Utah College Grads Earn Double High School Peers
Students and families in Utah can compare typical earnings for college completers against high school graduates when weighing program costs.
Updated on Nov. 1, 2026 in Financial Aid
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A new HEA Group analysis finds Utah college credential holders typically earn about double what Utah high school graduates earn. Alums of Utah college programs typically earn $74,202 four years after finishing, versus $37,112 for high school graduates.
Why it matters
The gap shows the earnings payoff of completing a certificate, associate's, or bachelor's degree in Utah, which helps families weigh the cost of tuition against expected income. The report arrives as the U.S. Department of Education ties federal loan eligibility to graduate earnings.
Utah's college-to-high-school earnings premium is 100% across all credentials, compared with 102% in Delaware, which ranks first nationally. Earnings are adjusted to 2024 dollars, and the high school benchmark is median earnings for graduates aged 25-34 who never attended college.
The players
HEA Group
A higher-education analytics organization that produced the state-by-state earnings comparison.
U.S. Department of Education
The federal agency that publishes the College Scorecard and announced a framework linking federal loan eligibility to graduate earnings.
Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute
A University of Utah policy research center that released a higher-education policy brief earlier in 2026.
The details
The HEA Group drew its figures from the College Scorecard, comparing median earnings of program completers with those of high school graduates aged 25-34 who never attended college in each state. Bachelor's degree graduates in Utah's computer and information technology administration, business administration, and health and medical administrative services programs typically earned $127,178 four years after graduating. The analysis also identified which programs produce the highest earnings, giving students a way to compare fields of study alongside the credential itself.
Timeline
Credentials included in the data were completed in 2017-18 and 2018-19.
The U.S. Department of Education announced its accountability framework in June 2025.
The HEA Group earnings data was released on November 1, 2026.
Education Landscape
The earnings premium is a state-level measure of the return on postsecondary credentials, a question now central to federal loan policy. The Department of Education's accountability framework, announced in June 2025, ties federal loan eligibility to graduate earnings, adding a policy stake to figures like these.
Students weighing a certificate, associate's, or bachelor's program in Utah can compare the typical four-year earnings of completers with those of high school graduates. Families may want to ask a school's financial-aid office how the federal earnings-linked accountability framework could affect loan eligibility for a particular program.
The takeaway
Completing a college credential in Utah is associated with roughly double the median earnings of a high school diploma alone, based on 2017-18 and 2018-19 completers. Before choosing a program, ask the school's financial-aid office how program earnings data and federal loan rules apply to your plans.
Further reading
For more on how earnings and aid connect, see Financial Aid in Utah.
Source note: This article includes information reported by KSL.
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