Utah System of Higher Education moves to scrap in-state college application fees

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Board of Higher Education voted Friday to eliminate in-state college application fees, according to a press release from Trisha Dugovic, director of communication for the Utah System of Higher Education.

According to the press release, with the move the Board is “supporting its mission to equitably provide accessible, valuable, and affordable higher education for students to expand their economic mobility, enhance their cultural awareness, improve their overall quality of life.”

Board member Cydni Tetro said that “eliminating application fees for USHE colleges is a tremendous step forward in ensuring access and opportunity,” the press release said. She continued: “we are thrilled to let in-state students know that application fees are officially waved.”

The policy change was cheered by Brad Mortensen, the president of Weber State University, and Deneece Huftalin, president of Salt Lake Community College, according to the press release.

“We appreciate the leadership of the Board to remove barriers for our students as they apply to pursue their education,” Mortensen said.

Huftalin agreed: “This is a great step forward in removing barriers to higher education and a way to ensure that everyone has access without any sort of financial barrier limiting them.”

According to the press release, the Board will use “various sources of one-time bridge funding” to cover lost revenue from application fees as it develops an “ongoing funding proposal.”