Utah college where Charlie Kirk was killed is a lesser-known school but the state's largest

First responder vehicles are seen outside the Keller Building on the Utah Valley University campus Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025, in Orem, Utah. (AP Photo/Tyler Tate)

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Utah college where conservative activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot Wednesday is the state’s largest public university after years of rapid enrollment growth, but is lesser known than other colleges in the state.

Utah Valley University was founded under a different name in 1941 as a vocational school focused on providing war production training. It didn’t begin offering four-year degrees until the 1990s, a move that fueled a fivefold increase in enrollment over the next three decades. It now has nearly 47,000 students, according to the university website.

Nearly nine out of 10 students at the school in Orem are from Utah, and 18% of students are 25 years old or older. Business and psychology are among the most popular majors.

Utah Valley University’s campus is right off a major highway about 40 miles (64 kilometers) south of Salt Lake City, where the state’s flagship school, the University of Utah, is located.

Utah Valley is also just a few miles away from Brigham Young University, which is owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known widely as the Mormon church.

Utah is one of 14 states that allow some level of concealed carry of firearms on public college and university campuses. FBI Director Kash Patel initially said on social media that a “subject” had been taken into custody, only to later say that the person had been released after being questioned.

A person of interest in Wednesday’s shooting was in custody, officials said, but no information has been released about whether that person was legally carrying a weapon.

The Utah Valley University Wolverines have several athletic teams, including men’s and women’s basketball teams that play in the Western Athletic Conference.

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