Utah Teacher Scholarships: A Comprehensive Guide to Requirements and Opportunities

For individuals aspiring to shape young minds and contribute to the educational landscape of Utah, numerous scholarships and financial aid programs are available. These initiatives aim to support future educators in their academic pursuits and alleviate the financial burden associated with higher education. This article provides a detailed overview of various Utah teacher scholarships, outlining their requirements, eligibility criteria, and application processes.

Utah Fits All Scholarship Program

One notable program is the Utah Fits All Scholarship, designed to provide educational opportunities for K-12 students in Utah. All Utah K-12 students are eligible to participate, but funding is currently capped at $82.5 million, limiting how many can participate to approximately 10,000 students at a given time. For the 2025-2026 school year, scholarships are valued at $8,000. Homeschooled students between ages 5 and 11 will receive $4,000, and homeschooled students between ages 12 and 18 will receive $6,000. Participants may roll over two-thirds of their unspent funds each year. Legislation passed in 2025 added limits to this program, capping an extracurricular expense at 20% of the student’s ESA value and a physical education expense at 20% of the student’s ESA value.

Approved uses include tuition and fees of a qualifying provider, tutoring services, testing fees, individual classes and activities, educational materials and curriculum costs, educational applications and software, extracurricular opportunities, and textbooks. Other approved uses include: services and therapies for students with disabilities including occupational, behavioral, physical, audiology, and speech-language pathologies; fees for after-school or summer education programs; contracted services including individual classes and extracurricular activities from a local education agency (public school); fee-for-service transportation; coursework or supplements for arts and music that align with state core standards; musical instrument rental; fees for national norm-referenced assessments, AP examinations, state-recognized industry certification examinations, and examinations related to college or university admissions.

A participant may not buy computer hardware or another technological device intended for their educational needs more often than once every three years.

Legal Challenges and Support

In May 2024, a lawsuit was filed by Utah’s largest teachers’ union challenging the program and remains ongoing. The Partnership for Educational Choice, a joint project between EdChoice and Institute for Justice, intervened in defense of the program on behalf of parents who benefit from the program. Legislation to create the program was passed with referendum proof votes in the legislature, preventing a ballot initiative to recall the program.

Teachers Test Prep Scholarship

Teachers Test Prep offers scholarships to aspiring educators enrolled in a teacher preparation program in the US for the upcoming academic year and be able to demonstrate financial need. All finalists receive a $100 Amazon gift card and one year of free access to any of our Core Plus Online Prep Programs to help them pass the credentialing exams required by their state. We offer these programs for the CBEST, CPACE, CSET, edTPA, FTCE, ParaPro, Praxis, RICA and TExES.

Applications for our scholarships are currently closed, and the program is on hiatus for 2025-2026. Applications for our 2027 scholarships will open in January.

Application Process

The application process involves recording a video no longer than six minutes in which you tell us your story. Note: You can use this handy checklist to ensure you satisfy all parts of the application. In particular, before you send your video link, make sure that it works and can be accessed by an outside party. There are no restrictions. Recipients have complete discretion in how to use funds. Applications generally open at the start of January and close around the end of July. If you do not receive it, check your spam folder.

Select Teachers Test Prep staff members will review all applications and choose approximately five to ten finalists. Each application is considered holistically, but the largest determining factor is the strength of the applicant's story. All finalists will be asked to provide evidence of financial need. A common way of doing this is showing a current Federal Student Aid document. Applications with videos over 6 minutes long will be automatically disqualified.

Crafting a Compelling Story

Applicants are encouraged to share their unique stories and experiences in their video submissions. There are no restrictions. Recipients have complete discretion in how to use funds.

Consider including details such as:

What were you like before you encountered the teacher who inspired you?
What was a key difficulty you had, or something you were struggling with?
Who was your teacher? What was the setting in which you encountered him/her?
What changed in you, or for you, as a result of this teacher?
How did you feel after learning from this teacher? Was there a "domino effect"?
What kind of teacher do you want to be for your students? What effect do you want to have on them?

