then take-off at the end of the day.”
I have no direct experience with U of Utah. A very good friend has two daughters there. Both are having a great time. One is a junior, the other a freshman. Both live off campus, but not at home. One is in a sorority house. Both have plenty of university friends.
I’m not sure how rigorous the academics are, but the girls seems very happy and my friend is satisfied that her kids are getting an education.
Even you refer to University of Utah as a commuter school although you qualify the characterization by writing: “…that it isn’t a typical commuter school.”
I agree that the University of Utah is not a typical commuter school.
I lived in an apartment walking distance from the U with my sister for a year in ‘94-‘95. She was a full time student. I had graduated and was working in a professor’s lab and taking a pre-requisites for potential grad school. It definitely felt like a typical university experience to us! There’s no way you could miss the fact that tons of college students lived in the area and that life revolved around the U. We did ski and rock climb on the weekends with other students, but those are day trips or even just afternoon trips up the canyons from campus. As for Mormons, the culture at the U did not feel Mormon to us at all. It affected the feel less than I would think Catholicism affects Villanova, for example.
Great experience! Thanks for reminding me of it, OP😊. I’m sure others with more recent knowledge will chime in.
There is no objective measure to determine where the cutoff is. It is a blanket term and is unfortunately is used in this case to misrepresent the student experience and make it sound like a large student body community college. I can assure you that The U is anything but. I have spoken to many students and they universally love(ed) their time there. There is a tight bond among them and an affinity for the school.
As for SLC not being a college town, short of small cities where much of the town identity revolves around the school, what does being a “college town” even mean? SLC is a GREAT place to go to college. There’s a myriad of outdoor activities. There’s a great restaurant and bar scene. Lots of entertainers have SLC on their circuit. Student athletic fandom is legendary, so much so that the NYT did an article about their gymnastics program…GYMNASTICS! Their field house seats 15,000 and before COVID it wasn’t uncommon to have standing room only for dual meets.
You malign the University of Utah and SLC, not just here, but on other threads, with obvious lack of real insight. That does a terrible disservice to those seeking to learn more about the school.
Overall percentage living in dorms is not a good proxy of residential versus commuter, since a typical state university pattern is that residential students live in dorms frosh year but live nearby off campus in later years.
About 53% of frosh lived in dorms in 2019 (non COVID-19), so a best guess is that it is about half residential and about half commuter.
But likely closer to 60/40 next year because they added a new dorm with 990 beds for freshman (opened in fall 2020 but not filled because of COVID), compared to ~4500 freshmen, and there is a ongoing push to get more from OOS: https://housing.utah.edu/housing-map-content/uofu-kahlert-village/
Utah is struggling to have enough dorms for freshmen this year. Everyone is assuming spots will open up after May 1st, but even housing has said the WL is very long.
For any 2022 HS grads reading this, get your housing application in by the early deadline and you will be fine. It’s a refundable deposit, so you won’t be out anything but your time if you decide to go somewhere else.
I have not “maligned” the University of Utah nor SLC. I simply maintain that Utah’s rep is as a commuter school along with many Utah students on social media & in agreement with the Fiske Guide To Colleges 2020.
Only 14% of all undergraduates at the University of Utah live on campus. This makes it a commuter school as SLC is not a college town (such as Athens, Georgia). SLC is a major city in its region of the US.
A commuter college is not synonymous with negative connotations. Just means that the overwhelming majority (86%) of students leave campus at the end of the day.
And certainly, in agreement with eyemgh Utah" is not a typical commuter college."
At this point, this thread has become unnecessarily repetitive.
The University of Utah’s own Common Data Set reports that only 14% of all undergrads live on campus.
P.S. Another thread has been started which notes a quote from the out-going University of Utah President from 2018 which recognizes the University of Utah “As a large commuter campus…”
That is an article about commuter parking permits and lots. Yes, a lot of the students that live off campus drive to class. lol.
You have gone from using incorrect math to finding 2 random quotes on a website to posting an article about the upcoming changes to student and faculty parking.
I visited the U of Utah last weekend, I live a mile from CU Boulder, and I went to college in Athens GA, so I’m qualified to say that you are not accurately portraying the social life and culture of the University of Utah.