SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — The University of Utah is seemingly trying to grow its reach past the point of the mountain with a new merit-based scholarship offered exclusively to high school students in Utah County.

The scholarship, astutely called the Point of the Mountain Scholarship, will begin with the incoming 2024 class of students. It is being offered to first-time, first-year high school applicants from the Alpine, Nebo and Provo school districts in Utah County.

The U of U Point of the Mountain Scholarship offers $15,000 per year for both the fall and spring semesters, which goes toward tuition and mandatory university fees. Overall, the scholarship is awarded for up to eight semesters. An additional $13,700 will be awarded for a student’s first year if they live in university housing.

“As we continue to seek out the most academically prepared students from across the state, this new scholarship will provide a valuable resource to Utah County students who want to benefit from all the U has to offer,” said Senior Associate Vice President for Enrollment Engagement Steve Robinson.

Utah County is largely served by Utah Valley University and Brigham Young University, which have campuses in Orem and Provo, respectively.

In order to qualify for the scholarship, students must be Utah residents and have a 4.0 GPA at the time of admission to the U of U. For a continued scholarship, students will need to be enrolled at the U full-time for all eight semesters and keep a GPA of at least 3.5.

There is no additional application for the scholarship, as students will be automatically considered by completing the University of Utah admissions process by the Dec. 1, 2023 priority deadline.