Utah Fits All Scholarship Program Modifications

Added a specific definition for 'private school' effective 2026-2027 that requires regular in-person attendance and explicitly excludes primarily online or virtual schools.

Clarified that eligible students must be under 19 years old as of September 1 of the scholarship year.

Restricted scholarship funds for private school students to tuition expenses only, removing the ability to use funds for fees, materials, or other costs.

Mandated that private schools with 150+ students must provide financial solvency verification and those charging tuition exceeding the scholarship amount must refund unused funds directly to the state rather than the parent.

Established new consumer protection standards including a pre-approval process for expenses, mandatory customer service metrics, and enhanced audit requirements for contracted entities.

Set the effective date for most new provisions, including the private school definition and tuition-only restrictions, to begin the 2026-2027 school year.

Clarified that eligible students must be under 19 years old as of September 1 of the scholarship year, correcting a previous ambiguity where the age limit was not explicitly tied to the start of the school year.

Added a detailed definition for 'educational supplements' to distinguish between necessary learning materials and items like entertainment, recreational equipment, food, or furniture that cannot be reimbursed.

Established new requirements for private schools with 150+ students to undergo annual financial audits and for all schools to maintain websites with transparent tuition and refund policies starting in the 2026-2027 school year.

Required program managers to implement a pre-approval process for scholarship expenses that provides a response within seven business days to prevent unauthorized spending.

Created a mechanism for parents to seek monthly tuition reimbursement directly from the scholarship account for private schools that have not yet been approved as eligible schools, subject to strict verification and documentation.

Maintained existing scholarship limits ($8,000 for private school students, $4,000-$6,000 for home-based students) but added specific caps on extracurricular expenses (20%) and physical education expenses (additional 20%).

Set the effective date for most new provisions, including website requirements and tuition reimbursement options, to begin with the 2026-2027 school year.

Clarified that an eligible student must be under 19 years old as of September 1 of the scholarship year.

Modified the application process to include specific enrollment preferences for siblings and low-income families, and added rules for handling households with multiple children applying together.

Added detailed definitions for 'contracted entity,' 'contracted entity employee,' and 'contracted entity officer' to clarify who is subject to program rules.

Expanded the definition of 'educational supplements' to include specific categories of materials while explicitly excluding entertainment, recreation, food, and furniture.

Updated the definition of 'private school' to require accreditation or a path to accreditation, with a deadline of July 1, 2029, for institutions receiving scholarship funds.

Established new rules for how program administrators must handle student withdrawals and fund reallocations to ensure funds are used efficiently.

Added requirements for the program manager to conduct annual audits, maintain a customer service call center, and implement a pre-approval process for scholarship expenses.

Clarified that eligible students must be under 19 years old as of September 1 of the scholarship year.

Updated the definition of 'private school' to require accreditation by an approved organization beginning in the 2026-2027 school year, with a two-year grace period for institutions actively working toward accreditation.

Added a new definition for 'educational supplements' to clarify what materials and tools can be purchased with scholarship funds versus recreational items.

Created a new Private School Accreditation Work Group to establish and maintain a list of approved accrediting organizations for private schools participating in the program.

Added stricter financial reporting requirements for eligible schools, including audits or agreed-upon procedures engagements to verify financial solvency and working capital.

Enhanced requirements for eligible schools to include clear disclosure of tuition costs, fees, refund policies, and identical treatment of scholarship students compared to regular students.

Established consumer protection standards requiring program managers to provide customer service, maintain call center capacity, and allow parents to rate and review qualifying providers.

Added a new age requirement stating that eligible students must be under 19 years old as of September 1 of the scholarship year.

Expanded the definition of eligible service providers to include fully online or virtual private schools, provided they meet specific registration and disclosure requirements.

Updated the definition of 'private school' to explicitly require regular in-person attendance at a physical location and to exclude schools that are primarily online or virtual.

Added new requirements for private schools with 150+ students to undergo annual financial audits or agreed-upon procedures engagements to verify solvency and working capital.

Mandated that private schools must have identical tuition costs, fees, and refund policies for scholarship students and regularly enrolled students, with refunds remitted directly to the scholarship account.

Established a new reimbursement process for parents of students attending private schools that are not approved as eligible schools, allowing monthly tuition reimbursement with specific documentation requirements.

Created new consumer protection standards including a pre-approval process for scholarship expenses, customer service metrics, and a marketplace policy prohibiting exclusive purchases or resale of used goods.

Added requirements for criminal background checks for employees of eligible schools who do not hold current Utah educator licenses.

Clarified that beginning in the 2026-2027 school year, scholarship funds for private school students must first be applied to tuition expenses before being used for other allowable expenses.

Enhanced oversight mechanisms by requiring annual audits of contracted entities, detailed reporting on eligibility changes, and protocols for suspending eligibility in cases of fraud or misuse.