Every figure is for a student starting in fall 2027. We work each one out again whenever we update the site.
Paying for college in Utah
What the state and its colleges give families, who gets it, and how to apply.
From the state
- Opportunity Scholarship: Utah high school graduates with a 3.3 GPA and three advanced courses
From the colleges
Merit scholarships set by grades. At this college, a student who meets the terms is sure to get one.
| College | Utah students | From other states |
|---|---|---|
| Utah State | $1,500 to $5,000 a year, from a 3.5 GPA | See below |
The other 4 colleges award scholarships on other terms. Each is in the table below.
Promises on aid at Westminster.
Across state lines
Students from the other western states pay no more than 150% of resident tuition at Southern Utah, Utah and Utah State. An Utah student can do the same in those states. The Western Undergraduate Exchange ↓
What would each college cost your family?
See all 5 Utah colleges priced for your income, and the aid your student could get.
See costs at your income →Already have a list? Put your schools side by side →
Get reminders for the dates that matter
We'll email you on the dates that matter: when the FAFSA opens, when award letters arrive, and before you choose a college and pay the first bill. If college is two or more years away, we'll also email you when the tax year that counts begins and when it has a month left.
From the state
Utah's programs. Most come through the FAFSA or the state's own aid application; a few have their own.
Opportunity Scholarship
For Utah high school graduates with a 3.3 GPA and three advanced courses, one each in math, science and language arts. The class of 2026 can get up to $800 a semester for four semesters. The amount is set for each class, and the class of 2027's is not set yet.
Source: Utah System of Higher Education
“The Opportunity Scholarship is a simplified, statewide, achievement-based program that encourages students to complete advanced courses in core subject areas while in high school, aims to make higher education more accessible, and rewards students for preparing academically for college.”
“Earn a 3.3 cumulative high school GPA Complete 3 advanced courses (see next question for more details about eligible 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 Language Arts”
“Students who are part of the graduating class of 2026 may receive a maximum of $800 per semester for up to four semesters ($3,200 total), subject to maintaining eligibility.”
From the colleges
What each college gives for grades, what it promises on aid, and its full price.
| College | Merit scholarships | Promise on aid | Full price a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brigham Young University private | None published | — | $19,461 |
| Southern Utah University public |
| — | $18,451 |
| University of Utah public |
| — | $32,216 |
| Utah State University public |
| — | $20,256 |
| Westminster University private | None published | The Westminster Commitment — tuition for four years, for Utah students with a family income below $100,000 | $66,693 |
* The finder and our college comparison show this scholarship when you enter your student's GPA.
Each college's page has a promise's conditions, in the college's own words. “Worth asking about” marks a program the college describes in words that stop short of a promise.
Full price: tuition and fees, housing and food, and books; in state at a public university. What your family would pay after grants depends on your income: the finder shows it.
Across state lines
The Western Undergraduate Exchange, run by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education.
Coming to Utah from another western state
Students from the other western states pay no more than 150% of resident tuition at the public colleges that take part. Each college sets its own rules: a minimum GPA, majors it leaves out, early deadlines, or a limit on how many students get the rate.
In Utah, Southern Utah, Utah and Utah State take part, and the table shows what each gives. Utah's community colleges are on the list too, along with Utah Tech, Utah Valley and Weber State, whose main degree is not the bachelor's. This page covers colleges whose main degree is.
Going from Utah to another western state
An Utah student can use it the other way, at public colleges in the other western states. The group that runs the exchange has a savings finder that lists each college and what the exchange saves there.
Source: Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE)
“pay no more than 150% of the institution’s resident tuition rate”
“Residents of the following states and territories are eligible to apply for WUE: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawai’i, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, as well as American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam.”
“Each school administers WUE differently: Institutions may require a minimum GPA, exclude selected majors, have early application deadlines, and/or limit the number of students awarded the WUE rate.”
Paying the rest
Our $99 plan works out which money pays each bill, semester by semester: your savings, your 529 and your loans, in the order that costs least.
Build your plan →Best once your award letter arrives. No letter yet? Get a reminder when it does.
How we worked these out
Costs: each college's own published price where it has one, otherwise the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, carried forward to fall 2027. Grants: each program’s own page. Scholarships: each college's own page, read by us and checked against it. SmartTuition.ai is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any institution named here.