UW Extends Confirmation Deadline as First-Year Student Applications Approach 6,000

The University of Wyoming has received nearly 6,000 first-year student applications for the coming fall semester and admitted 5,500 of those applicants, the largest numbers in five years.

To help those prospective students make informed decisions amid the delayed rollout of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by the U.S. Department of Education, UW is extending its enrollment confirmation date from May 1 to June 1.

“Financial considerations are paramount in any college decision, and this enrollment confirmation extension will assure that prospective students and their families have complete information about their financial opportunities at UW,” says Kyle Moore, the university’s vice provost for enrollment management. “We are very encouraged by the number of students who have started the process to attend Wyoming’s university this fall, and our scholarships and financial aid office is working hard to complete financial packages in light of the FAFSA delay so that we can welcome a new class of Cowboys and Cowgirls.”

In addition to extending the enrollment confirmation deadline to June 1, UW is moving the housing deposit deadline for new first-year students from May 1 to June 1.

As of March 15, UW’s 5,988 first-time student applicant number was up 7.3 percent from the same time last year, and the number of admitted students was 5,500, up 8.7 percent. Both figures are the highest since 2020.

The number of Wyoming applicants is up 3 percent, with Colorado applicants up 4.6 percent. Among the other states from which UW is seeing more applicants are California, up 13.8 percent; Texas, up 14.3 percent; Nebraska, up 17.6 percent; Washington, up 32 percent; Nevada, up 26.8 percent; Minnesota, up 9.4 percent; and Virginia, up 25.3 percent. UW increased its marketing efforts in those states and several others starting late last summer.

Units of the university are now working with the admitted students to complete their financial packages and confirm their enrollment. These efforts include upcoming New Student Days on the UW campus, where students meet advisers to begin the class registration process; connect with other new UW students; discover programs and resources available outside the classroom; and find out about student job opportunities. New Student Days are Friday, March 29; Monday, April 8; Monday, April 15; Monday, April 22; and Friday, April 26.

Complete information about New Student Days, the confirmation and registration processes, and other details is available at www.uwyo.edu/admissions/visit/events/new-student-day.html.

In addition to the significant increase in first-time students who’ve applied to and been admitted to UW, the university is seeing increases in transfer student applications (893, up 3.7 percent) and graduate student applications (2,324, up 15 percent).

More information for transfer students is available at www.uwyo.edu/admissions/transfer/index.html, and graduate students can learn more at www.uwyo.edu/admissions/graduate/index.html.

“It’s clear that our increased marketing efforts, combined with an intensified focus on both student recruitment and retention, are beginning to show results,” Moore says. “Because of Wyoming’s emphasis on accessibility, the University of Wyoming provides tremendous educational opportunities for an extremely affordable price, and our story is reaching more people than ever before.”