Utah Valley University

Utah Valley University (UVU) is a public university in Orem, Utah, United States. UVU offers master's, bachelor's, associate degrees, and certificates. Previously called Utah Valley State College, the school attained university status in July 2008. With an enrollment of over 48,000 students as of fall 2025, UVU is the largest university by enrollment in Utah and one of the largest in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States.

The school was founded in the fall of 1941, when the Utah State Vocational Office consolidated federal work program classes into one campus in Provo, just west of the campus of Brigham Young University. At this time, the school was known as Central Utah Vocational School. Growth brought numerous changes to the school over the following decades, and it was renamed several times to reflect its changing role. In 1963, the name was changed to Utah Trade Technical Institute.

In 1967, the school became Utah Technical College in Provo and was given the authority to confer associate degrees for the first time. In 1977, the institution began moving to its present location, at the junction of I-15 and University Parkway in Orem. In 1987, it became Utah Valley Community College. When it was a community college, the school had 8,000 students enrolled, and it was growing by approximately 3,000 students a year. In 1993, the school was named Utah Valley State College and began awarding four-year degrees. The Utah legislature approved elevating UVSC to a university in February 2007 (effective July 1, 2008), allowing it to begin offering master's degrees, although the school continues to emphasize its two- and four-year degree programs.

On July 1, 2008, UVSC changed to UVU, officially changing to a university. UVU is the largest employer in Orem, with over 1,900 full-time faculty and staff and over 3,300 part-time faculty and staff. As of fall 2018, the Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) reported UVU as the largest university in the state for the fourth year in a row with 39,931 students, surpassing the University of Utah.

Astrid S. Tuminez is the institution's seventh president. She has been there since 2018 and is the university's first female president. Tuminez was selected by the Utah State Board of Regents in 2018 and was preceded by Matthew S. Holland.

On September 10, 2025, Charlie Kirk, an American right-wing activist and co-founder of Turning Point USA, was assassinated on campus during an event for the American Comeback Tour, a debate series he was hosting for his organization. According to the Associated Press, the shot came from the Losee Student Success Center, approximately 350 feet (110 m) from where Kirk was speaking. Kirk was immediately rushed to Timpanogos Regional Hospital and was pronounced dead later that afternoon. In the aftermath, Utah Valley University closed its campus, including their satellite locations, until September 15.

UVU's main campus is in Orem with satellite campuses in Heber City (Wasatch), Vineyard, North Orem (Canyon Park), Provo Municipal Airport, Lehi, and the Capital Reef Field Station. UVU's main campus encompasses 228 acres (0.92 km²) and includes 48 buildings.

Each building has been built using the same style of exposed reinforced concrete with masonry infill walls (before 2005), with all of the major buildings on campus connected by 30-foot-wide (9.1 m) concourses. UVU grounds include two reflecting ponds on the west side of campus, a stream running through the east part of campus, and a multi-dimensional fountain in the middle of campus.