Utah State University’s Old Main in winter. Photo courtesy of Utah State University.
In January when colleges open application portals, Utah students applying to any Utah public college or university will no longer be required to pay an application fee.
In a vote Friday, the state’s Board of Higher Education eliminated the application fee. The board’s decision is meant to be permanent. Other states have tried this idea to encourage students to apply, but it lasted for only a few weeks.
Vice Chair of the board Steve Neeleman said this decision was motivated by the state’s focus on making college more affordable.
The board’s vote was unanimous and it paves the way for Utah to become one of the first in the country to waive application fees for in-state students.
Current in-state application fees range from Salt Lake Community College’s $20 to $55 at the University of Utah. Previously, Southern Utah University was Utah’s only public school not charging a fee.
Beginning with the new year, in-state students can apply for free to Utah Valley University, Utah State University, Utah Tech University, the University of Utah, Weber State University, Southern Utah University, Snow College and Salt Lake Community College. Also waiving application fees will be the state’s technical colleges.
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