Universal classes near aleph₁

Shelah has provided sufficient conditions for an $L_{\omega_1, \omega}$-sentence $\psi$ to have arbitrarily large models and for a Morley-like theorem to hold of $\psi$. These conditions involve structural and set-theoretic assumptions on all the $\aleph_n$'s. Using tools of Boney, Shelah, and the second author, we give assumptions on $\aleph_0$ and $\aleph_1$ which suffice when $\psi$ is restricted to be universal: $\mathbf{Theorem}$ Assume $2^{\aleph_{0}} < 2 ^{\aleph_{1}}$. Let $\psi$ be a universal $L_{\omega_{1}, \omega}$-sentence. - If $\psi$ is categorical in $\aleph_{0}$ and $1 \leq I(\psi, \aleph_{1}) < 2 ^{\aleph_{1}}$, then $\psi$ has arbitrarily large models and categoricity of $\psi$ in some uncountable cardinal implies categoricity of $\psi$ in all uncountable cardinals. - If $\psi$ is categorical in $\aleph_1$, then $\psi$ is categorical in all uncountable cardinals. The theorem generalizes to the framework of $L_{\omega_1, \omega}$-definable tame abstract elementary classes with primes.