College Scholarships for Utah Students
Christen Arafeh 
With the crippling student debt crisis, Utah colleges are a great choice for your wallet, ranking #1 for having the least amount of student loan debt.
College Scholarships in Utah
If you don’t mind your college experience including a bit of snow, Utah is the place to go! The Beehive State gives you the most bang for your buck. With the student debt crisis getting worse every year, Utah colleges are a great choice for your wallet. Utah is ranked #1 as far as the least amount of student loan debt with Utah graduates having only $16,633 on average in the class of 2019. Only 32% of those Utah graduates had student debt at all, which is considerably lower than, say, east coast students. Utah’s high school graduation rate hovered around 88% in 2020, though not everyone goes directly into college right after graduation. In fact, in 2018, only 46% of the graduating class enrolled in college right away! This is probably because of the high population of Mormons in the state, who tend to go on and serve a religious mission after high school.
As for Utah’s top schools, Brigham Young University in Provo holds the highest national ranking at #80. While BYU is dominated by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, nonmembers are also welcome to the school. The relatively cheap price tag and great sports programs makes it a great option for any Utah graduate! Other notable universities include the University of Utah and Utah State University. The University of Utah is right in Salt Lake City and a rival of BYU in sports. Utah State University is another public school in Salt Lake City, known for its engineering and other prestigious STEM programs. Each of the Utah schools has considerably reduced tuition compared to West Coast schools. If you’re still worried about the bills, here’s a few scholarships for Utah students:
Award Amount: $2,500/ year ($10,000 total)
Deadline: April 20, 2021
Eligibility: Must be a current high school senior in eligible areas (Salt Lake County, Utah/ Orange County, California/ Puerto Rico) or child of an Edwards Lifesciences employee, plan to enroll in full-time undergraduate study at an accredited two- or four-year college or university for the entire upcoming academic year pursuing a bachelor’s degree in a STEM field, be a U.S. citizen or legal resident, demonstrate financial need, maintain a GPA of at least 3.0 for scholarship renewal
Description: The Edwards Lifesciences Programs aims to “increase access to higher education and to promote careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).” They award twelve scholarships to high school seniors in eligible counties (listed above). The application requires a current, complete transcript of grades; it can be unofficial or official, but it must show your name, your school’s name, your grades, and the credits hours and terms you took each course. One online recommendation has to be submitted on your behalf by April 23rd. As far as what they’re looking for in an applicant, criteria include “academic record, demonstrated leadership and participation in school and community activities, honors, work experience, statement of goals and aspirations, unusual personal or family circumstances, and an outside appraisal.”
Award Amount: Varies
Deadline: April 20, 2021
Eligibility: Be a single mother, be a resident of Utah, be a graduate of an accredited high school, have realistic and attainable educational goals, demonstrate financial need
Description: The Live Your Dream Foundation is geared specifically toward single mothers in Utah, so if you’ve just become a mother in high school or are a mother considering going back to college, this is the scholarship for you. Along with the general application form, you must provide personal financial information, your personal story, a college transcript or proof of admission, and a letter of recommendation.
Award Amount: Varies
Deadline: April 30, 2021
Eligibility: Utah resident or Utah student, graduating high school seniors who will be attending college full-time in fall of 2021, legally blind, full-time college or graduate student, must be available to attend National Federation of the Blind of Utah from June 3-5, enrolled full-time in an accredited two-year/ four-year/ graduate college or university program
Description: The National Federation of the Blind of Utah awards five scholarships per cycle to Utah high school or college students. This program is based on their “investment in the future of blind people who demonstrate scholastic aptitude, leadership, and service.” Along with your online application, you must email supplemental documents to a member of the NFBU Scholarship Committee. Additional documents include a personal essay introducing yourself to the scholarship committee. This is a personal statement where you need to talk about your interests, aspirations, personal experiences, and what has shaped you as a person. A current letter of recommendation and a copy of your unofficial transcripts are also required.
Award Amount: $1,000 grand prize, $500 to two semi-finalists
Deadline: Open on a rolling basis
Eligibility: Self-identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or a Person of Color, live in eligible states (Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, or a Tribal Nation in the region), are enrolled at least half-time as an undergraduate at a college/university/ technical school/ vocational institution in Spring 2021 academic year.
Description: The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance as an organization seeks “to advance access to Utah’s public lands and provide education on the issues at the heart of our mission to preserve and protect Utah wilderness.” The essay contest includes a 750-1250 word essay that addresses the current prompt, which changes seasonally. The essay must draw from your own experience and “connect the dots between fundamental social issues and the need for broadscale land protection.” Along with the essay, you must include your school identification information and a short paragraph to serve as a “Statement of Need.”
Do any of these scholarships look a little tedious? Not everyone has time to write a special essay between school, work, family obligations, and whatever else you have going on. Luckily, there are services like our 5 Day Scholarship Accelerator that are here to help! Rather than go through and individually apply to a couple of scholarships, this service walks you through the application process and teaches you how to apply to dozens of scholarships in a fraction of the time. You’ll definitely find a way to pay!
Categories: state scholarships
About the Author
Christen is the founder of Hive Education. She is passionate about helping families navigate the college application and admissions processes. She helps students set goals to work towards their own debt-free degrees with her personalized scholarship searches, scholarship courses, and by sharing her scholarship strategies that won her over $900,000 in for her own college education. With four years of experience in higher education, two years working with teens in inner city high schools in New Orleans, and starting her first college consulting company during a pandemic in 2020 she strives to make college accessible for everyone, especially for first generation, low income, and minority students. In her spare time she loves to share her love for books with her daughters. You can find her on Facebook.
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