All students who submitted an application (Advanced Course Track or Regents’ Track) should receive an updated notice regarding their application by May 15^th. If you have not received a message by May 15^th, please reach out to our office immediately.

Regents’ Track Applicants

Students who applied via the Regents’ Track application should receive a message in their scholarship portal. Those that are on-track are required to submit final documentation (final transcripts) by July 1, 2022. Each student has an individualized final document checklist in their account that is updated upon receipt of the required documents. Students should leverage this resource to know which documents are required and which documents have been received. If students have updated their schedule since submitting their online application, they should contact our office right away.

Advanced Course Track Applicants

Students who applied via the Advanced Course Track application should receive an email to the address they used to submit their online application. Those that are on-track do not need to submit additional documentation but do need to complete any required courses in progress before high school graduation.

All Applicants

All Opportunity Scholarship applicants must enroll at an eligible institution for Fall 2022 or obtain an approved deferment from an eligible institution that will begin Fall 2022. Deferments are typically approved for students who are serving in the military, have a major medical issue, or are participating in a humanitarian/religious service. Each school has their own deferment processes and deadlines, so be sure to reach out to an eligible institution early to determine what steps are required. No enrollment/deferment documentation needs to be submitted for the scholarship. Opportunity Scholarship staff will verify enrollment/deferment directly with each eligible school.

More questions? Check out our Final Review FAQ.

Award Information

A final review of 12^th grade course information must be completed before final eligibility is determined. If it is determined that the student qualifies, information will be provided to the college they are attending to evaluate the individual award amount for which a student may qualify. Students that are part of the graduating class of 2022 will receive a maximum of $1,000 per semester for up to 4 semesters, subject to the student maintaining eligibility. Individual awards are applied toward tuition and fees after other state aid has been awarded to the student.

Students may apply for the Opportunity Scholarship during their senior year of high school.

There are separate applications for 2022 graduates who meet the Regents’ Track requirements and those who meet the Advanced Course Track requirements.

• More information about the Regents’ Track (Application & FAQ). 
• More information about the Advanced Course Track (Application & FAQ).

Both applications will open November 15, 2021.

• The priority deadline is December 3, 2021.
• The final deadline is February 1, 2022.
• All students are encouraged to meet the priority deadline.

All students who qualify for the Opportunity Scholarship (under the Regents’ and Advanced Course Tracks) will be given the same award consideration and maximum award amount.

Apply via the Regents’ track, create an account, submit the online application, and supporting documents here.

Apply via the Advanced Course track, complete the online application here.

These requirements were created after examining data from the last five years of Utah high school graduates to identify the top predictors of college success.

• Earn a 3.3 cumulative high school GPA
• Complete 3 advanced courses
  • Complete 1 Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), or Concurrent Enrollment (CE) course in each of the core areas of high school graduation:
    • math,
    • science, and
    • language arts
• Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
• Graduate from a Utah high school

For the class of 2022 only: Students graduating with the class of 2022 may qualify for the Opportunity Scholarship through a Regents’ Track by completing the requirements previously set for the Regents’ Scholarship or the Advanced Course Track by meeting the requirements detailed above. Details regarding Regents’ Track can be found here.

For the class of 2023 and beyond: Students may only qualify for the Opportunity Scholarship by completing the advanced course track described above. No exceptions will be made.

Students earn core credit by completing the following courses in each subject area, based on Utah State Board of Education (USBE) standards. Students will need to work with their high school to find out which courses are offered and available at their school.

Eligible courses are any Concurrent Enrollment (CE), Advanced Placement (AP), or International Baccalaureate (IB) course that aligns to a USBE core code starting with “06” (Language Arts), “07” (Mathematics), and “08” Science. We recommend using the Concurrent Enrollment Master List (core code listed) to find acceptable CE courses.

Students may earn credit through Early College courses completed in grades 9-12 that are included on the CE Master List as described above.

