For students coming from Utah’s lowest-income families, a university education could now be entirely free.
With a major initiative announced Tuesday, the University of Utah will be offering fully covered tuition and fees for any accepted students in households earning less than $100,000 total per year.
“No student should have to choose between pursuing a college education and their family’s financial security,” said U. President Taylor Randall in a statement.
The tuition guarantee, called the “Utah Promise,” is a significant step for the state’s flagship public university — and its most expensive. The initiative also comes as state lawmakers have been pushing for higher education to be more affordable and accessible.
Hundreds of students could be supported by the new offer, which will launch for new, first-time Utah students who start classes in fall 2026, the university announced.
Interested students need to apply to the U. by the Dec. 1 priority deadline (the application is free for residents) and be accepted to qualify. And they must graduate high school with a grade-point average of 3.5 or higher.
They also have to fill out the federal government’s financial aid form, known as FAFSA, by Feb. 1. That is still open during the ongoing government shutdown.
The federal form requires proof of Utah residency and will help the U. determine who meets household income threshold. No separate scholarship application is needed, though.
Officials at the U. said they hope the timing will demonstrate to those looking at colleges now that the school isn’t out of their price range.
The program is limited to the incoming class, at this point, and does not apply to those already enrolled at the university or those who transfer in.
The Utah Promise initiative will be covered through a combination of scholarships and grants, with both public and private funding, the university said in its announcement. Currently, it costs $10,848 per year in tuition and fees for a student taking an average course load to attend the U.
Provost Mitzi Montoya said she hopes the new initiative will help more students focus on their classes and their goals, rather than trying to also balance a job to pay for “overwhelming tuition bills.”
Utah Promise will continue to cover tuition and fees for qualified students up to four years — which U. officials said they hope will push students to complete their education on time. Currently, the University of Utah’s four-year graduation rate is 36%.
It’s not the first initiative like this for the U., but it is a huge expansion.
Starting in fall 2020, the U. began offering what’s called the For Utah Scholarship, which combines federal and state funds to cover what remains of tuition and fees at the U. for low-income students after other awards are counted. That offer is only for students who are eligible for federal Pell Grants — and the threshold is more limited, at $50,000 or lower total household income.
Other schools in the state offer similar programs, including the Dream Weber initiative at Weber State University, which is at the same $50,000 level.
Low-income is federally defined as anything lower than $70,300 for a household, though, so Utah Promise is meant to reach more of that group and working-class families.
The school also recently lowered the required GPA for its merit scholarships from 3.8 to 3.5, so more students can qualify for those, as well.