Utah Purple Heart Tuition Waiver

The strongest education benefit in Utah for a veteran who was wounded in action, and it got better in 2026. Who qualifies. Section 53H-11-303, subsection 1, paragraph (a): "'Purple Heart recipient' means any Utah resident who is a military veteran and who has earned a Purple Heart award as a result of military service." Three conditions: Utah resident, military veteran, Purple Heart earned as a result of military service. There is no rating requirement, no wartime period and no time limit on when the award was earned. The undergraduate waiver. Subsection 2: "An institution of higher education shall waive undergraduate tuition for each Purple Heart recipient who: (a) is admitted as a full-time, part-time, or summer school student in an undergraduate program of study leading to a degree or certificate; (b) is a resident student of the state as determined under Section 53H-11-202; and (c) submits verification as provided in Subsection (4) that the student is a Purple Heart recipient." Note the breadth: full-time, part-time or summer school all count, and a certificate programme counts as well as a degree. There is no dollar cap and no time limit on the undergraduate waiver. Note also paragraph (b): you must be a resident student under section 53H-11-202, which for a veteran with an honorable or general discharge is satisfied by the discharge paper alone regardless of whether you served in Utah. The graduate waiver, and what the 2026 session changed. Subsection 3 waives graduate tuition for a Purple Heart recipient admitted as a full-time, part-time or summer school student in a graduate programme leading to a degree, who is a resident student and submits verification. Then two limits: Paragraph (b): "The total amount of all graduate tuition waived for a Purple Heart recipient may not exceed $15,000." Paragraph (c): the graduate waiver runs for "the lesser of: (i) the time it takes for the Purple Heart recipient to complete a graduate degree; or (ii) five years after the day on which the Purple Heart recipient is accepted to a graduate program." Senate Bill 220 of the 2026 general session, which takes effect May 6, 2026, did two things to this subsection. It raised the graduate cap from $10,000 to $15,000. And it struck the old paragraph (b), which had read: "To qualify for a graduate tuition waiver, a Purple Heart recipient shall apply for a graduate program no later than 10 years from the day on which the Purple Heart recipient completes an undergraduate degree." That removal is the more important of the two. A Purple Heart recipient who finished an undergraduate degree more than ten years ago was previously shut out of the graduate waiver entirely and is now eligible. If you were told no on that basis before May 2026, ask again. Fees are excluded, and the statute says so twice. Subsection 1, paragraph (b), subparagraph (ii): "'Tuition' excludes fees." And subsection 5: "The waiver in this section does not apply to fees." Utah institutions charge substantial mandatory and course fees, so budget for them; the waiver covers tuition only. "Tuition" also means "tuition at the rate for residents of the state" under paragraph (b), subparagraph (i), which is why the resident classification in paragraph (2)(b) matters. How verification works. Subsection 4: "A Purple Heart recipient seeking a tuition waiver shall request the Department of Veterans and Military Affairs to provide the verification required by Subsection (2)(c)," and the department "shall provide the verification upon obtaining evidence satisfactory to the division that the student is a Purple Heart recipient." Go to the department, not the registrar. A small drafting artefact: paragraph (b) says "satisfactory to the division" where the actor throughout is a department; treat it as the Department of Veterans and Military Affairs. Who pays. Subsection 6: "The board may request reimbursement from the Legislature for costs incurred in providing the tuition waiver under this section." The waiver is mandatory on the institution whether or not the Legislature reimburses it, which is the right way round for a veteran. Where the section lives now. The higher education title was renumbered in the 2025 first special session by chapter 8. Guides citing section 53B-8-107 are citing the predecessor. Two adjacent waivers to compare. The Scott B. Lundell military survivors waiver in section 53H-11-308 covers undergraduate tuition for a dependent of a service member killed on state or federal active duty. The surplus-space exemption in section 53H-11-304 lets any Utah veteran take classes tuition-free where space allows. A Purple Heart recipient who exhausts the graduate cap should look at section 53H-11-304 for further coursework.