Utah · School counselors
Utah Opportunity Chain counselor packet
A recommended reading order, conversation guide, and data limits for sharing the nine-part series with students and families. Every figure below is cited from public Utah datasets documented in each part.
Recommended reading order
For a first pass with a junior or senior, this order moves from high school bridge options through completion risk, earnings, cost, and workforce alternatives before policy context.
| Part | Title | Stage | Length | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part 1 | Concurrent Enrollment to Degree: Utah’s Bridge Pathways | Input | 5 min | Read |
| Part 2 | Technical & Certificate Pathways in Utah | Throughput | 8 min | Read |
| Part 7 | Completion Rates Across Utah Institutions | Throughput | 6 min | Read |
| Part 3 | Early-Career Earnings by Utah Pathway Type | Output | 6 min | Read |
| Part 5 | Net Price Reality for Utah Families | Input | 6 min | Read |
| Part 6 | Apprenticeship and Workforce Training in Utah | Throughput | 5 min | Read |
| Part 4 | Where Utah Students Start: Enrollment Mix by Sector | Input | 5 min | Read |
| Part 8 | Student Debt vs. Early Earnings in Utah | Output | 6 min | Read |
| Part 9 | The Utah Opportunity Chain: A Pathway Comparison | Mobility | 18 min | Read |
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5 min read
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8 min read
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18 min read
Capstone tradeoff table — advising handout
Part 9 places every major Utah pathway on the same four dimensions. No row wins every column — use this as a comparison frame when families ask “which pathway is best?”
Medians among Utah institutions reporting each field (College Scorecard). CE and apprenticeship rows use different data sources — see Part 1 and Part 6.
| Pathway | Net price | Completion | Typical pay (6 yrs) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USHE four-year | $10K | 53% | $46K | $9K |
| USHE community | $7K | 46% | $38K | $4K |
| Certificate & technical (all) | $17K | 84% | $25K | N/A |
| USHE technical (subset) | $3K | 79% | $38K | N/A |
| Concurrent enrollment bridge | N/A | 77% | N/A | N/A |
| Private nonprofit | $12K | 46% | $53K | $8K |
| For-profit | $19K | 50% | $25K | $8K |
| Apprenticeship | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Print capstone handout
· C-2 advising brief
· Full Part 9 report
Conversation guide
Match the family's question to the part where that metric is sourced. Use school profiles when they name a specific college.
| If they ask about… | Share | Utah data anchor |
|---|---|---|
| Cost or debt | Part 5, School profiles | USHE technical colleges report a median net price of $3K for families in the $0–$30,000 income band (Scorecard). USHE four-year colleges median $10K. |
| Will they finish? | Part 7, Part 1 | USHE technical colleges median 79% on-time completion (Scorecard C150). USHE R5 reports a 77% degree rate among CE participants — a different cohort and measure than Scorecard. |
| Pay after graduation | Part 3, School profiles | Among USHE four-year colleges, median earnings six years after starting are $46K (Scorecard). Technical and community-college medians are lower; see Part 3 tables. |
| Certificate, trade, or apprenticeship | Part 2, Part 6 | Part 2 lists certificate and technical providers. Part 6 covers 326 apprenticeship sponsors and 4,731 active apprentices (DWS 2024). |
| Still in high school | Part 1, CE program links | Part 1 pairs SEDA district achievement with concurrent enrollment. USHE R5 reports a 77% degree rate among CE participants vs. 34% without CE — a different cohort than Scorecard completion. |
| Policy or state funding | Part 8, Part 9 | Part 8 compares debt to earnings by institution. Part 9 synthesizes cost, completion, earnings, and debt across the full chain. |
What this means for you
Printable one-pagers and the reading order above are built for advising conversations — not as prescriptive rankings.
- Match the family's question to the part where the metric is sourced — use the conversation guide above.
- Pair USHE R5 CE figures with district K–12 context; R5 describes associations, not causation.
- Split USHE technical colleges from for-profit certificate schools before advising on short credentials — USHE technical medians: $38K pay, 79% completion.
- When they name a college, open its school profile for program-level pay and debt.
Data limits (read before sharing)
- Concurrent enrollment attainment (USHE) and College Scorecard completion are different cohorts and measures — do not treat them as the same student population.
- Pathway medians on this site are medians among Utah institutions reporting each field, not enrollment-weighted statewide averages.
- Earnings and completion describe groups who entered each pathway, not guaranteed outcomes for an individual student.
- School profiles show institution-level Scorecard fields; program-level pay requires the programs table on each profile.
Printable one-pagers
Single-topic sheets for printing or PDF — same metrics as the Start here by priority cards.
Part 9 tradeoff matrix
Cost & net price
Will they finish?
Pay after graduation
Trades & apprenticeship
Concurrent enrollment
Community college start
Concurrent enrollment quick links
Part 1
lists Utah concurrent enrollment partners with verified program URLs where available.
CE is documented in USHE attainment records (77% degree rate in Utah CE cohorts),
separate from Scorecard completion fields on college profiles.
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