Financial Aid

Student Scholarships and Grants

Institutional scholarship opportunities:

Superior
Stipend awarded to high school seniors for four consecutive semesters providing full-time in-state tuition and required fees, textbooks, housing and meal plan costs.  Candidates must have a minimum 3.75 cumulative GPA (through six semesters of high school), a minimum ACT composite of 27, and submit the Superior Student application, WWCC application for admission, personal essay and two letters of recommendation to the WWCC Financial Aid Office.  Finalists will be invited for a scholarship committee interview.  April 15 is the application deadline. 

Honors
Stipend awarded to high school seniors for four consecutive semesters.  Requires a minimum 3.5 high school GPA and ACT composite of 25.  This $4,200 stipend is an entitlement through July 1. After that point, out-of-state students no longer qualify and in-state students will receive the $3,200 Hathaway award only.  For continuation, students must complete 12 or more credit hours per semester with a 2.5 GPA.

Performance
Stipend awarded to high school seniors for four consecutive semesters.  Requires a minimum 3.0 high school GPA and ACT composite of 21.  This $3,200 stipend is an entitlement through July 1.  After that point, out-of-state students no longer qualify and in-state students receive the $2,400 Hathaway award only.   For continuation, students must complete 12  or more credit hours per semester with a 2.5 GPA.

Opportunity
Stipend awarded to high school seniors for four consecutive semesters.  Requires a minimum 2.5 high school GPA and ACT composite of 19.  This $1,600 stipend is an entitlement through July 1.  After that point, out-of-state students no longer qualify.   For continuation, students must complete 12 or more credit hours per semester with a 2.25 GPA.

Career
Stipend awarded to high school seniors for four consecutive semesters. Requires a minimum 2.5 high school GPA and a minimum ACT composite of 17. This $1,600 stipend is available only to students pursing occupational degrees (A.A.S. or certificate programs). For continuation, students must complete 12 or more credits each semester with a 2.5 gpa.

Sweetwater County High School Graduate Scholarship
Stipend awarded to students that graduated from a Sweetwater County high school in 2006 or after. This $1,800 stipend requires that applicants file the FAFSA, complete the financial aid application process and attend WWCC full-time. For continuation, students must complete 12 or more credits each semester with a 2.5 gpa.

Competition Grant
Provides stipends for successful competition in WWCC department events.  Minimum cumulative GPA is a 2.00.  Contact Admissions for dates and times of competitions.

Special Ability Grant
Provides scholarships in Athletics, Art, Dance, Music or Theatre.  Contracts may be offered for stipends or to cover in-state tuition, room, board or a combination of these.  The minimum criterion is a 2.00 GPA.

Transfer
A four semester stipend awarded to students transferring to WWCC after attending another post secondary educational institution and do not qualify for Hathaway funding.  Transfer must occur within 5 years of last college attendance.  This $3,500 stipend requires that the student has a minimum 3.50 college GPA and completed a minimum of 12 college credit hours.  For continuation, students must complete 14 credit hours per semester with a 3.0 GPA.

Part-time
Awarded to incoming or current degree seeking part-time students at WWCC and will provide tuition for one three credit hour course each semester for one academic year.  Students must complete the required application and personal essay.  For continuation, students must complete the 3 credit hour course with a 3.0 GPA.

Non-traditional Student
A four semester stipend awarded to entering or returning adult students attending WWCC full-time that have been out of high school for at least five years.  This $1,800 stipend requires that the student have a minimum high school GPA of 2.5 or college GPA of 2.75.   For continuation, students must complete 12 credit hours per semester with a 3.0 GPA.  (Separate application required – amounts prorated for less than full-time attendance)

Excellence in Academics
A four semester stipend awarded to degree seeking students who have completed a minimum of 12 credits at WWCC with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5.   This $2,500 stipend requires that students complete 12 credit hours per semester with a 3.0 GPA for continuation.

Dual Enrollment Student Grant
This grant is available to all Sweetwater County High School seniors who meet the requirements to take a dual enrollment course (minimum 3.25 high school GPA).  Students must complete the WWCC High School Concurrent/Dual Enrollment form and submit it to the Records and Registration Office at Western.  The grant will fund a maximum of 6 credit hours per semester.

