53H-8-212. Enrollment funding.

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A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.

Effective 7/1/2026

(1)As used in this section, in alignment with Utah System of Higher Education data collection and reporting taxonomies:

(i)"Advanced graduate" means the level of a doctoral course at a degree-granting institution, including a juris doctorate degree.

(ii)"Advanced graduate" does not include a course in a medical field for which an institution receives separate funding, including medical, dental, and veterinary programs.

(b)"Basic graduate" means the level of a master's course at a degree-granting institution.

(c)"Classification of instructional program code" means a coding designation that facilitates the organization, collection, and reporting of fields of study and program completions that the National Center for Education Statistics develops.

(d)"Full-time equivalent" means a metric that measures student course load by converting course hours into a number representing a full-time student equivalent load.

(e)"High-cost upper-division" means an upper-division course in a program with a classification of instruction program code of 11, 14, 51, or 52.

(f)"Level of instruction" means the following instructional or course categories:

(i)technical certificate education;

(ii)vocational education;

(iii)lower-division;

(iv)upper-division;

(v)high-cost upper-division;

(vi)basic graduate; and

(vii)advanced graduate.

(g)"Lower-division" means the level of a course that:

(i)students typically complete within the first two years or 60 credits of education at a degree-granting institution; or

(ii)fulfills a requirement for an associate degree.

(h)"Technical certificate education" means technical education that a technical college provides to students who are seeking a certificate, continuing occupational education, or enrolled as a secondary student.

(i)"Upper-division" means the level of a course that:

(A)is an advanced undergraduate course at a degree-granting institution; and

(B)students typically complete in the last two years of a bachelor's degree.

(ii)"Upper-division" includes major-specific courses.

(j)"Vocational education" means career and technical education that a degree-granting institution provides.

(2)In accordance with this section, the Legislature shall, as part of the higher education appropriations budget process, annually determine the change in the amount of enrollment funding for each:

(a)degree-granting institution; and

(b)technical college.

(a)The Legislature shall determine the change in the amount of an institution's enrollment funding based on the positive or negative change in enrollment at the institution by:

(i)calculating the average direct instructional cost per budget-related full-time equivalent at each level of instruction on a system-wide basis;

(ii)calculating the five-year average full-time equivalent budget-related resident enrollment at each level of instruction at each institution for the five-year period ending with the previous fiscal year and the five-year period ending with the year before the previous fiscal year;

(iii)calculating the percentage change between each five-year period described in Subsection (3)(a)(ii) by each level of instruction;

(iv)if the percent change in enrollment is greater than or equal to a 1% increase or decrease, multiplying the average cost per full-time equivalent by the actual change in full-time equivalent;

(v)applying a state cost-sharing weight based on institution type in accordance with Subsection (3)(b) ; and

(vi)summing the amounts for the institution.

(b)The Legislature shall apply the following state cost-sharing weights in accordance with Subsection (3)(a)(v) , representing the percentage of the average cost per full-time equivalent described in Subsection (3)(a) that the state funds:

(i)for a research university described in Subsection 53H-3-602(1)(b)(i) , 50%;

(ii)for a regional university described in Subsection 53H-3-602(1)(b)(ii) :

(A)except as provided in Subsection (3)(b)(ii)(B) , 60%; or

(B)for a regional university that does not increase lower-division combined tuition and general fees from the previous year, 65%;

(iii)for a community college described in Subsection 53H-3-602(1)(b)(iii) , 75%; and

(iv)for a technical college, 90%.

Enacted by Chapter 229 , 2026 General Session