The state Board of Regents is one step closer to approving guidelines for a Regents' Scholarship program, which was created through the Legislature's passage of SB180.

The regents reviewed the proposed policy for the scholarship program during their meeting Friday morning in Salt Lake City.

"I think it will make a huge difference for students, for the workforce and for the education of the community," said regent Janet Cannon, of Salt Lake City.

The legislation was sponsored by Sen. Lyle Hillyard, R-Logan, and Rep. Mark Walker, R-Sandy.

The Legislature appropriated $500,000 in one-time funds and $400,000 in ongoing funds for the scholarship program. The Regents are to establish clear policies to ensure that the scholarship funds are distributed in an efficient and equitable manner.

Regents plan to discuss a final draft of the policy during their next meeting, May 30 at Weber State University.

There are different levels of the scholarship program, with varying requirements and resulting monetary awards.

• The Regents' Scholarship is a $1,000 base scholarship is for students who complete the 22-credit Utah Scholars core course of study. For details go to www.utahscholars.org.

Applicants must also have a GPA of 3.0 or higher; take the ACT; pass the Utah Basic Skills Competency Test; provide proof of U.S. citizenship; and not have a criminal record except for misdemeanor traffic citations.

• The Exemplary Academic Achievement Scholarship pays 75 percent of the tuition costs for up to two years of full-time enrollment. This scholarship is for students with a GPA of 3.5 or higher and an ACT score of 26 or higher.

These two scholarships can be used at state or nonprofit private colleges and universities in Utah, including Brigham Young University, Westminster College and LDS Business College.

• An Academic Competitiveness Grant may be awarded to Pell grant-eligible students if they take a rigorous program of study in high school. The grant awards up to $750 for the first year of college and $1,300 for the second year of college.

All of the scholarship recipients must enroll full time within 12 months of high school graduation. However, the recipient can apply for a leave of absence. The exemption process is relatively easy and can be done online. Many exemption applicants are those leaving for religious missions, said Dave Doty, assistant commissioner with the Utah System of Higher Education.

According to the regents' proposed policy, the goal of the scholarship program is to encourage students to take a rigorous curriculum in order to be better prepared for college and careers; provide incentives for students to prepare for college; and increase participation of disadvantaged students.

Michael Benson, president of Southern Utah University, said he hopes the program encourages high school juniors and seniors who sometimes decide to take it easy toward the end.

"This gets them to think of a rigorous program and offers them incentive with scholarship money," Benson said. "I can't think of a better way to get them motivated."

Utah State University president Stan Albrecht said he hopes even more funding will come from the state for the scholarship so "more students can take advantage of it."

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