I think he meant that they count anyone as In State if they graduated from high school or college in Utah (whether or not they are actual residents)
Yeah it is interesting. I'm IS, and from what I've heard over the past.. 10 years or so, a lot of actual Utah residents have been frustrated because UUSOM is the only med school in the state (no DO), and it just seemed like there weren't enough spots. They used to have only ~80 seats, and some were guaranteed to Idaho residents. Also, BYU and the U of U are the #2 and #29 (as of 2014 -
https://www.aamc.org/download/321458/data/factstable2-7.pdf) supplier schools in the nation to medical schools.
Now they have more seats, OOS tuition is expensive, BUT they give more seats to OOS residents (per the new guidelines I wrote above), who could then go back home to practice, and there is already a shortage of physicians (compounded by a recent increase in the number of people who now have insurance). Essentially, many people have felt that Utah tax payers are funding medical education and supplying physicians for people who live in other states and probably have their own medical schools and doctors.
Its hard to say how much of this is actually a problem, and how much is hurt feelings from students/parents of students, who don't get accepted. As a student at one of those two schools mentioned above and a Utah resident, I wish there were 200 seats and all went to
actual Utah residents - or 1 went to me and the rest to whoever haha. But alas, it's not so. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out with the tuition, the number of seats, new IS requirements etc. I just hope I get a shot!