Utah Just Overhauled Higher Education — From Guns on Campus to Religious Exemptions to $10 Million in Cuts

The 2026 Utah General Legislative Session, which ended March 6, produced one of the most wide-ranging sets of changes to the state's public university system in recent years — touching campus gun policy, religious accommodations for students, trustee governance, research funding, immigration status and tuition, and the ongoing $60 million strategic reinvestment process that is still reshaping academic programs at every institution in the Utah System of Higher Education.

Here is what changed — and what it means for Utah's 200,000-plus college students.

Guns on Campus: Open Carry Banned, Concealed Carry Expanded

The most politically surprising measure of the session came from a Republican lawmaker with NRA membership in his legislative biography. Rep. Walt Brooks of St. George, who had previously pushed for looser gun laws in Utah, reversed course with HB 84 — banning open carry on Utah's public college campuses while simultaneously making concealed carry easier by removing the permit requirement for individuals 21 and older.

The reversal came in the wake of the September 2025 shooting death of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University, which prompted a reassessment of Utah's famously permissive campus carry laws. Under the bill, which passed both chambers and takes effect May 6, openly carrying a firearm on campus is prohibited — with narrow exceptions for individuals lawfully responding to an active threat, those in their personal vehicle, those at their own residence, or those whose open carry is approved by a school administrator.

The bill also establishes that individuals aged 18 to 20 without a provisional concealed carry permit may not carry a firearm — openly or concealed — at an institution of higher education. Law enforcement officers remain exempt from the restrictions under all versions of the bill.

Religious and Conscience Exemptions for Students

HB 204, sponsored by Rep. Michael Petersen and Sen. Brady Brammer, requires public Utah universities to reasonably accommodate a student's religious or conscience-based objection to a required exam, assignment, or activity — as long as the accommodation would not create a "fundamental alteration" of the course.

Institutions must establish a process by which an instructor who denies an accommodation request is required to inform the university, and the institution must designate one or more neutral arbiters to review those denials. Instructors are also prohibited from compelling a student to publicly take or communicate a specified position on a matter of public concern. Institutions must report annually to the Utah Board of Higher Education on accommodation details and neutral arbiter decisions.

A companion bill, SB 207 — Protection from Unfair Treatment Based on Religion or Other Irrelevant Characteristics — goes further, requiring USHE institutions to accommodate religious, faith, or conscience beliefs in the admissions process, class attendance scheduling, and exam or academic requirement participation.

Critics have raised concerns that the bills could be used to opt out of assignments covering topics like evolution, LGBTQ+ issues, or reproductive health. Supporters argue they protect students whose sincere religious beliefs would otherwise be violated by required coursework.

Trustee Governance Strengthened After USU Scandal

One of the session's most directly consequential governance bills was driven by an audit finding that Utah State University's former president Betsy Cantwell had spent more than $660,000 in state funds on personal luxuries — including a bidet for her office, a golf cart, and two new cars — likely in violation of Utah law, before stepping down last March.

SB 240, sponsored by Sen. Chris Wilson and Rep. Karen Peterson, consolidates and reorganizes the duties of university boards of trustees. It requires the president to consult with the board before making major budget and financial decisions, mandates an annual presidential performance review conducted in consultation with the Utah Board of Higher Education, and defines the board's authority over institutional internal audits. It also establishes requirements around the role of institutional legal counsel.

The bill follows a separate measure — SB 240's precursor — that addressed a report finding that the majority of Utah university trustees did not adequately understand their fiduciary and governance roles. Together the measures reflect a legislature that has lost patience with passive boards and is legislating accountability into the trustee relationship.

USU Gets Its Withheld Funding Back — After a Year in Limbo

In a resolution that drew a visible sigh of relief from USU President Brad Mortensen at a public committee meeting, the Legislature's Executive Appropriations Committee voted unanimously to release the remaining $8.8 million in strategic reinvestment funds that had been withheld from Utah State since September.

USU's share of the statewide $60.5 million strategic reinvestment cut was $12.6 million. The legislature had released 30% — about $3.8 million — in December, citing unresolved concerns about Cantwell's spending and a pending audit. The audit's conclusion, which confirmed Cantwell had likely broken the law, combined with Mortensen's revised reinvestment plan that incorporated legislative priorities around agriculture, natural resources, and research, ultimately satisfied lawmakers.

$50 Million for University Research — Tied to Industry Outcomes

HB 373, sponsored by Rep. Karen Peterson, sets aside $50 million from the state income tax fund for a university research grant program — but with strings firmly attached. Funded research must be tied to industry needs, economic development, and commercialization. The Board of Higher Education is required to administer and approve grants, potentially through the Nucleus Institute or Talent Ready Utah. Annual legislative audits of grant outcomes are required.

The bill reflects Utah's consistent legislative philosophy: public university funding must produce measurable returns to the state's economy, not simply advance academic knowledge for its own sake. Whether that approach produces the right incentives for long-term research productivity is a debate that will continue well beyond the 2026 session.

Additionally, the Legislature approved $15 million in one-time funding for AI compute capacity and $50 million for USHE research as notable one-time funding items, alongside $16.7 million in new ongoing performance funding and $7 million in technical college capacity funding.

New Performance Funding Formula

SB 216, sponsored by Sen. Ann Millner and Rep. Karen Peterson, establishes a new process and formula for determining enrollment-based funding for USHE institutions, along with new performance metrics and goals specific to each institution's role and mission. The bill formalizes a shift that has been building for years: state funding for Utah's universities is now explicitly tied to what students do after they graduate, not simply how many students enroll.

Undocumented Students: HB 88 Fails

One high-profile bill that did not pass was HB 88, sponsored by Rep. Trevor Lee, which would have prohibited Utah agencies — including USHE institutions — from providing state-funded benefits, including tuition assistance, to individuals without lawful presence in the United States. The bill would also have stripped existing language allowing undocumented students to pay in-state tuition under certain circumstances. It failed in the House, preserving existing protections for undocumented students for now.

What It All Means for Students

For the roughly 200,000 students enrolled across Utah's public universities and technical colleges, the 2026 session produced a notably mixed bag. The open carry ban removes a source of campus anxiety that had intensified after the Kirk shooting, though the simultaneous expansion of permitless concealed carry means guns remain a persistent presence on campus. The religious accommodation bills give students new leverage to push back on assignments they find objectionable — a protection with genuinely important applications for some students, and real potential for misuse in others.

The governance reforms, research investment, and performance funding changes are less immediately visible but potentially more consequential over time. A Utah university system that is more accountable to its trustees, more closely tied to industry research outcomes, and funded based on graduate earnings rather than enrollment headcount will look and operate quite differently from the one that existed five years ago.

Whether those changes produce more affordable, more relevant, and more student-centered institutions — or simply more politically compliant ones — is a question Utah's students will spend the next several years answering.