How Do We Apply for or Keep Utah Fits All for 2027-28?

1. Where to apply: Odyssey’s website

Utah Fits All applications, for new and returning students, are made on Odyssey’s website. Odyssey has been the program manager since May 16, 2025, under a contract held by the Utah State Board of Education (USBE). USBE describes the program as an education savings account (ESA), and news coverage often calls it a school voucher program; all of these names refer to the same Utah Fits All Scholarship Program.

USBE says its staff no longer take complaints, input or feedback on the program from parents, so application questions go to Odyssey: help.ut@withodyssey.com or 385-462-1338. Odyssey lists Mountain Time hours of 8am–8pm Monday to Friday and 10am–4pm on weekends, and notes that hours “may vary state-to-state.” Utah law says there is no application fee.

This website is run by Special Ed Resource and is not part of the application. Special Education Resource LLC is an approved provider in the Utah Fits All Odyssey Marketplace; we are not Odyssey, USBE or the State of Utah.

2. Key dates for 2027-28

Utah Code 53F-6-405 and 53F-6-402 set the yearly framework below. These dates are set by state law; Odyssey has not yet posted 2027-28 dates. Odyssey’s real deadlines can differ from the statute: in 2026, Odyssey closed new-student applications on May 1 but kept returning-student applications open until May 31. We’ll update this table when Odyssey posts its 2027-28 calendar.

All 2027-28 dates above are set by state law; Odyssey has not yet posted 2027-28 dates. The Legislature can amend the program, as it did in 2026 (H.B. 467), so check Odyssey before each deadline.

3. Who can apply: the requirements

Utah Code 53F-6-401(8) defines an eligible student. In plain terms, your child must:

• be eligible to attend a Utah public school in kindergarten or grades 1–12;
• not have turned 19 before September 1 of the school year (Odyssey’s wording: “Be age 5-18 as of September 1 of the scholarship year”);
• have Utah as their primary residence, which includes children of military members;
• not receive the legacy Carson Smith Scholarship or the Carson Smith Opportunity Scholarship in the same scholarship year;
• not be enrolled, before receiving the scholarship, in a local education agency (LEA), meaning a public school district or charter school, or in the Statewide Online Education Program, with an exception for courses from providers described in Utah Code 53F-6-409(7);
• complete the portfolio or assessment requirement and provide current-year proof of residence to keep eligibility (section 5).

The law’s definition of an eligible student has no income limit and no disability requirement, and the program has no separate disability amount or priority. If your child has a disability, Utah’s separate disability scholarship is the Carson Smith Opportunity Scholarship; a student can hold only one of the two in a year. Our amounts guide covers how much each student type can receive for 2026-27.

If your child is in a public or charter school now

Odyssey says students “cannot be enrolled in both programs simultaneously under Utah law,” and that includes part-time enrollment. Ask Odyssey how the timing of a withdrawal fits with your award. Families choosing home-based learning have a separate step under Utah’s homeschool law: a one-time notification to the local school board of your district of residence (Utah Code 53G-6-204(3)). That notification and the Utah Fits All application are two different steps, made in two different places. A home-based scholarship student must also attest to having been exited from public-school enrollment if the student was ever enrolled in a public school (53F-6-401(11)).

4. How priority works when there isn’t enough funding

Utah Fits All is not first come, first served. Odyssey says prioritization “is not based on first come first served in any way.” When there are more eligible applicants than funding, Odyssey’s eligibility article lists this order:

1. returning scholarship students;
2. siblings of scholarship students;
3. in Odyssey’s words, “Students from families with annual household income at or below 300% of the federal poverty level”;
4. all other applicants.

Within each group, a lottery decides the order (Utah Code 53F-6-402(6)(b)). The legal wording of the order is in Utah Code 53F-6-402(6), which the Legislature amended in 2026 (H.B. 467). The statute’s wording for the third group is longer and more specific than Odyssey’s summary, so if your family’s place in line matters, read the statute or ask Odyssey which group your child falls in.

Priority matters more than it used to. Odyssey’s report for 2025-26 listed no eligible students on the waitlist, but for 2026-27 Odyssey announced awards to over 18,700 students on June 17, 2026, with a waitlist of over 8,800 at that time. State law’s first group is returning students who submitted the program’s accountability measure, which is one reason to keep up with the renewal steps below.