For the Class of 2022 only: Requirements for the two tracks are wholly exclusive; applicants cannot earn the Opportunity Scholarship by combining individual courses from each track. Students completing the Regents’ Track requirements must refer to the list of acceptable courses in this document.

Language Arts (Advanced Course Track)

• AP English Language
• AP Literature & Composition
• CE English 1010
• CE English 2010
• CE English 2200
• CE Communication 1010 (Applied Communication)
• CE Humanities
• IB English A Literature
• IB English Language & Literature

Mathematics (advanced course track)

• AP Calculus AB
• AP Calculus BC
• AP Statistics
• CE Math 1010
  • Math 1010 does not fulfill the General Education Quantitative Literacy requirement. Math 1010 is intended only for students who cannot place directly into Math 1050 College Algebra after completion of Secondary MATH III)
• CE Math 1030
• CE Math 1040
• CE Math 1050
• CE Math 1060
• CE Math 1210
• IB Mathematics

Science (advanced course track)

• AP Biology
• AP Chemistry
• AP Environment Science
• AP Physics
• CE Biology 1010/1015*
• CE Biology 1020/1025*
• CE Biology 1610/1615*
• CE Human Biology 1050/1055 or 1090* (when aligned with USBE Science core credit code)
• CE Chemistry 1010/1015*
• CE Chemistry 1110*
• CE Chemistry 1210/1215*
• CE Environmental Science (Envs 1010/1015 or Bio 1400/1405)*
• CE Geology 1010/1015*
• CE Physics 1010/1015*
• IB Biology
• IB Chemistry
• IB Environment Science & Society
• IB Physics
• See the CE Master List for science courses with a core code beginning with 08 for all acceptable science courses

*Lecture credit required (example: Biology 1010), lab credit recommended, but optional (example: Biology 1015)

Awards will be determined based on available funding and the number of qualified applicants. Individual awards may be used toward the cost of tuition and fees, after other state aid is applied.

All students who qualify for the Opportunity Scholarship (under the Regents’ and Advanced Course Tracks) will be given the same award consideration and maximum award amount.

The Opportunity Scholarship can be used at Dixie State University, Salt Lake Community College, Snow College, Southern Utah University, Utah State University, Utah Valley University, University of Utah, Weber State University and the following private, non-profit institutions in Utah: Brigham Young University (Provo), Ensign College, Westminster College, and Western Governors University.

Students may defer use of the scholarship to attend a technical college that is part of the Utah System of Higher Education and then transfer to an eligible institution listed above.

Deferment of the Opportunity Scholarship may also be granted for students who plan to provide a religious, humanitarian, or military service, face medical reasons they cannot attend school, or other reasons approved by an eligible institution. Scholarship recipients must coordinate any deferment with individual institutions before departure.

To simplify the scholarships available from the State of Utah and update the previous requirements, the Utah Legislature voted during the 2021 Legislative Session to replace the Regents’ Scholarship and the New Century Scholarship with the Opportunity Scholarship.

These changes will better align the scholarships administered by the Utah System of Higher Education. The three scholarships offered include the need-based Utah Promise Scholarship, the Technical College Scholarship, and the merit-based Opportunity Scholarship. 

The new scholarship has simplified requirements, which are easier for students to follow and understand.

The new scholarship leverages the effectiveness of earning college credit while still in high school. For example, Concurrent Enrollment courses cost $5/credit, are transferable, and are widely available to Utah students.

The new scholarship changes allow for better collaboration between the Utah System of Higher Education and K-12 partners at the Utah State Board of Education to address existing equity gaps.

These scholarship changes also allow for updated achievement-based criteria that are based on data relevant to Utah high school students. 

No, the Opportunity Scholarship is achievement-based and requires students to complete advanced coursework in high school. Completing a FAFSA is required as part of the application process, but federal aid is not considered when determining eligibility.

You can contact the State Scholarship office for more information:

• scholarships@ushe.edu
• (801) 646-4812