Student mental health on college campuses becoming a significant policy issue
The Utah Student Association has identified student mental health as its top priority for the past two years. More recently, student leaders at Utah State University voted to declare a mental health crisis at the university. According to a survey compiled by student leaders across the state, a college student in Utah, on average, has to […]
Gift aid a significant factor in assisting students towards degree completion
Scholarships and grants play a significant role in how students pay for college. 54% of USHE students who enrolled in both fall and spring semesters in 2014-15 received some form of gift aid, averaging $4,070.23 per student—roughly 75% of the average tuition and fees at institutions in the Utah System of Higher Education. “Gift aid” is funds […]
1 in 3 USHE students received a Pell Grant during the 2015-16 academic year
Pell Grants: An Overview The Federal Pell Grant Program provides need-based grants to low-income undergraduate and certain post-graduate students to promote access to higher education. A Pell Grant, unlike a loan, does not need to be repaid, and can be used at any one of approximately 5,400 participating postsecondary institutions nationwide. Grant amounts are dependent […]
Utah Educational Savings Plan and StepUp to Higher Education launch 2016 “Make Your Mark” bookmark contest
The Utah Educational Savings Plan (UESP) and StepUp to Higher Education will launch their annual “Make Your Mark” Bookmark Contest starting September 1. Utah students kindergarten through 12th grade can create an original bookmark for the contest. If their artwork is selected, they are eligible to win a $1,000 college savings scholarship account from UESP. The […]
2016-2017 StepUP READY Grant Awards Announced
The Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) has announced the 2016-17 StepUP READY Grant recipients. The StepUP READY Grants are mini-grants (up to $75,000) that have a goal of increasing the number of Utah’s public high school students who graduate college-ready and enroll in a post-secondary institution. Grants are awarded to partnerships between local K-12 […]
Utah joins national consortium to improve availability of online classes and programs
Utah has received formal approval to join a 43-state partnership that will help students more efficiently access online courses and programs. As online degree programs have rapidly grown in recent years, attracting students from different states, securing the authorization from other states for those students to enroll has become increasingly costly and administratively burdensome. Previously, colleges […]
ACT releases 2016 Condition of College and Career Readiness report
Today, ACT released the 2016 Condition of College and Career Readiness report, based on ACT test results for the 2016 graduating class. Utah is one of 20 states that allows students to take the ACT at no cost to the student during their junior year. Thus, 41,446 students in the 2016 graduating class have taken the ACT (817 more students […]
USHE Institutions go back to school
Universities and colleges within the Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) have started their fall semester, or will be shortly. Each institution offers a variety of back-to-school events for returning and new students. University of Utah The University of Utah kicked-off their Welcome Week last week, which included a parent and family luau, a new […]
Student default rates in Utah
In Utah, only half of Utah college students graduate with student loan debt compared to seven in ten nationally, and the debt they do graduate with is much lower than the national average. Student debt Utah has the lowest average student debt in the country at $18,921, which is significantly less than the national average […]
2016 StepUp to Higher Education College Guide to be distributed to 85,000 Utah students
StepUp to Higher Education, an outreach initiative of the Utah System of Higher Education, recently completed the 2016 College Guide. This guide—the fifth StepUp has done—will be distributed to Utah high school students through the High School Tour, where representatives from all nonprofit colleges and universities in Utah go to Utah high schools to educate these students […]
