New Utah Law Aids Nevada Students in Attending SUU

Published: March 16, 2007 | Read Time: 2 minutes

The Utah legislator passed a new residency law that will allow out-of-state students to qualify for instate tuition within just 12 months of moving to Utah.

Residency status, for tuition purposes, is determined by the Admissions Office and previously required an individual to have lived in Utah for more than 24 months as a non-student or have earned 60 semester hours from a Utah accredited school.

However, effective immediately, individuals from outside of Utah may qualify for less costly, resident tuition rates, after their first year of attending school in Utah. This means that students starting school at SUU as early as this Fall semester will only have to pay the higher tuition rates their first year.

The change is good news for Nevada students who want to attend SUU, but were deterred by the high costs.

“This is a very important development in allowing us to continue to serve our closest neighbors to the south,” said Dean O’Driscoll, spokesman for the University. “This can save students outside the state of Utah several thousands of dollars a year, every year after their first year.”

Utah’s new residency law is great news for a school like SUU, which focuses on attracting a lot of out-of-state students, more of whom will now be able to enroll.

“A change like this means we will be able to continue to grow the non-resident portion of our student body, which is very important to the University,” said O’Driscoll. “Students from different states bring in a variety of different ideas, opinions, and viewpoints that strengthens the diversity of our Utah population.”

Stephen Allen, Executive Director over Enrollment Management, is excited about the possibility of increasing the number of out-of-state students, who already make up 13 percent of SUU’s total enrollment.

“Out-of-state students are an important component to SUU’s enrollment,” said Allen. These students bring geographic diversity to our campus which ultimately enhances the campus experience for all students. Utah’s new residency laws will allow us to attract and retain more quality students.”

“In the past, Utah residency laws required students to be enrolled for two years before qualifying for residency,” said Allen. “As a result, we lost many out-of-state students after their first year at SUU due to the high cost of attendance. The new law will us retain more students.”

---

Contact Information:

435-586-5400
Contact the Office of Marketing Communication