5. Keeping the scholarship: the portfolio and proof of residence

One portfolio item or an assessment, no later than May 31

Returning students submit one portfolio item or an assessment “no later than May 31” (Utah Code 53F-6-402(3)(d)). Completing this requirement is part of the law’s definition of an eligible student, and staying eligible is also what lets unused funds roll over (two of every three unused dollars, up to $2,000 in total; see our amounts guide).

Odyssey’s portfolio article gives examples, including “Progress notes,” “Assessments or evaluations,” and “A report card or progress report from a private school or curriculum provider.” Odyssey decides what it accepts, so read its current article before you choose what to submit, and keep your own copy of whatever you send.

For home-based families, this is a Utah Fits All rule, separate from Utah’s homeschool law. That law says a school district may not require “standardized or other testing of home school students” (53G-6-204(2)(b)). The portfolio or assessment is a condition of the scholarship, not a district requirement. Our homeschool guide explains how the two sets of rules fit together.

Current-year proof of Utah residence

Utah law (53F-6-401(8)) also calls for current-year proof of Utah residence, and Utah must be your child’s primary residence. Check what Odyssey asks for when the 2027-28 application opens.

6. After you apply: decisions, acceptance and the waitlist

Utah law says decisions come “within 30 days of the application deadline” and that families accept an award “prior to July 1.” In 2026, Odyssey issued awards to over 18,700 students in mid-June, the acceptance deadline was June 30, and Odyssey later refers to another award round on July 26. After acceptance, funds arrive in your child’s Odyssey account; for 2026-27, Odyssey made funds available on July 15, 2026.

If your child is waitlisted, three rules are worth knowing:

• Under an Odyssey policy published for 2025-26, waitlisted students “cannot accrue reimbursable expenses” before they are funded, so don’t count on reimbursement for tutoring or other purchases made while you wait.
• Awards made after the year starts are prorated under Utah Code 53F-6-402(2)(e): no more than 75% of the amount in the second quarter, no more than 50% in the third, and no new awards in the fourth.
• Odyssey issued more than one award round in 2026, so watch Odyssey’s notices after the first round.

7. If your child goes back to public school

Odyssey says: “Your child may return to a public school at any time. You must notify Odyssey within five (5) business days …” When a scholarship student re-enters public school, Utah law removes the remaining balance in the account (Utah Code 53F-6-411(1)).

Because a Utah Fits All student can’t be enrolled in a public school at the same time, even part-time, plan any change carefully. USBE adds: “Keep in mind that any activity with a public school (in-person or online) may create similar situations.” If your child has an IEP, our guide to Utah Fits All and your child’s IEP covers what the law says about special-education services, school records and buying district services without enrolling.

8. A checklist for the 2027-28 application season

1. Keep a folder for this year: receipts, Odyssey order and reimbursement records, and work samples or results you might use for the portfolio.
2. Watch Odyssey’s help center for its 2027-28 dates; the statute’s windows (March 1 for current students, April 1 for new students) may differ from Odyssey’s final calendar.
3. Utah law calls for current-year proof of Utah residence; check what Odyssey asks for when the 2027-28 application opens.
4. Returning students: choose and submit the portfolio item or assessment no later than May 31, 2027.
5. Leaving a public or charter school for home-based learning? Send the one-time homeschool notification to your district’s local school board; it is separate from the Odyssey application.
6. Check the court case status: as of October 1, 2026, the State’s appeal was before the Utah Supreme Court.
7. If your child has a qualifying disability, compare the Carson Smith Opportunity Scholarship first: per CFEF, it pays $12,175 (K-12) or $8,000 (homeschool) for the 2026-27 school year, and a student can’t hold both.

If tutoring is part of your plan for next year, our teachers, who are certified in special education, provide one-to-one online academic tutoring, and Special Education Resource LLC is an approved provider in the Utah Fits All Odyssey Marketplace. Our guide to paying for tutoring with Utah Fits All explains how Marketplace purchases and reimbursements work, and a free consultation is a good place to start planning.