Over half of Utah high school seniors miss out on possible financial aid chances
For the third year in a row, Utah has the highest percentage of high school graduates who didn’t complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) — 55%. According to an analysis by NerdWallet, Utah seniors missed out on an estimated $36 million of Pell Grant aid (no repayment required) as they moved on […]
StepUp to Higher Education 2016-17 Annual Report: College prep message reaching more Utah students than ever
StepUp to Higher Education—an initiative from the State of Utah—is Utah’s go-to source for college-readiness information, including resources for preparing and paying for college, searching and applying for scholarships, and earning college credit in high school. StepUp is the primary outreach program of the Board of Regents to high school students and parents on college […]
New report: Utah student debt still lowest in the nation
A new report from the Project on Student Debt shows Utah continues to be the top-ranked state for low student debt. Utah is the only state with the average student debt less than $20,000. Utah is also the top ranked state for the lowest percentage of graduates with student debt at 43 percent, one of […]
UESP kicks off Make Your Mark scholarship contest
Winners of bookmark design competition will receive $1,000 scholarship accounts The Utah Educational Savings Plan (UESP) and StepUp to Higher Education will celebrate National College Savings Month in September by sponsoring the annual UESP Make Your Mark bookmark design contest. Eight Utah students in kindergarten through grade 12 each will receive a $1,000 college savings […]
Issue Brief: Developmental Education in Utah
The number of high school students who enroll in college after graduation has been on the rise the past several years. Many students, however, are surprised when they take placement tests and must enroll in developmental courses. This detour from college-level courses can be costly in terms of both time and money. Unfortunately, it often […]
Average student debt in Utah continues to be lowest in nation
LendEdu recently released student loan debt statistics for the class of 2016, and Utah continues to have the lowest average student debt in the country at $18,810 (compared to the national average of $27,975). In fact, Utah was the only state in the nation with an average student debt load under $20,000. Utah also has the lowest […]
Governor Herbert meets with regents, trustees and presidents
The Board of Regents, Boards of Trustees and presidents from all eight USHE institutions recently participated in a joint meeting of higher education leaders to discuss some of Utah’s most pressing higher education issues. This once-a-year coordinating meeting occurs in conjunction with the Regents’ regularly-scheduled July meeting. Governor Herbert also attended a portion of the […]
New report: 30M good jobs that pay without a BA (but many still require college)
Although the decline in the manufacturing economy eliminated many good jobs for high school graduates, new research from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce (Georgetown Center) finds that there are currently 30 million good jobs in the U.S. that pay well without a bachelor’s degree (B.A.). These good jobs have a median […]
How are tuition waivers used across USHE?
What are tuition waivers? Tuition waivers are a type of financial aid used to help students pay for college. Student aid—a critical part of keeping college affordable—comes in many forms, including federal grants and scholarships. From a student perspective, all student aid serves the same purpose: reducing the out-of-pocket amount a student must pay for […]
Analyzing Utah’s college participation and completion patterns
In 2016, the Board of Regents adopted a 10-year strategic plan, Utah: A State of Opportunity, which includes two specific goals related to students’ participation and completion of higher education: 75% of Utah’s high school graduates would enroll in college within five years of high school graduation by the year 2025 Degree productivity at institutions […]
