| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 58.55 |
| Liaison | Amy Brunvand |
| Submission Date | April 5, 2017 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of Utah
PA-7: Affordability and Access
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.24 / 4.00 |
Amy
Brunvand Librarian Office of Sustainability |
Does the institution have policies and programs to make it accessible and affordable to low-income students?:
A brief description of any policies and programs to minimize the cost of attendance for low-income students:
Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid
In 2015-16, the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid held approximately 100
outreach events to current students, prospective students, and campus partners with a goal to Increase percentage and number of FAFSA applications in order to reduce financial barriers to a college education and to increase number of first generation students that submit the FAFSA application. Only 30-34% of high school graduates on the Wasatch Front completed the FAFSA during the 2015-2016 cycle.
A brief description of any programs to equip the institution’s faculty and staff to better serve students from low-income backgrounds:
A brief description of the institution’s programs to guide and prepare students and families from low-income backgrounds for higher education:
TRIO (U.S. Dept of Education)
The TRIO Student Support Services program is available to students who meet one or more of the following criteria:1) Low-income student: Family's taxable income for the last calendar year was less than 150% of the poverty level. 2) First generation college student. 3) Student with a disability
The University of Utah currently operates 2 federally funded programs, Upward Bound (UB), for high school students and Student Support Services (SSS) for college students.
The parts of TRIO are:
--Upward Bound, a college preparation program for high school students from low income famlies or who are potential first generation college students.
--Jumpstart, a summer residential program for incoming freshmen.
--Student Support Services, a TRIO program for current or incoming university students who need academic assistance and other services to be successful at the University.
U START: Student Access and Retention Initiative (Women's Resource Center)
hrough a two-year cohort model, the U START Gender Justice Scholars program provides a solid start for students who need specialized support as they begin their student career. The program is designed to provide access, continuity, options for major exploration and to keep students on target for graduation.
URL: http://womenscenter.utah.edu/initiatives/ustart.php
A brief description of the institution's scholarships for low-income students:
Need Based Tuition Assistance Grant (NBTAG)
The Need Based Tuition Assistance Grant (NBTAG) is available to undergraduates who demonstrate financial need. You must be enrolled for at least half-time, (6 or more credit hours) to receive the NBTA Grant. A NBTA Grant does not have to be paid back, as long as you maintain eligibility for the funds you received.
Utah Opportunity Scholarship
URL: Utah Opportunity Scholarship
Eligible students are first-generation college students and/or those with demonstrated financial need.
URL: http://diversity.utah.edu/scholarships/utah-opportunity-scholarship/
A brief description of the institution’s targeted outreach to recruit students from low-income backgrounds:
Go Girlz Community (Women's Resource Center)
The Go Girlz Community Initiative is a program the Women's Resource Center at the University of Utah developed in 2004 to target underserved populations, primarily minority, first generation, economically disadvantaged female students, grades 6-12 in the Salt Lake City school district with the goal of early exposure to higher education.
URL: http://womenscenter.utah.edu/initiatives/go-girlz.php
A brief description of the institution’s other policies or programs to make the institution accessible and affordable to low-income students:
Concurrent Enrollment
In 2014-15, the University of Utah University of Utah enrolled 385 concurrent enrollment students who earned 1,143 hours of college credit. Concurrent enrollment provides an opportunity for Utah high school juniors and seniors to earn college credit at a USHE institution while still in high school. The concurrent enrollment program was formally established by the Utah State Legislature in 1988.
Does the institution have policies and programs to support non-traditional students?:
A brief description of the institution’s scholarships provided specifically for part-time students:
N/A
A brief description of the institution’s on-site child care facility, partnership with a local facility, and/or subsidies or financial support to help meet the child care needs of students:
Center for Childcare and Family Resources
The University of Utah offers a variety of child care options for infants and pre-schoolers, an on-site Kindergarten in the Child and Family Development Center (CFDC) and a "Club U" program offered for ages 5-14 during summer and school breaks to accommodate working parents. The Associated Students of the University of Utah (ASUU) Student Child Care Program, partially subsidized by student fees and families may apply for financial assistance to cover child care costs. The Early Childhood Education Center has financial assistance available for students from the CCAMPIS Grant administered through the Center for Child Care and Family Resources and the “School-Life” Scholarship fund through the Associated Students of the University of Utah. CCFR also hosts family programs including Parent Night Out, Team Tots, Drop-in Evening Care, and Free Finals Week Child Care.
The
URL: https://childcare.utah.edu/care-options/programs.php
J. Willard Marriott Library Family Reading Room
The Marriott Library offers a reading room specifically intended for use by U of U student parents/guardians accompanied by children under the age of 12, as well as two reserveable family study rooms. The rooms are equipped with child-sized furniture, books, a train set, learning activity toys, a whiteboard, and media for children so that parents can bring the children to the library and get their work done without needing to pay for child care.
