A recent ranking of the Best States for College Students places Utah seventh overall as the state prepares for an expected 3.8 million high school graduates nationwide.
The report evaluates all 50 states using 28 metrics across education quality, social life and economic environment. Utah ranked first in both cost of higher education and share of residents aged 18 to 35. It placed 16th in the average quality of universities and 19th in earning potential for college graduates, according to the analysis. Utah also ranked 15th in student loan debt per person.
The findings reflect what SmileHub described as a growing national student population. More than 19.4 million people are enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities, with over 40% moving away from home to attend school.
Neighboring Western states showed mixed results. Wyoming ranked 25th overall and posted strong marks for education quality and economic environment, but scored poorly on measures of social life. Idaho came in 33rd, with lower rankings in education quality and economic factors.
SmileHub’s analysis uses data from federal agencies including the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics and National Center for Education Statistics, along with academic and nonprofit sources. Metrics include graduation rate, tuition costs, retention, crime rates, housing affordability, transportation access and job growth.
The organization also highlighted over 35,500 education-focused charities in its directory and released its list of Best Charities for Education in 2026 for donors seeking to support students and schools.
The full report and national rankings are available at smilehub.org/blog/best-states-for-college-students/222.