Understanding Utah State University Academic Scholarship Requirements

At Utah State University (USU), a commitment to academic excellence is rewarded through a variety of scholarships designed to make higher education accessible and affordable. USU recognizes that financing a college education is a significant concern for many students and their families. With scholarships for a wide range of achievements, dedication can help lower the cost of college. Excellent grades and test scores help save on tuition. Understanding the requirements and opportunities associated with these scholarships is crucial for prospective and current students.

Automatic Consideration for Academic Awards

When applying for admission to USU, students are automatically considered for academic scholarships. Unlike academic awards where students are automatically considered when applying to USU, non-academic scholarships require separate applications and have varying deadlines. Once admitted, it's important to submit the USU General Scholarship Application.

Financial Aid and Support

In addition to scholarships, federal financial aid such as grants, loans, and work-study can help bridge the gap between finances and what's needed to accomplish academic goals. To receive federal financial aid-including grants, loans, or work-study-students must complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) by the published deadlines.

USU also provides resources to help students manage their finances. Utah State’s Student Money Management Center helps build a budget, explore ways to save, and feel confident about paying for college. Additionally, Utah State employs more than 5,000 students. Because the university is like a small city, there are a ton of jobs to apply for. To easily view and apply for Aggie-only jobs and off-campus employment, use AGGIE Handshake. Once you’re an Aggie, you’re automatically set up with a scholarship profile.

Scholarship Types and Eligibility for First-Year Students

Incoming first-year students will be awarded an academic scholarship based on high school GPA and ACT/SAT test scores. SAT taken after March 2016 will use the evidence-based reading and writing, and math (ERW+M) scores for scholarship consideration (based upon 1600 scale). Unweighted GPA is calculated on a 4.0 scale.

USU offers an ACT for admissions/scholarships and the scores from the USU ACT On-Campus can only be used at Utah State University. However, these scores will count towards scholarships and admissions.

Here's a breakdown of the resident scholarships available to qualifying first-year students:

Resident Presidential Scholarship: This scholarship covers full tuition and student body fees for 4 years and also pays 100% of Student Body Fees and any differential tuition charges. It is awarded to first-time, first-year students who meet scholarship parameters and apply for admission to USU by the scholarship priority deadline. Students must be in the 96-100 scholarship index.
Resident Deans Scholarship: This scholarship provides $7,000 per year for 4 years and also pays any differential tuition charges.
Resident Scholar Scholarship: This scholarship provides $5,000 per year for 4 years.

Read also: Understanding Utah GPA Requirements
Resident Merit Scholarship: This scholarship provides $3,500 per year for 4 years.
Resident Land Grant Scholarship: This scholarship provides $2,500 per year for 4 years.
Resident Trustee Scholarship: This scholarship provides $1,500 per year for 4 years.

For nonresident students, USU offers several scholarship opportunities designed to reduce the financial burden of out-of-state tuition:

Nonresident Presidential Scholarship: This scholarship covers full tuition and student body fees for 4 years and also pays 100% of Student Body Fees and any differential tuition charges. Students must establish Utah residency after the first year to receive a tuition reduction in subsequent years.

Read also: Health Insurance for U of U Students
Nonresident Deans Scholarship: This is a 2-year award, providing $24,000 for the first year and $7,000 for the second year. This award also pays any differential tuition charges. Students must establish Utah residency after the first year to receive a tuition reduction in subsequent years.
Nonresident Scholar: This is a 1-year award that waives the nonresident portion of tuition, allowing students to pay in-state, resident tuition rates for the first year. Students must establish Utah residency after the first year to receive a tuition reduction in subsequent years.
Nonresident Merit: This is a 1-year award valued at $11,500. Students must establish Utah residency after the first year to receive a tuition reduction in subsequent years.
100-Mile Radius: This is a 1-year award valued at $11,500. Students must establish Utah residency after the first year to receive a tuition reduction in subsequent years.

Scholarship Opportunities for Transfer Students

Students transferring to Utah State University will be considered for academic scholarships. Students with 24 completed college credits (including concurrent enrollment) will be offered an academic scholarship based upon transfer GPA. Several scholarships are available for resident transfer students:

Resident Transfer Provost Scholarship: This scholarship provides $5,500 per year for 2 years and also pays any differential tuition charges.
Resident Transfer Deans Scholarship: This scholarship provides $5,000 per year for 2 years and also pays any differential tuition charges.
Resident Transfer Scholar Scholarship: This scholarship provides $4,000 per year for 2 years.
Resident Transfer Merit Scholarship: This scholarship provides $2,500 per year for 2 years.

Nonresident transfer students also have access to scholarships designed to ease the transition and lower tuition costs:

Nonresident Transfer Provost Scholarship: This is a 2-year award, providing $24,000 for the first year and $5,000 for the second year. Students must establish Utah residency after the first year to receive a tuition reduction in subsequent years.
Nonresident Transfer Merit Scholarship: This is a 1-year award valued at $11,500. Students must establish Utah residency after the first year to receive a tuition reduction in subsequent years.
Nonresident Transfer 100 Mile Radius scholarship: This is a 1-year award valued at $11,500. Students must establish Utah residency after the first year to receive a tuition reduction in subsequent years.

