SALT LAKE CITY — It may be hard for many parents to believe, but it's already time for high school seniors to start thinking ahead to college and begin looking into the college application process.
"Every school is rolling out the red carpet," Richard 'Biff' Williams told Fox 13 News, "We want students to come to our schools. We want to make sure that Utahns have accessibility to higher education. It's an exciting time for all of us."
He said he and representatives from his school will be at dozens of Utah high schools throughout the month of October to answer questions and help with the college application process.
"So the whole month of October every institution in the state of Utah will be going out to all the high schools. Utah Tech University will be there. We’re excited about that."
According to the Utah System of Higher Education, there are more than two dozen options when it comes to higher education here in the state of Utah.
But they really range in price. You can take a closer look at tuition costs on the USHE website HERE.
School counselors say now is the time to look into it.
"We want to be able to get them in and get them into a career that helps them move forward with life... It’s a lot of footwork to get there," said Lori Dunne, a school counselor at Gunnison Valley High School in the South Sanpete School District. "It’s a matter of preparing for what’s ahead of them. So Utah application week — actually month for all of October — is time for the seniors to get in and start looking at the colleges they are interested in applying to and the things they want to do for their future."
As an added incentive, all application fees for most state colleges have been waived. Dunne says students need to take advantage of that.
"They can get in and apply to as many colleges as they’re interested in and figure out what’s best for them and at least open those doors to opportunities by doing so," Dunne said.
And she reminds applicants: don't forget about college scholarships and other ways that can help you pay for your higher education.
"There is a lot of money out there and it’s the students who apply to them who end up getting those scholarships. If you want the scholarships, you have to apply," she said.
According to USHE, in addition to what's being offered through individual schools and private scholarships, there are more than 15 state aid and scholarship programs available And you can find those at ushe.edu.
