SALT LAKE CITY — As high school students consider their next steps after graduation, funding college is a barrier for some. But the University of Utah is offering a scholarship that could change the game for those students and their families.
“Just gives them a whole new sense of what the future could offer,” said Salt Lake City School District Superintendent Elizabeth Grant.
The new scholarship, called "Utah Promise," is for first-year students whose family household income and assets are less than $100,000 per year (as defined by FAFSA guidelines). It is limited to Utah residents, and the applicant must also have an unweighted high school GPA of at least 3.5. The university's announcement said it's "designed to expand access to higher education across the state."
Alisha Dangerfield is a high school counselor at Deseret Peak in Tooele County. She's met with students who express concerns over finding the financial support for college.
"When students see the possibilities that they can go to this school that they’ve dreamed about their whole life open up to them, I mean, just the look on their faces of knowing that they have the opportunity,” said Dangerfield.
The U of U says it doesn't want the middle class to be left behind when it comes to who scholarships and grants are often given to.
“In-state tuition for students is about $10,000 a year for a full load, so this scholarship would provide tuition and cover fees as well,” said university spokesperson Chris Nelson.
“I believe it’s very impactful for those students that didn’t maybe think they could afford to go to school,” said Dangerfield.
The university is expecting that this will impact hundreds of incoming students.
"It’s a four-year scholarship, and really the goal here is to make the University of Utah accessible to Utah's best and brightest students — regardless of background, regardless of income,” said Nelson.
Salt Lake City School District shared how this scholarship could extend opportunities to students who might not have considered college before.
"In our district, over half of our families earn less than $100,000 a year, and that is thousands of students,” said Grant.
Students who are interested must apply for university admission by Dec. 1 and for FAFSA by Feb. 1, according to the website.
Grant was excited about the University's announcement; she's hoping that this will open the minds of students who may have felt limited before.
“Think it’s so smart if the University of Utah to draw talent from across our population," she said. "If we’re just limiting those opportunities to those who can afford it, we’re only tapping into small portions of talent in Utah."
