For years, Sidney Sanford did loads of homework, took summer school classes and skipped family vacations in hopes of earning her associate's degree while still in high school.

She told herself the hard work would be worth the reward in the end: a New Century Scholarship to cover 75 percent of her college tuition for two years.

Sanford did everything she was expected to do, but the scholarship won't be what she expected. Sanford is one of about 2,000 Utah students learning this summer that they will get less money in state scholarships than they anticipated. Instead of covering 75 percent of college tuition for two years at state institutions, both new and continuing New Century Scholarships will now cover 40 percent, and newly awarded Regents' Scholarship Exemplary Awards will cover 55 percent this coming school year. In 2010-11, the New Century Scholarships will cover only 25 percent of tuition; the level of the Regents' Exemplary Award has yet to be determined. The State Board of Regents recently lowered the amount of both awards to deal with skyrocketing student interest and limited money.

"I feel a little cheated," said Sanford, who recently graduated from Jordan High School. "Getting an associate's degree in high school is not very easy." She said she'll likely now have to take out loans to cover tuition.

Dave Buhler, associate commissioner for the Utah System of Higher Education, said he is sympathetic, but the regents were left with few options given high demand and budget cuts. Higher education officials expect to give out nearly 50 percent more New Century Scholarships this school year despite an 8 percent cut in state funding. The Regents Scholarship program received more funding this year but not enough to keep up with possible growth of 169 percent. Regents scholarships are awarded to students who take a rigorous set of classes in high school and achieve certain grades.

Both programs are about $1.7 million short of what would have been needed to avoid the cuts, Buhler said.

"We've never wanted to disappoint any student who had earned this," Buhler said. "Obviously, we cannot write checks if we do not have money from the legislature to write them."

The regents considered giving out fewer scholarships. But ultimately, they decided to spread the pain -- and wealth -- by reducing scholarship amounts for everyone.

"The board really felt the most fair thing was to help as many students as possible," Buhler said.

Still, that's little comfort to many students and parents who were relying on the awards.

Sanford's mother, Kristen Baker, said paying 60 percent of her daughter's tuition this year will be a challenge. Plus, she said, it sends the wrong message to students.

"As a parent you're trying to teach them about the rewards for all that hard work, and then for the government to come back and say, 'Wait, we're not going to give you what we thought we were,' they're not fulfilling their end of the deal," Baker said.

Victoria Trevino, who recently graduated from the Utah County Academy of Sciences charter school, said she had hoped to use her New Century Scholarship money on books and fees. She said she's lucky because she already has another scholarship to her school of choice, Utah Valley University. She said not all her friends are as fortunate.

"I know a lot of people where that is their only scholarship, and that is the thing they're depending on, and they're getting really stressed out," Trevino said. "I kind of expected there would be some budget cuts with the recession, but I didn't expect it to drop that low."

Oddly enough, the cuts were needed partly because the scholarship programs have been so successful. The New Century Scholarship was established partly to help students finish college faster, and the Regents' Scholarship was intended to encourage students to better prepare for college. Both are working, and students who worked toward the scholarships will be better prepared for college, he said.

Applications for the programs spiked recently, Buhler said, partly because early college charter schools started promoting them.

For example, about 50 to 60 percent of the graduating seniors at the Academy for Math, Engineering and Science in Salt Lake City earned Regents' Scholarships the past two years, said principal Al Church.

And about 73 of Itineris Early College High School's 106 graduating seniors earned New Century Scholarships last year, said principal Stephen Jolley.

"We now have all come to mature as schools to the point where we're serving our missions completely," Jolley said. He said the West Jordan school starts educating its students about New Century Scholarships the moment they start there.

It's unfair now that many of the students won't get what they expected, he said.

"I think all of us understand the economic downturn and that there was a need to rethink how we spend our money, but I think there's got to be a better way," Jolley said.