State college scholarship applications available online

Published: Monday, Nov. 22 2010 3:54 p.m. MST

Summary

SALT LAKE CITY — The applications for two state college scholarships are now available online.

Graduating high school seniors headed to state schools can apply for either the Regents' Scholarship or the New Century Scholarship. The programs have slightly different requirements and payouts after being tweaked last year by the Legislature.

To earn the one-time, $1,000 base award of the Regents' Scholarship, students must complete a core course of study with a 3.0 grade point average. For an additional award of up to $5,000, students need a 3.5 GPA, with no core course grades lower than a B and an ACT score of 26. That additional award can be renewed each semester for up to two years by maintaining a 3.0 GPA. The additional part of the Regents Scholarship is worth up to $1,250 per semester, for a total of $5,000 over two years.

Students with a Utah Educational Savings Plan account can earn another one-time $400.

Those who apply by Dec. 20 will have first priority for the Regents' Scholarship. The final deadline is Feb. 1.

The New Century Scholarship is for students who take a rigorous course of study to earn an associate's degree while still in high school. Starting in fall 2011, the award will be a set dollar amount instead of the previous 75 percent of tuition. The maximum amount is $1,250 per semester.

A minimum GPA of 3.5, or 26 on the ACT for home-schooled students, is required for that scholarship. The deadline is Feb. 1.

The Legislature tightened requirements after funding initially came up $1.7 million short for the roughly 2,000 New Century recipients in 2009-10. In addition, students can no longer "double-dip" by getting both scholarships.

This year, the scholarships covered 70 percent of tuition. The state Board of Regents, which oversees higher education, is requesting $7.4 million to fund them in 2011-12. They also plan to talk with legislators about possibly merging the two scholarships.

To apply, go to www.higheredutah.org/scholarship_info.

— Paul Koepp

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