Utah·Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations·SOC 29-1141

Best Registered Nurse programs in Utah, ranked by enrollment

Assess patient health problems and needs, develop and implement nursing care plans, and maintain medical records. Administer nursing care to ill, injured, convalescent, or disabled patients.

19 schools in Utah run programs that feed this job, graduating 13,669 people a year. The job pays a median of $84,600 in Utah across about 27,420 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledStaff NurseCharge NurseAPN (Advanced Practice Nurse)CNS (Clinical Nurse Specialist)Critical Care Nurse PractitionerAdvanced Practice Psychiatric NurseCritical Care Registered Nurse (CCRN)ICU Nurse (Intensive Care Unit Nurse)
Graduates / yr
13,669
in Utah
Median pay · Utah
$84,600
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
27,420
people employed
Schools
19
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
50%
across those schools
Median net price
$28,705
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Utah that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

8 programs in Utah that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Utah (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Utah page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 51.3801In Utah
10,871
79.5%
18$71,623$25,750
2
CIP 51.3802In Utah
1,903
13.9%
4$71,623$25,750
3
CIP 51.3899In Utah
432
3.2%
1$71,623$25,750
4
CIP 51.3805In Utah
300
2.2%
6$71,623$25,750
5
CIP 51.3810In Utah
92
0.7%
3$71,623$25,750
6
Nursing Practicemain feeder
CIP 51.3818In Utah
54
0.4%
4$71,623$25,750
7
CIP 51.3816In Utah
15
0.1%
1$71,623$25,750
8
CIP 51.3815In Utah
2
0.0%
1$71,623$25,750

Top 19 schools in Utah

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 18 of the 19 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Western Governors University
Salt Lake City, UT Private not-for-profit · 5 feeder programs
7,465Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse$85,86146%$11,580
2Joyce University of Nursing and Health Sciences
Draper, UT Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
1,474Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse$63,11754%$30,92262%
3Nightingale College
Salt Lake City, UT Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs
1,278Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse$67,09321%$30,235
4Weber State University
Ogden, UT Public · 4 feeder programs
1,008Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse$66,08546%
5University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT Public · 3 feeder programs
353Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse$69,56565%86%
6Utah Valley University
Orem, UT Public · 1 feeder programs
344Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse$66,90045%
7Utah Tech University
Saint George, UT Public · 1 feeder programs
315Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse$69,61638%
8Salt Lake Community College
Salt Lake City, UT Public · 1 feeder programs
299Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse$64,22329%
9Southern Utah University
Cedar City, UT Public · 2 feeder programs
176Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse$65,89861%82%
10Provo College
Provo, UT Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
157Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse$63,31751%$27,983
11Brigham Young University
Provo, UT Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
134Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse$62,16481%$13,71268%
12Utah State University
Logan, UT Public · 1 feeder programs
131Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse$55,00759%92%
13Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions
Provo, UT Private for-profit · 4 feeder programs
119Family Practice Nurse/Nursing
14Arizona College of Nursing - Salt Lake City
Murray, UT Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
89Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse$85,169$31,854100%
15Eagle Gate College - Murray
Murray, UT Private for-profit · 3 feeder programs
84Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse$66,42048%$28,705
16Westminster University
Salt Lake City, UT Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
73Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse$66,13264%$23,15467%
17Eagle Gate College - Layton
Layton, UT Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
64Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse$66,42038%$33,104
18Snow College
Ephraim, UT Public · 1 feeder programs
55Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse$63,86546%
19Fortis College - Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City, UT Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
51Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse$65,51660%$27,487

All 19 schools in Utah

Every school in Utah with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.

All schools in Utah that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Western Governors UniversitySalt Lake CityPrivate not-for-profit7,4655
Joyce University of Nursing and Health SciencesDraperPrivate for-profit1,4741
Nightingale CollegeSalt Lake CityPrivate for-profit1,2782
Weber State UniversityOgdenPublic1,0084
University of UtahSalt Lake CityPublic3533
Utah Valley UniversityOremPublic3441
Utah Tech UniversitySaint GeorgePublic3151
Salt Lake Community CollegeSalt Lake CityPublic2991
Southern Utah UniversityCedar CityPublic1762
Provo CollegeProvoPrivate for-profit1571
Brigham Young UniversityProvoPrivate not-for-profit1342
Utah State UniversityLoganPublic1311
Rocky Mountain University of Health ProfessionsProvoPrivate for-profit1194
Arizona College of Nursing - Salt Lake CityMurrayPrivate for-profit891
Eagle Gate College - MurrayMurrayPrivate for-profit843

What registered nurses earn in Utah

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in Utah
$84,600
Mean annual
$90,950
Jobs in state
27,420
What the range looks like
10th pct$68,920Median$84,60090th pct$109,050
Versus the national median
-13.3%

U.S. median $97,550. Utah pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
0.73×

1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.

Metro areas in Utah

Salt Lake City-Murray, UT
$85,890median
14,070 jobs
Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT
$81,780median
4,770 jobs
St. George, UT
$86,380median
1,910 jobs
Ogden, UT
$81,840median
3,890 jobs
Logan, UT-ID
$86,120median
830 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+4.9%
About as fast as average
Openings per year
189,100
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
166,100
3,391,000 → 3,557,100
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree

Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.

How to get in

The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Registered Nurses page.

How to become a Registered Nurse

Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree

Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Top skills

SpeakingActive ListeningCritical ThinkingReading ComprehensionMonitoringActive Learning

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in Utah

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 21 majors mapped to Registered Nurses21 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 51.3801Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse
  • 51.3802Nursing Administration
  • 51.3803Adult Health Nurse/Nursing
  • 51.3805Family Practice Nurse/Nursing
  • 51.3806Maternal/Child Health and Neonatal Nurse/Nursing
  • 51.3808Nursing Science
  • 51.3809Pediatric Nurse/Nursing
  • 51.3810Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing
  • 51.3811Public Health/Community Nurse/Nursing
  • 51.3812Perioperative/Operating Room and Surgical Nurse/Nursing
  • 51.3813Clinical Nurse Specialist
  • 51.3814Critical Care Nursing
  • 51.3815Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing
  • 51.3816Emergency Room/Trauma Nursing
  • 51.3818Nursing Practice
  • 51.3819Palliative Care Nursing
  • 51.3820Clinical Nurse Leader
  • 51.3821Geriatric Nurse/Nursing
  • 51.3822Women's Health Nurse/Nursing
  • 51.3824Forensic Nursing
  • 51.3899Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing, Other

Common questions

Answers for people weighing registered nurses programs in Utah.

What degree do you need to become a Registered Nurse?+

Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse, which awarded 10,871 degrees in Utah in 2024-25, 79.5% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Registered Nurse?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 8 programs to this occupation. The largest are Registered Nursing. Together they graduate about 13,669 people a year in Utah.

How much do registered nurses earn in Utah?+

The median is $84,600 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 13.3% below the U.S. median of $97,550. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for registered nurses growing?+

BLS projects a +4.9% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 189,100 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career in Utah?+

19 institutions in Utah reported graduates from at least one of the 8 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

What other job titles do registered nurses work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Staff Nurse, Charge Nurse, APN (Advanced Practice Nurse), CNS (Clinical Nurse Specialist), Critical Care Nurse Practitioner, Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurse among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 29-1141.

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

  • BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics

    May 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.

  • IPEDS Completions

    2024-25 (provisional)

    Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.

  • College Scorecard, Field of Study

    2020-21 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.

    Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

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