A bill that would make it more difficult to qualify for New Century Scholarships moved one step closer to becoming law Friday morning.

SB132 would require students hoping to get the scholarship to, for the first time, maintain a 3.5 overall high school grade point average in addition to earning their associates degrees while still in high school to qualify for awards of up to 75 percent of college tuition for two years. It would also push up the deadline to complete scholarship requirements.

The change is meant to reduce the number of students who qualify for the awards in order to keep the program sustainable amid soaring demand and limited dollars.

Bill sponsor Sen. John Valentine, R-Orem, said he and others are "doing everything we can to try to make the scholarship survive."

The Senate Education Committee passed the bill unanimously, though more changes may be on the way. Sen. Lyle Hillyard, R-Logan, said he might raise the question on the Senate floor of whether the scholarships should still go to students attending private colleges. And Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, said he might later propose an amendment to offer the scholarships to Utah students who go to college out of state because he said those students already save Utah tax dollars by not going to state institutions.