Video Production Tips

No. Just make sure we can see and hear you clearly.
Check that the sound is clear and audible. If you recorded your video on your phone, take the time to listen to it on a computer as well. Noises in the background such as people talking or cars going by can be extremely distracting to viewers.
If you’re filming yourself speaking, think about where you’re going to record. Everything which we see on camera communicates a message. Consider where you want to position the camera in relation to yourself. Straight or eye-level shots have the most neutral effect, so can be a good choice if you want the viewer to focus on what you’re saying.
If anybody else features in your video, including in photos, make sure that you’ve obtained their permission.
No. While we realize that people can learn from both positive and negative experiences, as an organization that supports aspiring educators, our goal with this scholarship is to highlight the ways teachers enrich their students’ lives.

College of Education (COE) Awards at the University of Utah

The College of Education (COE) at the University of Utah offers a variety of awards and scholarships to students pursuing degrees in education. Completing this application will allow you to be considered for a majority of the College of Education (COE) awards. Students should apply to the COE general application first and then review the individual department opportunities to verify they meet the eligibility requirements and then apply to each of those separately.

Eligibility and Application Questions

The general application includes questions regarding:

What level of degree will you be pursuing during the 2026-2027 academic year?
Which College of Education program are you pursuing?
Date in which you were (or anticipate being) admitted to the program you identified above:
Are you pursuing a degree with teacher licensure in the College of Education at the University of Utah?
If you are an undergraduate student, what year are you currently in?
If you are in the Secondary Teacher Education Program, please check the appropriate box(es) to indicate your major and minor from the following list.
Are you pursuing the University of Utah's ESL/Bilingual teaching minor or endorsement?
Is English your second Language? If so, please provide additional information.
Are you fluent in Spanish?
Some scholarships are only available to currently practicing educators to improve their skills. If you are a currently licensed K-12 educator and want to be considered for these awards, list the school and district where you are currently employed:
Are you a current practicing elementary, secondary or special education teacher or a teacher education candidate that will enroll in course work focusing on meeting the needs of students who are "at risk" for school failure?
Will you be attending classes full time in the summer?
Are you a single parent?
If you would like to be considered for the M. Lynn and Katherine S. Bennion Scholarship, please share information regarding your commitment to teach in schools serving a high concentration of low-income families.
If you wish to be considered for The Maestros Para Los Niños Endowed Scholarship, please explain how you are serving or working with the Latinx community? If not, write "does not apply".
If you are pursuing a degree in Secondary Education and are applying to the John Vernon Harry and Shizuko Nakagawa Harry Scholarship, please write a one-page essay about an influential secondary school teacher. If not, write "does not apply".
If you would like to be considered for the R. Gene and Christine S. Ball Scholarship, please share information regarding your future plans and willingness to work in rural areas.
If you would like to be considered for the Faye and Charlotte Bryner Scholarship, please indicate if you are a Native American or non-American (from another country) graduate student and will only work up to 20 hours a week.
Are your professional plans to work in education in the Native American community?
If you would like to be considered for the J. George Jones, Jr. & Velma Rife Jones Memorial Fund Scholarship, please indicate that you are a fulltime student and will only work up to 20 hours a week.
To be considered for the Marjean Larson Ballard Scholarship, is the primary purpose of your program of study to not obtain an administrative degree?
To be considered for the Mark & Connie Woodland Endowed Scholarship, please explain your educational and professional goals.
Are you interested in being conisidered for the Terrel H. Bell Scholarship Program?
Have you previously been awarded the TH Bell?
Have you previously been awarded the TH Bell Teaching Scholarship?
If you have received the TH Bell Teaching Scholarship before, what was the most recent semester and year you received it?

Required Documents

The College of Education requires three (3) letters of recommendation from people that can speak to your academic performance and/or professional attributes (family members are excluded). The College of Education requires three (3) letters of recommendation from people that can speak to your academic performance and/or professional attributes (family members are excluded). Please upload a copy of your unofficial transcript.

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