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SALT LAKE CITY — The best and brightest students in four Utah school districts will now be granted guaranteed admission notices from the University of Utah through a new program called Utah Direct.
High school seniors from Canyons, Granite, Davis and Provo school districts with a GPA of at least 3.5 won't have to play the often agonizing waiting game associated with applying to college. Instead, qualifying students will be sent a letter in the fall guaranteeing their admission once they apply to the state's flagship institution.
The university estimates around 5,000 Utah high schoolers will be eligible for guaranteed admission. Enrollment data for the fall 2023 semester showed that 71% of undergraduates are Utah residents.
"We know the act of just applying to college can be daunting," said Steve Robinson, vice provost for enrollment management at the U. "Hopefully letting students know their admission to the U. is guaranteed before they even apply will reduce anxiety about the admissions process and help them feel better about going to college."
The program plants the seed of attending the U. when students enter ninth grade and is part of larger outreach efforts to "help more Utah students see themselves at the university," according to a release from the U.
Correspondence between the university and the students will ramp up throughout their high school careers:
- Ninth grade: All students receive letters in the fall, welcoming them to high school and encouraging them to explore classes they like.
- 10th grade: Students with a GPA of 3.0 or higher receive a fall letter encouraging them to keep working hard and identify their interests while working on graduation requirements.
- 11th grade: Students with a GPA of 3.5 or higher receive a fall letter with advice on preparing for college and keeping their academic performance strong. Students with a GPA of 3.2-3.5 receive a letter with advice for strengthening their academic profile and preparing for college. Both groups receive a spring letter encouraging them to look ahead to making college plans.
- 12th grade: Students with a GPA of 3.5 or higher who satisfy course requirements receive a fall letter guaranteeing their admission to the University of Utah if they apply. Students with a GPA of 3.2-3.5 who satisfy course requirements are encouraged to apply early and make their application thorough.
"Utah Direct is a really powerful message to our most at-risk students," said Ben Horsley, Granite School District superintendent. "The message is, 'We see the great work that you're doing, you have incredible potential and we'd love to see you become a member of this fine institution and brighten your future.'"
In addition to monitoring students' grade point averages, district high school counselors will make sure students who receive letters from the U. are also completing the core credits required for graduation. Students who get a guaranteed admissions letter will still need to apply to the school, as the U. doesn't receive the students' information.
Furthermore, applications are still required for students to be considered for scholarships.
Reaching rural Utah
While the Utah Direct program is currently being tested in some of Utah's larger school districts, the university is also taking steps to increase opportunities for students in the rural reaches of the Beehive State.
The new Arches Scholarship program will provide students who have a 4.0 GPA in counties that are classified as at least 25% rural by the U.'s Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute with $15,000 in scholarships per year and an additional $13,700 for their first year if they live in university housing.
"We want to help students in rural Utah have easier access to a University of Utah degree," Robinson said.
To receive the scholarship, students must be a Utah resident, first-time freshman, and have an unweighted cumulative 4.0 GPA from a public high school in one of the following counties:
- Beaver
- Box Elder
- Carbon
- Daggett
- Duchesne
- Emery
- Garfield
- Iron
- Juab
- Kane
- Millard
- Morgan
- Piute
- Rich
- San Juan
- Sanpete
- Sevier
- Uintah
- Wasatch
- Wayne
