Parent Handbook

Dear Aggie Parents and Families

Welcome to Utah State University, Home of the Aggies.

Your partnership in your student’s success matters. Thank you for the encouragement and support you provide as your student begins or continues their journey as an Aggie. Family support matters so much in helping students to be successful in their college journey, and I am excited for us to partner with you. This handbook is designed to be a quick guide to the resources and contacts you will need to support them at the right time.

As president of Utah State University, my top priority is to remain focused on students and true to our land-grant mission of learning, discovery and engagement. USU is an R1 research university with a statewide mission, and our work starts with expanding opportunity, strengthening success, and removing barriers wherever they appear.

We remain focused on affordability and value. Thanks to the generosity of our donors and the State of Utah, we provided $92 million in scholarships to more than 13,000 students last year.

This has been a period of meaningful progress across the Aggie community. This past fall, we welcomed our largest-ever class of first-time Utah students, and our overall enrollment grew 3.2% to nearly 30,000 students statewide. We also launched Utah’s first four-year Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program, with our inaugural class beginning coursework in August. And this spring, we opened our first campus on tribal lands in Monument Valley, bringing higher education directly to the Navajo Nation and furthering our land-grant commitment to serve every corner of Utah.

USU’s impact is felt statewide. We are the largest employer in Cache County and the seventh-largest in Utah.

Last year, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Undergraduate Research program at USU, one of the oldest and most respected in the country. Undergraduate research is central to who we are. It connects students with faculty mentors, builds career-ready skills, and opens doors to internships, graduate education, and future careers. USU secured $517.1 million in sponsored research awards, advancing innovation that benefits students, communities and industries across Utah and beyond.

We are honored to have you as part of our university community, and I am grateful to partner with you in supporting your student as they learn, grow, and achieve their goals at Utah State.

Thank you for being part of the Aggie family!

Go Aggies!

Brad L. Mortensen
President, Utah State University