Less than half of Utah high school graduates enroll in college in the year after they get their diplomas, the Utah System of Higher Education reported Thursday, a trend only partially explained by young people serving missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Utah continues to have one of the lowest percentages in the nation of high school graduates going directly to college, with 45 percent of students taking the leap in 2017. Only Idaho and Alaska had lower 2017 rates, both reporting 44 percent of its graduates going straight to college.
It’s not easy to compare whether Utah’s rate has increased over the years, because USHE previously only recorded enrollment for fall semester.