First Responder Mental Health Services Grant
Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) - Utah Board of Higher Education
Utah grant of up to $6,000 per year (after other aid) for current, volunteer, support-staff or retired Utah first responders studying to become mental health therapists.
- How much
- Up to $6,000 per academic year, after all other financial aid
- Who qualifies
- Utah first responder, first responder agency support staff, volunteer, or retired first responder
- Program must qualify the student to become a mental health therapist; prerequisite degrees don't qualify. Definitions in Board Policy R627.
- For undergrads, grad students, adults going back to school
- For mental health therapy (counseling, social work, psychology, marriage and family therapy, etc.) students
- When to apply
- Open now · due November 16, 2026 Two USHE application periods per academic year; 2026-27 second window Oct 15 - Nov 16, 2026 (spring/summer 2027 awards); 2027-28 first window to be announced in spring 2027.
- How to apply
- Apply on USHE's online form during an application period (second 2026-27 period: October 15 - November 16, 2026)
- Recipients from the first period don't reapply
- What you'll need
- state application
- Last checked
- October 26, 2026, against the official page (ushe.edu) and page 2
The details
First Responder Mental Health Services Grant Program (Utah Code 53H-11-411; Board Policy R627). Eligible: first responders, direct support staff at a first responder agency, first responder volunteers, and retired first responders in Utah, enrolled in a degree or certificate program that qualifies them to become a mental health therapist (prerequisite degrees don't qualify). Covers tuition and fees, up to $6,000 per academic year after all other financial aid, up to four academic years. Eligible: SUU, U of U, USU, Utah Tech, UVU, Weber State, BYU, Westminster University, WGU. Two application periods per year; the second 2026-27 period (for spring and summer 2027) opens October 15, 2026 and closes November 16, 2026.
More money from Utah
- Opportunity ScholarshipClass of 2026: up to $800 per semester for up to four semesters ($3,200 total); tuition and general fees only, after other state aid. Class of 2027 amount not yet announced.
- First Credential Scholarship (formerly PRIME)$625 one-time (class of 2026; subject to available funding and number of qualified applicants)
- Adult Learner Grant ProgramUp to the cost of attendance
- CTE Scholarships and Tuition Awards$1,000 to full tuition for up to one year, depending on the institution
- NASA Space Grant Scholarship (Utah technical colleges)Varies based on available funding; up to cost of attendance
Keep looking
- Answer a few questions to see every program you qualify for
- Nearby states: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Nevada, Wyoming
- Federal aid and national scholarships (open to students in any state)
- The FAFSA in plain English (2027-28)
- Should I file the FAFSA if I don't think I'll qualify?
- FAFSA deadlines by state (2027-28)
- The FAFSA for parents: what you need to do
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