Chamberlain University cut the ribbon on its first Utah campus in Sandy on Oct. 22, 2026, marking its 26th location nationwide and aiming to bolster the state's healthcare workforce. The new facility will welcome its first cohort of Bachelor of Science in Nursing students on Oct. 26, following a July 21, 2026, announcement regarding the university's expansion into the Salt Lake City area.
Addressing Utah's Nursing Shortage
The opening of the Sandy campus addresses a significant healthcare deficit in Utah, which currently operates with just seven nurses for every 1,000 residents. This figure represents the lowest ratio of nurses to residents in the nation, according to the 2026 Covista Care Capacity Monitor fielded by Gallup. In the Salt Lake City DMA alone, the region saw more than 24,000 healthcare job openings last year, a figure that rose nearly 20% year over year, resulting in more than five open positions for every available job seeker.
Strengthening the Nursing Pipeline
Amelia Manning, President of Chamberlain University, stated that opening a campus in Utah allows more residents to become the nurses the state requires. Manning noted that for many students, the primary obstacle to nursing careers is finding a program that accommodates their existing life commitments. By making the educational path more accessible, Manning said the university aims to strengthen Utah's nursing pipeline alongside local hospitals and health systems.
Designed for Local Students
The new campus is designed to accommodate up to 400 students at full capacity and is intended to expand as healthcare demand grows alongside major hospital projects in the Salt Lake City area. Trevor Scott, Executive Campus Director for the Salt Lake City location, said the campus is built to serve students who already live and work in the community. Scott noted that these students will be prepared to care for their own neighbors three years from now, which is critical given that Utah has fewer nurses per resident than any other state.
Advanced Training and Technology
The curriculum at the new location includes a three-year path to a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) with options for evening and weekend classes. The program features a high-tech SIMCARE CENTER for simulation training before students transition into clinical rotations with regional healthcare partners. Additionally, through a collaboration with Google Cloud, students can earn healthcare-specific AI certificates to meet the tech-forward skills that 73% of healthcare executives say they seek when hiring new clinicians.
Scholarship and Recognition
To celebrate the opening, Chamberlain teamed up with social media creator Zachery Dereniowski, known as "MD Motivator," to award Eagle Mountain resident Lauren Garner the Future Healthcare Hero BSN Award. The award, which was presented during the opening event, covers the full cost of Garner's nursing degree at the new campus. This initiative follows the university's broader strategy to expand access to higher education and economic mobility, a mission for which the university was recognized as a Carnegie Foundation "Opportunity College and University" in 2025.
Investment in Healthcare Training
In addition to the new campus, Covista and the Covista Foundation announced a $100,000 commitment over two years to Intermountain Health. This funding is intended to support apprenticeship and tuition-covered training programs within the Salt Lake City-based non-profit health system. This move is part of Covista's Purpose at Scale strategy, which aims to roll out accelerated academic pathways and workforce pipelines to markets with high nursing shortages.