Wyoming Overseas Combat Veteran’s Waiver
Provides free tuition at the University of Wyoming and community colleges for overseas combat veterans, combat veteran widows and orphans.  To qualify as on overseas combat veteran, a person was a resident of Wyoming for at least one year prior to entering into active service, was honorably discharged and was awarded the armed forces expeditionary medal or other authorized service or campaign medal indicating service to the United States in any armed conflict in a foreign country.  For additional information, contact the veteran’s representative in the financial aid office.

Other opportunities in the form of foundation grants, and other scholarships may be available through the WWCC Financial Aid Department.  Please contact us at (307) 382-1643 or email finaid@wwcc.wy.edu for more information.

Institutional Scholarship Application

I have financial aid, now how do I keep it?

Students who receive financial assistance at WWCC through Federal, State, or Institutional Financial Aid Programs have a legal responsibility to maintain Satisfactory Progress towards a degree objective. This requires the Financial Aid Office to make a determination whether applicants are eligible for financial assistance based on their prior academic record, regardless of whether or not they received aid. These guidelines represent minimal standards. They do not necessarily coincide with the requirements students must fulfill to initially receive aid nor the number of credits a student is expected to earn in order to complete a two-year degree in two years’ time. Students will be considered in good standing and eligible to receive financial assistance for WWCC if maintaining normal academic progress towards their degree as required by Federal and State regulations and the following policies and conditions.

Duration of Eligibility:  Students will only be eligible for financial assistance for a specific number of credit hours. At WWCC the limit is 96 credit hours. This includes all attempted and transferred hours.

Satisfactory Completion: Satisfactory means a student has received a minimum grade of D or P. Grades of I (incomplete), F (failure) and W (withdrawal) are not considered successfully completed classes. Repeat courses will be counted in attempted and completed credits. The Financial Aid Office has the right to refuse aid to students who abuse the inclusion of repeat courses to obtain funding. Inappropriate selection of courses is not an acceptable reason for not maintaining satisfactory academic progress. Students should contact an advisor.

Minimum GPA and Credit Completion: Students must maintain at least a 2.00 cumulative GPA. The minimum standards per semester are outlined below:

Financial Aid Probation
Probation is a warning that the student has not met Satisfactory Academic Progress for the previous semester. Students on probation can still receive aid. Failure to meet SAP while on probation will lead to suspension from financial aid for future semesters.

Financial Aid Suspension
Financial Aid recipients will be automatically placed on Suspension if they 1) withdraw from WWCC; 2) fail to satisfactorily complete a minimum of six (6) credit hours or 3) fail to achieve satisfactory progress while in a Probationary Status. Students on suspension for the first time must earn enough credits at their own expense to correct the deficiency. Students on second or subsequent suspension are ineligible to receive any aid of one year from the end of the term in which the infraction occurred.

Appeal of Suspension
Students may appeal in writing to the Financial Aid Office. It is the responsibility of the students to know if their grade reports, when compared to the Satisfactory Progress Standards, will cause immediate suspension of their financial aid. It is not the responsibility of the Financial Aid Office to notify students. Further, it is the student’s responsibility to notify the Financial Aid Office when reinstatement conditions have been met or to initiate and appeal.

Reinstatement of Financial Aid
Students whose suspension time has elapsed or who have successfully corrected the deficiency, must notify the Financial Aid Office and submit a grade transcript for review. Reinstatement of aid will be subject to funds available at the time the completed file is reviewed.

Transfer Students
Students who transfer to WWCC with satisfactory progress standard problems may be required to appeal for probationary funding.

Non-degree Students
A non-degree student is by definition not considered to be in a program and is therefore, not eligible for Financial Aid.

Withdrawal/Refunds/Repayments
Financial Aid recipients who drop classes which result in a reduction of fees paid are subject to WWCC’s Refund/Repayment Policy. Refund moneys will be used to repay any financial aid awards before any refund is made to the student. Students may be required to repay financial aid when they withdraw before the end of the semester. The amount of repayment is determined according to Federal regulations which take into account the number of class days attended and the total dollar amount of aid received.

Changes in Satisfactory Progress Standards
Changes to any of the specific provisions regarding this policy may be made at any time, without publication, due to changes in Federal, State and/or Institutional Regulations or Policies. Questions should be addressed to the WWCC Financial Aid Office.

Scholarship/Civic Grant Recipients
Many scholarship recipients are required to maintain higher academic standards than outlined in this policy. Students unable to maintain minimum acceptable standards should contact the Financial Aid Office.

Remember, each student is responsible for knowing his/her requirements to maintain eligibility. If you have any question please contact the Financial Aid office at 382-1643.