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 […]
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 […]
1 in 5 undergrads don’t apply for financial aid because they believe they won’t qualify or don’t need it
According to a new report from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), 1 in 5 college undergraduates don’t apply for financial aid because they believe they would not qualify, or they think they can afford school and don’t want debt. The NCES report was based on data from the 2011-12 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS), […]
2016 USHE Conference for School Administrators and Counselors
The 2016 conference, College Knowledge: Start Now, will be held on Thursday, September 22, at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Dr. David T. Conley, Founder of EdImagine and Director of Center for Educational Policy Research at the University of Oregon, will be the keynote speaker. Over 800 attendees are expected to […]
New report takes aim at data-driven approaches to help college students succeed
Higher education leaders across the country have long-wrestled with improving student retention and degree completion. A new national report highlights the disparity between the intentions of college students and their often short-term impulses, especially during their first year of college. The report, from non-profit research organization ideas42, focuses on behavioral science—applying insights from psychology and […]
New USHE students gear up for college with student orientations
As summer starts to wind down, Utah’s colleges and universities are gearing up for fall semester. Institutions have been helping to prepare new students for college life through new student orientations, much of which includes campus social events, campus tours, games, campus informational sessions, faculty and staff meet-and-greets, assistance registering for classes, and how to […]
Legislative committee meeting discusses student debt and higher ed costs
The Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee of the Utah Legislature met on Tuesday. Their discussions focused on the issues of student debt and increasing costs for higher education. The rising costs for students to enroll in college is a prominent topic nationally, and higher education institutions mistakenly shoulder the blame. However, a recent special report by […]
