State Merit Scholarship

First-year, first-time students who are a permanent residents of a WUE eligible state or territory (Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, California, Colorado, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Oregon, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Republic of Palau, South Dakota, Washington, or Wyoming) and who are receiving the WUE Tuition Discount; 3.60 or higher unweighted, cumulative GPA at the time of application to the U

$3,000 per academic year ($1,500 per semester for fall and spring semesters)

General eligibility applies to first-year, first-time students who have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.60 at the time of application and are permanent residents of a WUE eligible state or territory and must be receiving the WUE Tuition Discount in order to be eligible for this award.

University merit scholarships at The U provide funding to help cover a portion of or all tuition and mandatory fees for students enrolled full-time (at least 12 credit hours), up to the lesser of the scholarship award amount or the amount of tuition and mandatory fees. Students must be enrolled full-time (at least 12 credit hours) by the last day to register for full-term courses each semester in order to be eligible to receive their scholarship award for the term. Failure to be full-time by the last day to register for full-term courses will result in the cancellation of your award and will impact your renewal eligibility.

Note that course fees and e-book fees are not considered mandatory fees and are not generally covered by university merit scholarships. 

University merit scholarships are available beginning the Fall 2025 semester and are renewable for up to eight semesters (fall and spring), or until you receive a baccalaureate degree (whichever comes first), as long as you continue to meet scholarship renewal requirements and remain in good standing. This award does not apply to summer enrollment or Learning Abroad programs. More information about financial aid and scholarships and Learning Abroad programs can be found here.

To remain in good standing and continue to receive this award, you must be enrolled as a full-time student, registering for and successfully completing a minimum of 12 credit hours each semester. Course withdrawals do not count as completed hours.

Failure to maintain full-time status or to be enrolled full-time by the last day to register for full-term courses for a semester of enrollment will result in the loss of your scholarship for that term and any subsequent terms.

Students must be enrolled full-time (at least 12 credit hours) by the last day to register for full-term courses each semester in order to be eligible to receive their scholarship award for the term.

Your scholarship may be renewed each year, provided you maintain at least a 3.50 cumulative GPA and complete at least twenty-four (24) credit hours during the two semesters of the academic year (i.e., fall and spring semesters). You must be enrolled full-time each semester regardless of completing 24 credit hours for the year.

UOSFA will review your standing for these requirements each year at the end of the spring semester. Summer enrollment and GPAs will not be included in the renewal review of the award.

Failure to meet the renewal or good standing requirements will result in loss of the scholarship. Once the scholarship is lost, it cannot be regained.

STEP 1: Create Your CIS Account and Activate your UMail Account

• If you have not created your Campus Information Services (CIS) account, visit cis.utah.edu as soon as possible.
• Your login info is your uNID# (found in your admissions letter) and your default password is your birthdate (MMDDYY).
• After creating your CIS account, activate your University e-mail account (UMail), also in CIS. All official university communication including financial offers will be sent to your UMail account.

STEP 2: Confirm Your Intent to Enroll to Accept the Merit Scholarship

• Confirm your intent to enroll with the Office of Admissions at admissions.utah.edu/confirm. At this same link, you can submit your enrollment deposit, or if the enrollment deposit is a financial challenge you may request a deposit extension.
• By confirming your intent to enroll, you are accepting your scholarship award and the terms outlined in this document. If for any reason you confirm your intent to enroll but want to decline your scholarship or the terms, you should submit your reasons in writing to UOSFA at financialaid@utah.edu.
• Your scholarship award generally is available until May 1, 2025. If you have not confirmed enrollment by that date, the scholarship may be cancelled. Please contact financialaid@utah.edu if you have not confirmed your enrollment by May 1, 2025.

The State Merit Scholarship applies only to tuition and mandatory fee charges. This scholarship cannot be combined with any other university merit award from UOSFA (other than the Western Undergraduate Exchange Tuition Discount) and is only available to students earning their degree at the U’s main campus. This scholarship generally applies only to fall and spring semesters as long as all eligibility criteria are met. This award does not apply to enrollment or charges during the summer term unless specifically requested for use during summer enrollment and you continue to meet all eligibility criteria (and use during a summer term counts toward your maximum number of terms of eligibility); to use your scholarship during a summer term, you must complete a UOSFA Summer Aid Application requesting to use the award.

Receipt of other scholarships could affect eligibility for, or the amount of, the State Merit Scholarship. This scholarship does not generally apply to Learning Abroad programs. More information about financial aid and scholarships and Learning Abroad programs can be found here.

Students receiving a scholarship, fellowship, or other financial aid administered by the University of Utah are required by state law to certify that they are eligible to receive the scholarship as a U.S. citizen or a citizen of another country who is lawfully present in the U.S. If students do not know whether they are in the U.S. lawfully, they should seek the advice of an immigration attorney before accepting this award.

Newly accepted freshmen who wish to defer their start date to a subsequent semester, and to request their scholarship be held, should first request an admission deferment through the Office of Admissions at admissions.utah.edu/apply/deferment.

Scholarship deferments may result in a change in the amount and/or value of the scholarship depending upon the subsequent term of entry or matriculation. 

Scholarship recipients considering a deferment should confirm by May 1, 2025 their intent to enroll in order to accept their scholarship. Students have until the first day of classes (August 18, 2025) to apply for a deferment. Students seeking deferment should submit their enrollment deposit to secure their seat as a matriculated student. You can submit the enrollment deposit, or if the enrollment deposit is a financial challenge you may request a deposit extension, at admissions.utah.edu/confirm.

The University Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid (UOSFA) will, in extenuating circumstances, allow a student to take a Leave of Absence from a scholarship once they are a continuing student. A continuing student will need to work with the Registrar’s Office on any type of Leave of Absence (https://registrar.utah.edu/handbook/leave.php) and be approved for a Leave of Absence through the official processes.

For questions regarding eligibility for either deferral or leave of absence, please contact UOSFA.