USU Press Release
As the world adjusts to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and people from around the globe are returning home from many canceled plans and commitments, Utah State University is welcoming everyone interested in furthering their education.
USU has the resources and is ready to accommodate students whose plans have been disrupted, and is currently accepting admissions applications with an extended academic scholarship deadline of June 1 for new students. The university, although currently completely online due to limitations from COVID-19, continues its vast degree offerings for both traditional and online students.
“With so much devastation and loss during this unprecedented time, we want to give as many students as possible a chance to experience something positive here at USU,” said Katie North, executive director of new student enrollment at USU.
And while the pandemic causes many to have not only health, but also financial worries, prospective students, including high school seniors, are looking for higher education opportunities closer to home. As the land-grant institution of Utah, USU’s faculty provides excellence in teaching not only on its main campus in Logan, but also at its statewide campuses, and through its many online degree offerings. Students are able to move throughout the system seamlessly with one academic transcript.
The university’s teaching excellence is reaffirmed in the institution’s national rankings as the university continues to receive accolades. In the past year, USU was ranked as the #5 public university in “National Universities Rankings 2019” by Washington Monthly, as the #15 “Best Online Bachelor’s Program” in the nation by Forbes in 2019 and as the #23 “Best Online Bachelor’s Program” in the nation by U.S. News and World Report in 2020.
The rankings come as no surprise to Robert Wagner, vice president of Academic and Instructional Services at USU, who says the university’s dedicated instructors use both traditional and online courses in unique and engaging ways to provide students the best possible education wherever they call home.
The university already has a vast amount of degree options offered in both traditional and online delivery. Degrees can be tailored to include both kinds of learning to fit the needs of the student.
“There’s not another institution in Utah that can provide the vast network of support across the entire state,” said Wagner. “We are making pertinent degrees accessible to more students, with greater flexibility.”
It is these offering and options that social studies education major Riley Young finds so appealing.
Young was serving a mission in Sao Paulo, Brazil for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and returned home in late March due to circumstances from COVID-19. The Burley, Idaho native, who spent his freshman year as an Aggie on the main campus in Logan, felt lost and as if he had no control of what came next.
“Like so many people, I felt like everything was being taken away from me,” Young said.
Upon his return to the United States, Young was able to meet with a representative from USU’s Student Orientation and Transition Services to learn more about the many options the university provides, including its online offerings.
“I wasn’t aware of the online classes the university had, including all of the different options for summer semester,” Young said. “Learning about those options gives me a lot to think about and consider. I can choose what works best for me and feel like I am making decisions for my future.”
Of his time at USU before his mission, Young said he loved being on campus with fellow Aggies because they are so passionate.
“It’s the professors, the fellow students, the alumni, the advisors,” Young said. “Everyone cares and wants you to succeed.”
For more information about applying at Utah State University, visit https://www.usu.edu/admissions/. For tips about returning to the university after a leave of absence, visit https://www.usu.edu/sots/loa.