Hathaway Scholarship — Wyoming Department of Education / University of Wyoming Financial Aid

Hathaway is Wyoming’s state scholarship for eligible graduates of public or private high schools, homeschool programs and High School Equivalency Certificate (HSEC) programs. It combines a merit award—based on academic tier, coursework, GPA and a test—with a possible need-based supplement. Funds can be used at the University of Wyoming or a Wyoming community college; it is not a portable award for any out-of-state university. The state’s current list includes nine institutions, among them UW, Casper College, Laramie County Community College and Western Wyoming Community College.

For courses beginning on or after July 1, 2026, the 12-credit full-time semester amounts are $2,360 for Honors, $1,770 for Performance and $1,180 for Opportunity or Provisional. The first three tiers can cover up to eight full-time semesters; Provisional covers four and must begin at a community college. The published high-school table combines GPA and test thresholds: 3.5 GPA and ACT 25 for Honors, 3.0 and ACT 21 for Performance, and 2.5 and ACT 19 for Opportunity. Provisional starts at a 2.5 GPA and ACT 17 or WorkKeys 12. Reaching a number alone is not enough: each tier has its own Hathaway Success Curriculum, and homeschool and HSEC applicants use different tables. Ask your counselor to identify the precise pathway on your transcript.

The practical route starts before graduation: confirm with your counselor that you completed the required courses and take the ACT or SAT, because Wyoming requires a standardized test to evaluate Hathaway eligibility. The scholarship process begins through admission and the financial-aid office at the college you choose, rather than one common state application. At UW, the admissions file must include a final transcript and test scores; then complete the Hathaway Eligibility Verification Form on your WyoRecords checklist. Scholarship eligibility does not guarantee admission to UW; those are separate decisions.

There is a timing window and renewal rules worth putting on your calendar. You must initiate the scholarship within four years of graduation—or before age 21 for homeschool graduates—and then have up to six years to use it, with a maximum equivalent to eight semesters or 96 credits. Part-time recipients need at least six credits and receive a prorated award; fewer than six credits are ineligible except for the special summer rule. At UW, renewal checks GPA, satisfactory academic progress and continuous fall/spring enrollment. For example, Opportunity and Provisional currently require a 2.25 college GPA, while Performance and Honors require 2.50. Before dropping a class, changing enrollment load or transferring, ask your Hathaway coordinator how the move affects your tier.

FAFSA does not replace Hathaway’s academic requirements. It is needed to request the additional Hathaway Need-Based Scholarship when a gap remains after subtracting attendance cost, SAI, the base award, other aid and the student contribution. The supplement changed for 2026, so ask your campus for a current calculation instead of relying on an older webpage. In a 2018 Wyoming Public Media interview, first-generation student Bailey Nowak said she barely heard about the program again during high school and would have prepared more for the ACT if she had known how it affected her award tier. LCCC reported in 2024 that she finished without debt using Hathaway and several other scholarships; that outcome cannot be credited to Hathaway alone. Her account suggests a practical step: ask a counselor to audit courses, testing and dates well before graduation.