College graduation rates in Utah lower than national average, audit says

SALT LAKE CITY — When it comes college graduation, Utah is falling short when compared to the rest of the country, according to a new audit.

The audit was made available to the public Monday afternoon. It shows college graduation rates at six of Utah’s eight higher education institutions are lower than the national average. Only the University of Utah and Snow College are bucking the trend.

However, the state legislature is spending more money on higher education than other states in the region with lower college graduation rates.

Utah Senate President Stuart Adams was less than thrilled to hear this in a subcommittee meeting on Monday.

“We need to get graduation rates to where they ought to be,” he said. “Both self-esteem wise and education wise, we need to move that up. And that’s probably the goal for me as to be able to focus on it.”

The audit also says Utah’s Board of Higher Education is not using its control in overlooking tuition increases.

Mark Jones contributed to this article.

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