Utah State University’s Open Access Fund is evolving. Beginning July 1, 2025, the fund will shift from a first-come, first-served model to a more intentional application-based process. This change is designed to better support researchers with demonstrated financial need, while also aligning with the university’s broader commitment to student success and research impact. The fund will continue to have $15,000 available twice a year, offering up to $1500 per article towards article processing charge (APC) costs.

The new process will prioritize.

• Student authors and early-career researchers
• Applicants with limited access to other funding sources
• Publications in journals that support the open research landscape
• Scholars actively engaging with USU's Institutional Repository

Applications will be reviewed using a transparent evaluation matrix to ensure fairness and consistency. This new approach reflects our goal of maximizing the impact of every dollar in the fund—helping elevate work that might otherwise go unsupported.

It is also important to note that full time USU employees continue to be covered under the University’s broader Open Access Policy. This allows faculty and staff to publish their work behind a paywall and still share a preprint version of the article in the Utah State University Institutional Repository.

We believe the new application-based process will help ensure the fund is more equally distributed across disciplines and foster a more accessible research environment at USU.

For more details on the application process, evaluation criteria, or to preview the new matrix, visit this link.