URL: http://www.lib.utah.edu/services/family-reading-room.php
A brief description of the institution’s other policies and programs to support non-traditional students:
Veterans Support Center
Transition to campus life can be challenging for non-traditional students, such as Veterans. These challenges are even more pronounced for student Veterans who are often returning from the strict regimes of combat service abroad to the unfamiliar environment of campus and classrooms. The Center is staffed by student Veterans who are committed to providing their fellow Veterans with the most useful and current information available to assist them with this transition.
URL: http://veteranscenter.utah.edu/
Women's Resource Center
The Women’s Resource Center specializes in supporting first generation students, students of color, refugee and immigrant students, survivors of violence, and students from low socio-economic backgrounds.
URL:
Returning to the U (Academic Advising Center)
The Returning to The U Program assists adult students who left the University close to graduation and now wish to return to complete a bachelor's degree. RTU Scholarship awards are available to qualified students enrolled in the program.
URL: https://advising.utah.edu/return/
Does the institution wish to pursue Part 2 of this credit (tracking accessibility and affordability)? (If data is not available, select 'No'):
The percentage of entering students that are low-income (0-100):
The graduation/success rate for low-income students (0-100):
On average, the percentage of need that was met for students who were awarded any need-based aid (e.g. as reported to the U.S. Common Data Set initiative, item H2) (0-100):
The percentage of students graduating with no interest-bearing student loan debt or for whom no out-of-pocket tuition is required (i.e. the percentage of graduates who have not taken out interest-bearing loans) (0-100):
Estimated percentage of students that participate in or directly benefit from the institution’s policies and programs to support low-income and non-traditional students (0-100):
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
RESOURCES
"Balancing Act: The U offers an array of child care options to help student parents juggle their many responsibilities." Continuum: The Magazine of the University of Utah, Fall 2015.
"About a quarter of the U’s 31,515 students are parents, and an estimated 4,000 children of both students and faculty require some sort of child care, from full-time day care to part-time, hourly services. The University has eight child care programs with a total capacity for 480 children, meaning that only about 10 percent of the child care needs are being met on campus. Yet the U is doing much more than most colleges and universities across the country. In January, the University of Utah was ranked No. 2 in the nation by BestColleges.com as a top school for nontraditional students, and the University is expanding child care and other family-friendly services even as institutions nationwide are cutting back because of funding constraints."
URL: http://continuum.utah.edu/features/balancing-act
" The Cost of College: How the U moves students toward greater opportunity, with all-around investments in their futures," Continuum: The Magazine of the University of Utah, Fall 2015.
"The University’s in-state tuition and fees, at $7,935 last year, remain the lowest in the Pac-12 and below the national average of $9,139 for four-year public institutions."
URL: http://continuum.utah.edu/features/the-cost-of-college
NOTES
Making College Possible. TRIO Annual Report 2014-2015 (attached).
Student Affairs Annual Reports
URL: https://studentaffairs.utah.edu/assessment/annual-reports/
--Child Care and Family Resources Annual Report.
--University office of Scholarships & Financial Aid Annual Report.
--Veterans Support Center Annual Report.
--Women's Resource Center Annual Report.
Common Data Set 2015-16
H2(i) 63.1%
H15: The U of U has not entered any response to the Common Data Set question H15: " If your institution has recently implemented any major financial aid policy, program, or initiative to make your institution more affordable to incoming students"
Utah State Office of Education and Utah System of Higher Education 2014-15 Concurrent Enrollment Summary Data
RESOURCES
"Balancing Act: The U offers an array of child care options to help student parents juggle their many responsibilities." Continuum: The Magazine of the University of Utah, Fall 2015.
"About a quarter of the U’s 31,515 students are parents, and an estimated 4,000 children of both students and faculty require some sort of child care, from full-time day care to part-time, hourly services. The University has eight child care programs with a total capacity for 480 children, meaning that only about 10 percent of the child care needs are being met on campus. Yet the U is doing much more than most colleges and universities across the country. In January, the University of Utah was ranked No. 2 in the nation by BestColleges.com as a top school for nontraditional students, and the University is expanding child care and other family-friendly services even as institutions nationwide are cutting back because of funding constraints."
URL: http://continuum.utah.edu/features/balancing-act
" The Cost of College: How the U moves students toward greater opportunity, with all-around investments in their futures," Continuum: The Magazine of the University of Utah, Fall 2015.
"The University’s in-state tuition and fees, at $7,935 last year, remain the lowest in the Pac-12 and below the national average of $9,139 for four-year public institutions."
URL: http://continuum.utah.edu/features/the-cost-of-college
NOTES
Making College Possible. TRIO Annual Report 2014-2015 (attached).
Student Affairs Annual Reports
URL: https://studentaffairs.utah.edu/assessment/annual-reports/
--Child Care and Family Resources Annual Report.
--University office of Scholarships & Financial Aid Annual Report.
--Veterans Support Center Annual Report.
--Women's Resource Center Annual Report.
Common Data Set 2015-16
H2(i) 63.1%
H15: The U of U has not entered any response to the Common Data Set question H15: " If your institution has recently implemented any major financial aid policy, program, or initiative to make your institution more affordable to incoming students"
Utah State Office of Education and Utah System of Higher Education 2014-15 Concurrent Enrollment Summary Data
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.