Utah Tech University

START Scholar Academy

START Scholar Academy has 75 spots for our first-time freshman students who are first-generation (parents did not earn a bachelor’s degree), enrolled in University College, and entering college with a high school GPA of 3.0 or less and who do not have a full-time athletic scholarship. START Academy prepares students to successfully transition to college through educational support, educational support, campus connections, and faculty mentoring throughout their first year of college.
 
If you are a first-time freshman student who is the first in your family to attend college, you can apply for the START Scholar Academy by completing the application below. If accepted into the academy, you will be required to meet the following requirements:

  1. Register for SSC 1025R or SSC 1055R
  2. Meet the study hall requirement
  3. Attend the START Scholar College Kick-Off on Friday, August 29th at 12 noon.
  4. Attend the START Scholar Academy’s monthly meetings
  5. Have an earned GPA of 2.0 or higher

START Scholars can earn scholarships during the two semesters of college, up to $1000 per semester; a total of $2,000 can be earned based on semester GPA. 

Scholarship Awards

Scholarships are awarded for the following semester with full-time enrollment. Students who meet requirements 1-4 can earn a scholarship based on the following GPAs:

$1000

3.5 or higher Term GPA

$750

3.0 or higher Term GPA

$500

2.5 or higher Term GPA

$250

2.0 or higher Term GPA

The Start Scholar Academy application is open for the 2025-2026 Year