PROVO — Cuts in the federal Pell grant program means fewer students are registering for summer school, including at two universities in Utah County.

Utah Valley University has seen record enrollment in fall and winter. But now that Pell grants, which support low-income students, have been cut from three semesters to two, many students are cutting out the summer term.

UVU expects 600 fewer students in the first seven-week session of summer classes than it had last summer, when 11,600 students attended summer school.

"We anticipated this," UVU associate vice president Michelle Taylor told the Daily Herald.

Brigham Young University expected to see a similar decline. Both schools have been trying to boost summer enrollments by offering perks, including discounted tuition.

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June 6 will be Rachel Telladira's last day as a student at East High School. She'll then spend a large part of the summer bagging groceries at Harmons in City Creek, hoping to earn enough money to pay for her first full year at Salt Lake Community College.

More than 20,000 students at UVU and BYU are enrolled in summer classes, which administrators say help keep students on track to finish their degrees.

"It is one of our strategic plans for growth management - the more we can get to go summer, the better they are able to get the classes they need so they can graduate," Taylor said.

At BYU, officials say they want to keep the campus alive during the offseason.

"Like any campus we want to have students here," BYU spokesman Todd Hollingshead said. "In the fall and winter we have a lot more students here, but in the summer, still have the same campus and would love to be available to more students."

Contributing: The Associated Press

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