Maintaining Scholarship Eligibility

Students who are offered an academic scholarship by the Admissions Office and accept it will abide by the following terms and conditions. Some scholarships offered by the Admissions Office are available for multiple years. To retain these awards, 24 credits must be earned between fall and spring semesters. To meet this requirement, students are encouraged to enroll full-time (12-18 credits) each semester. To accommodate course registration, these awards will pay at 9+ credits. Students receiving a scholarship should refer to their scholarship notification for detailed information on the number of credits required to maintain their scholarship.

Additional Scholarship and Tuition Reduction Programs

Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE)

The Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) is a program for undergraduate students that allows nonresident students to pay 150% of resident tuition. The program is filled on a yearly basis beginning with fall semester and is set for a maximum of 8 semesters. Students receiving the WUE will not receive a 'scholarship' or 'waiver'; instead, their residency code will be changed, and the student will be charged a WUE tuition rate (at 150% of resident tuition).

WUE is available to students attending Logan, Statewide, and Southeast Campuses (USU Eastern, Blanding, Moab). Pacific Territory: Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, California, Colorado, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, Republic of Marshall Islands, Republic of Palau, South Dakota, Washington, and Wyoming.

Transfer students qualifying for the WUE+ will receive $5,000 per year in addition to the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) savings.

Opportunity Scholarship

The Opportunity Scholarship is a merit-based scholarship. It is important to note that information provided is subject to change due to legislative or administrative actions. If there is not enough funding to award all students during the legislative session, those who have met the priority deadline may be given priority. These requirements were created after examining recent Utah high school graduates’ data to identify the top college success predictors.

To apply for the Opportunity Scholarship, students must apply during their senior year of high school by completing the following steps:

Submit the Online Application: Fill out and submit the online scholarship application to be considered.
Complete the FAFSA: Submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

The Opportunity Scholarship requirements include:

Earn a 3.3 cumulative high school GPA
Complete 3 advanced courses (Important: not all AP, IB, or CE courses count. A course may meet graduation requirements but not qualify for the scholarship. Students must carefully review the list of eligible courses to confirm their selections.)
Complete 1 Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), or Concurrent Enrollment (CE) course in each of these core areas of high school graduation:
- Math Core Code 07
- Science Core Code 08
- Language Arts Core Code 06
Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
Graduate from a Utah high school
Meet all application deadlines

Three advanced courses must be completed in grades 9-12 and must be completed before high school graduation. Please note, scholarship course requirements may not align with graduation requirements. Eligible courses are Concurrent Enrollment (CE), Advanced Placement (AP), or International Baccalaureate (IB) level courses that align to a USBE core code starting with “06” (Language Arts), “07” (Mathematics), and “08” (Science).

For CE classes, it is recommended to use the Concurrent Enrollment Master List (core code listed) to find acceptable courses. Look for courses with the appropriate core code (06, 07, or 08). Courses that align with other subject areas will not be accepted. Students will need to work with their high school to find out which courses are available at their school. This list is not comprehensive. Please contact the USU scholarship office if there are questions about specific courses.

A maximum award amount will be determined based on available funding and the number of qualified applicants. Awards may be used toward the cost of tuition and general student fees after other state aid is applied, so individual semester awards will vary. Students must be admitted and degree-seeking to be eligible for an award.

Deferment and Leave of Absence Policies

Deferment must be processed through the Office of Admissions. To hold a scholarship, students must file for a notification of leave. A Notification of Leave is for current USU students who need to take a leave of absence from the university. When a notification of leave is approved, the scholarship will be placed on hold until the student returns to USU.

Yes, all Opportunity Scholarship recipients must either be currently enrolled at an eligible institution for consecutive fall and spring/winter semesters or obtain an approved deferment/leave of absence from the institution that they are attending. Deferments of leaves of absence are generally approved for:

Military service
Major medical issues
Humanitarian or religious service

Deferment requests for reasons such as traveling or attending an out-of-state institution are generally not approved. Each institution has its own deferment and leave of absence procedures with specific deadlines.

Additional Considerations

Tuition Coverage: In general, tuition can only be covered once. If the student has been offered tuition-based academic scholarships or waivers covering in total more than 100% tuition, they will contact Student Financial Support to discuss their options. This scholarship is not a cash award.
Transfer Credits: USU accepts concurrent enrollment credits for admissions to USU and will try to match credits with courses at USU. The process of finding a course-to-course equivalent is called articulation. If no course match is found, students will receive elective credit for their previous course work.
Scholarship Revocation: This scholarship may be revoked should the student attend another institution of higher education.
Enrollment Deposit: Accept a scholarship by paying or postponing your enrollment deposit, or by deferring your admission. A deferral is for admitted students who have not started classes at USU. Submitting a deferral accepts scholarships offered by USU Admissions and confirms your intent to enroll in a future semester.
Establishing Utah Residency: Some incoming first-year students might prefer to establish Utah residency for tuition purposes. Students must establish Utah residency after the first year to receive the in-state tuition rate for subsequent years.

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