NEW: Meet with a Regents’ Scholarship representative
If you are in grades nine through eleven, you can sign up for a meeting with a Regents’ Scholarship representative. They will help you understand the requirements of the Regents’ Scholarship and review the course work you have already completed to make sure you are on-track to completing the requirements.
The 2015 Regents’ Scholarship Program Guide, along with other guides and forms, are now available on regentsscholarship.org. Remember, check back for updated documents each spring, as they include any changes/updates that may have occurred to the Regents’ Scholarship.
How to qualify your UESP account beneficiary for a Regents’ Scholarship UESP Supplemental Award
If you own a Utah Educational Savings Plan (UESP) account, the high school years are the time to make sure your contribution level qualifies your beneficiary for a one-time UESP Supplemental Award of up to $400 if he or she earns a Regents’ Scholarship upon high school graduation. The Supplemental Award is added to the Regents’ Scholarship of a beneficiary who meets the financial and academic prerequisites, not to your UESP account.
For a beneficiary to qualify for the full UESP Supplementary Award, $100 or more in contributions must be made annually to your account during each of the four years the beneficiary is age 14 to 17. (Each year begins with the beneficiary’s birthdate, not the calendar year.) The contribution can be made by you, or by a friend or other family member through the UESP Gift Program.
A contribution of less than $100 in any of the four qualifying years will not count toward the Supplemental Award. For example, if the total amount contributed to an account is $75 when the beneficiary is age 14, but $100 or more is contributed annually when the beneficiary is 15, 16, and 17, the UESP Supplemental Award would be $300.
A student earns a Regents’ Scholarship by achieving academic standards set by the Utah State Board of Regents, which awards the scholarship to Utah high school graduates. Depending on the student’s level of academic achievement, a student will earn the Regents’ Scholarship Base Award only or the Base Award plus the Exemplary Academic Achievement Award.
In the 2015-2016 college academic year, the Regents’ Scholarship Base Award is a one-time award of up to $1,000. It is granted by the Utah State Board of Regents to a student who completes a defined set of courses in grades 9 through 12 with a “C” grade or higher, earns a minimum of a 3.0 high school grade point average (GPA), and submits an ACT examination score.
A renewable Exemplary Academic Achievement Award of $1,250 per semester (for up to four semesters) is granted to a Regents’ Scholarship Base Award recipient who completes the defined set of courses with a “B” grade or higher, earns a high school GPA of 3.5 or higher, and submits an ACT score of 26 or higher.
The recipient may use the scholarship at the University of Utah, Utah State University, Weber State University, Southern Utah University, Snow College, Dixie State University, Utah Valley University, Salt Lake Community College, Brigham Young University, LDS Business College, or Westminster College.
UESP, Utah’s official nonprofit 529 college savings plan, is highly ranked by Morningstar Inc., Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine, Money magazine, CBS MoneyWatch.com, and consumer expert Clark Howard for its low fees and industry innovations such as its customized investment options.
Accounts are free to open, and UESP requires no minimum deposit or account balance. UESP’s user-friendly website, uesp.org, makes it easy to open, manage, and contribute to an account online.
To learn more about the UESP Supplemental Award, visit https://www.uesp.org/For-Utah-Residents/Regents-Scholarship.aspx, UESP, visit uesp.org, call UESP toll-free at 1.800.418.2551, or send an email to info@uesp.org.
To learn more about the Regents’ Scholarship, visit regentsscholarship.org, call 801.321.7159, or send an email to regentsscholarship@ushe.edu.
Important Legal Notice
The Utah Educational Savings Plan (UESP) is a Section 529 plan administered and managed by the Utah State Board of Regents and the Utah Higher Education Assistance Authority (UHEAA).
Read the Program Description for more information and consider all investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses before investing. Call 800.418.2551 for a copy of the Program Description or visit uesp.org.
Investments are not guaranteed by UESP, the Utah State Board of Regents, UHEAA, or any other state or federal agency. However, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) insurance is provided for the FDIC-insured accounts. Please read the Program Description to Learn about the FDIC-insured accounts. Your investment could lose value.
Non-Utah taxpayers and residents: You should determine whether the state in which you or your beneficiary pays taxes or lives offers a 529 plan that provides state tax and other benefits not otherwise available to you by investing in UESP. You should consider such state tax treatment and benefits, if any, before investing in UESP.
