Beginning in Fall 2026, the University of Utah will offer a new scholarship to qualifying students that will guarantee full coverage of tuition and mandatory fees for eligible first-time, first-year students whose family household income and assets are each less than $100,000 per year as defined by federal student aid guidelines. The new scholarship, called Utah Promise, is designed to expand access to higher education across the state.
Utah Promise underscores the university’s commitment to affordability and opportunity as part of its broader focus on student success. By ensuring that students from working- and middle-class families can attend without having to cover the burden of tuition costs, the program will help more Utahns pursue their degrees, graduate on time and thrive in their careers.
“This is a transformative step for the University of Utah,” President Taylor Randall said. “No student should have to choose between pursuing a college education and their family’s financial security. Utah Promise ensures that higher education is within reach for thousands of talented students across our state.”
The program applies to first-time, first-year undergraduate students who graduate from high school with an unweighted GPA of 3.5 or higher. It covers tuition and mandatory fees for up to four years of full-time enrollment with scholarships and grants. Eligible students must complete a free application for admission by the university’s Dec. 1 priority deadline and complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by Feb. 1. To maintain eligibility, students need to continue to submit the FAFSA each year and maintain qualifying income and asset levels. Recipients must also successfully complete full-time course loads each semester and maintain a cumulative 3.5 GPA or higher.
“Utahns deserve affordable, high-quality education that prepares them for their eventual careers,” Provost Mitzi Montoya said. “Utah Promise is about investing in the people and future of our state. It gives more students the freedom to focus on learning, leadership and discovery without the stress of overwhelming tuition bills.”
The initiative builds on the university’s existing financial aid and scholarship programs, leveraging both public and private donor funding to eliminate tuition and fee costs for qualifying students. By reducing financial barriers, the program aims to improve college access and completion rates—particularly for first-generation students and families navigating higher education for the first time.
Utah Promise complements the university’s recent efforts to simplify and streamline its merit scholarship process. Learn more about those updates here. It also builds on the success of the For Utah scholarship, which covers tuition and mandatory fees for Pell Grant-eligible students.
For more information about Utah Promise, eligibility requirements and how to apply, click here. For more information about other University of Utah scholarships, click here.
This story was originally published by the University of Utah on October 14, 2025