Incoming Student Financial Aid
The Financial Aid Office at Southern Utah University understands the challenges that students and families face when considering how to finance their education. As an incoming or prospective student, we have made it our mission to prepare you with the financial skills that will allow you to thrive over the next two to four years. We are committed to ensuring your financial and personal success as a new member of our Thunderbird Family!
Scholarships and Resources
Our goal at Southern Utah University is to equip you with the tools you need to be successful in college. The Financial Aid and Scholarship Office understands that a part of that toolkit needs to be your education about the financial opportunities available to you.
- Personalized Loan Counseling
- FAFSA Application Completion
- Scholarship Consultation
- Understanding Your Student Loans
- Cost Analysis of Your Degree
This budget exists for you to plug in your individual costs so you can better prepare for you overall expenses for each semester. This budget does not include any Financial Aid or scholarships you will be receiving, and those items must be entered in manually. You will also need to input your costs for housing and meals. The on campus housing prices are listed in the budget as well as links to view meal plan costs. If you are planning on cooking your own meals, you can plan around $1,250 for food or whatever is most appropriate to your eating needs. If you need assistance in planning out your finances with your financial aid and scholarships included, please feel free to set up an appointment with us so we can review in greater detail. We will also make a plan to go over additional opportunities to further reduce your costs!
A great starting point in funding your education may be to apply for private scholarships. Private Scholarships are offered from various companies and organizations to help you cover the cost of your education. Below are a couple of tips to help you get started.
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The first thing you should do is create a separate email account, and get mentally prepared. Having a separate email account will ensure that all of your scholarship materials are collected in one place, and make things easier to manage.
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Start identifying the scholarships you want to apply for. This will probably be the most difficult part, but if you can stay patient, you will start to apply for the scholarships that best fit you. Make sure to refer back to this guide as you go through it.
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Never set aside money to pay for scholarship applications. There are plenty of free resources available that you can use. If you pay for scholarships, it is most likely a scam.
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Always look for the “Https://” and lock before the website address. This indicates that you are on a secure website, but also make sure to look for indications of previous scholarships winners and more information about the organization.
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Be cautious when giving out personal information that can be used to identify you. Scholarship providers may ask for certain things, and it is advised that you use your discretion. However, if you are asked to give your social security number or date of birth, proceed with caution. The only exception to this rule may be government backed programs.
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Make sure that you are in charge, and on top of all scholarships you apply for. Meaning that you know the deadlines, requirements, and have completed everything you need to be fully considered when applying.
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Note the types of scholarships you are applying for, and what they can be used towards. Does the scholarship only pay for tuition, books, or both? Those are important questions to ask, because you want to make sure you can secure as much funding as possible!
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It is a good rule of thumb that the scholarship applications that require you to put in work are the most rewarding. Less work may mean there is a higher likelihood that it is competitive or a scam. Be cautious and strategic!
Please remember that the following scholarship banks are not affiliated with Southern Utah University, and it is up to your discretion which applications you complete. We are here to assist you through the process and help if you have any questions!
Southern Utah University prioritizes the success of students in all aspects of their education. For the upcoming 2023-2024 academic year, we invite you to apply for our Diversity Promise Scholarship. The aim of this scholarship is to eliminate financial barriers for our underserved student populations to promote access to an equitable education. This need based scholarship can award up to the full tuition for the academic year. Students who are not Pell grant eligible can still be considered for the scholarship. This scholarship is renewable for 8 academic semesters as long as you maintain a 2.0 GPA, complete 70% of your courses, and are a full time student. In order to apply for the scholarship you must:
- Complete the FAFSA application to determine eligibility, and for the EFC to be reviewed (does not apply to DACA/Undocumented students).
- You must not have a full-tuition scholarship or award on your account.
- Write a short essay explaining why you need the funding, and discuss your background.
- We encourage students from the demographics listed to apply. These include, but are not limited to the following: Qualify for free or reduced lunch, first generation, homeless, black or African American, Latino or Latinx, Hispanic, Pacific Islander, Native American.
Priority will be given to students who apply by December 1st. The application will open on October 1st 2022, and close on February 1, 2023. Awards will be granted March 1st continuing throughout the spring and summer. The scholarship will start in your first semester of the 2023-2024 academic year at SUU.
