Nineteen percent of enrolled undergraduates are earning degrees — considered a "very large proportion" nationally.

Internationally, Utah's completion rate is 79 percent that of the leading United Kingdom, where 24 percent of enrolled students complete certificates or degrees.

Utah's completion rates may be underestimated, as some students leave for two years on missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the report states.

Utah higher education officials are trying to boost completion by alleviating bottlenecks in prerequisite courses that often fill up too fast and leave students in limbo, Covington said. They also want more academic advising.

• Benefits: The report examined how residents contribute to the civic good. Here, Utah received an A-minus. Twenty-nine percent of the working-age population here has a bachelor's degree or higher, and Utah leads the nation in voluntarism.

But if whites and ethnic minorities had equal educational attainment and earnings, the state would have $728 million more in personal income.

• Learning: Utah did not have enough information regarding literacy and how well college graduates can communicate and solve problems to receive a mark.

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