“Congratulations! You’ve been accepted.”
That’s the message every high school student hopes to get when applying to college. And now, in Utah, those who apply in-state are guaranteed to get it.
The state unveiled “Admit Utah” on Friday, a first-of-its-kind initiative that promises students here admission from at least one of the public universities, colleges or technical colleges in the state. No other states offer such a broad guarantee.
Notably: It doesn’t matter what a student’s GPA is. The only requirement is that the student graduate from high school or have a GED diploma.
“We firmly believe that every Utah student deserves the opportunity to succeed in college,” said Utah System of Higher Education Commissioner Geoff Landward.
How it works
Students can look at their options by starting at AdmitUtah.org. The website has a short quiz where a student types in their GPA and what high school they are attending. From there, they are provided a list of the schools in the state that are guaranteed to accept them.
A student with a 2.0 GPA — roughly what’s needed to graduate high school — will get a list that shows they will be granted automatic admission at 15 of the 16 public institutions in the state, save for the University of Utah. (Utah has eight public colleges and universities, plus eight technical colleges.)
Students with lower GPAs also get the same list, but they would first need to improve their grades to graduate. And the initiative is meant to encourage them to do so.
The Utah System of Higher Education will be visiting schools this month to talk about the program, while offering advice on completing applications and applying for financial aid. The system has long considered accessibility as one of its main targets.
Along with the list of schools that will accept them, students can also drill down on the costs of attendance and the offerings at each institution. The website guides them to “find your college fit,” whether that’s a mechanics certificate at a technical college or a traditional four-year degree in business.
The platform is not, however, an application system. So once students see the list of schools where they are guaranteed admission, they still have to apply to those schools.
They are directed to each institution’s website to fill out the individual applications. But there’s another bonus: In Utah, students applying to in-state institutions have no application fees.
The idea is to try to make the process of applying to and going into post-secondary education easier.
“This platform will provide students with even more clarity and simplicity in the college application process,” said Cydni Tetro, a member of the Utah Board of Higher Education that approved the program.
The website will continue to be refined with time. By next year, the board hopes it will be a simple as a guaranteed admission letter on the spot.
“With the data integration next year, they’ll just need to enroll in courses once they choose where they want to go,” said spokesperson Trisha Dugovic.
Participating schools
Of the eight traditional universities and college in the state, the University of Utah — the state’s flagship higher education institution — has the most rigorous admissions process, generally requiring a higher GPA than any other school.
Through “Admit Utah,” a student would need a 3.5 GPA or higher to receive automatic admission at the university.
The U. also has its own guaranteed admissions program called “Utah Direct” that it’s looking to expand. In its pilot run this fall, the initiative granted acceptance to 5,000 graduating high school seniors with a 3.5 GPA or higher.
Meanwhile, Weber State University, Utah Valley University, Utah Tech University, Salt Lake Community College and Snow College already operate through “open admissions.” That means there are not GPA or standardized test scores required to be accepted.
But the other traditional schools — Utah State University and Southern Utah University — are more selective.
Each of the eight technical colleges has its own separate requirements for admission and its own focus.
Through Admit Utah, all of that information is in one place for parents and students. And now they’ll know before they apply which of those schools they’ll get into.
