Grant program could help Utah students finish degrees
Mar 1, 2021, 2:19 PM | Updated: 3:01 pm
Utah graduation rates continue to see in increase. Photo: Butch Dill, Associated Press
SALT LAKE CITY– A bill moving through the Utah Legislature could help students with some college credits finish their degrees. House Bill 328, sponsored by Rep. Lowry Snow, R-St. George, would provide grants to pay tuition for online classes.
Snow said helping students earn their degrees in rural areas of Utah, far from college campuses, is a priority of the program.
“We’re giving priority to those people to say, ‘We really are trying to provide some advantages to you,'” Snow told KSL NewsRadio.
His initial proposal asked for $2 million in one-time money to fund the first year of the program. The Executive Appropriations Committee reduced the amount to $1 million.
“I don’t think it’s because they don’t support this concept and the legislation. I think they’re taking the approach that says, ‘Let’s see what happens on this first round,'” Snow said.
Snow believes the program will see a lot of applications. He’s hoping other state leaders will see the value of the program. About 370,000 Utahns have some college credits but haven’t finished degrees.
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