Renew Your Financial Aid

To keep your financial aid each semester, there are different requirements for each type of aid. Here’s the information you need to know so you can be sure you don’t unexpectedly lose your financial aid. If you have questions, please contact the Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid. It is your responsibility to understand the requirements for your specific awards.

Federal Financial Aid Programs

Federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, Federal Work-Study, Federal Direct Loans, Federal Direct PLUS Loans

• Students must file the FAFSA annually and continue to meet federal eligibility guidelines.

• Eligibility for federal financial aid programs, requires students to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards that are checked at end of each semester. Students who do not meet SAP requirements will receive no federal financial aid until they make up their academic deficiencies or successfully appeal.

Hathaway Scholarships

To maintain eligibility, students must qualify under the following three Hathaway standards after each spring semester:

GPA – after initiating the scholarship, students must maintain a minimum Hathaway GPA:

• Honors level 2.50*

• Performance level 2.50*

• Opportunity 2.25

• Provisional Opportunity 2.25

  *Students who fall below a 2.50 Hathaway GPA, but maintain a minimum of 2.25, are eligible to receive the Opportunity level until the GPA is increased to 2.50 or greater. Eligibility in SAP and continuous enrollment must also be met.

Note: The Hathaway GPA includes all courses taken at any Wyoming institution after the scholarship has been initiated, including deferred semesters, semesters used to regain the scholarship, and repeated courses.

Minimum Credit Hours – after initiating the scholarship, students must successfully complete a certain number of credit hours each fall and spring semester to maintain eligibility. Grades that qualify for successfully completed status include A, B, C, D, and S.

• A minimum of six (6) credit hours of 1000-level or higher courses must be completed each semester. Thereafter, Minimum Credit Hours are calculated as follows:

  • Students enrolled as part-time must complete at least 12 credit hours per academic year (fall and spring).

  • Students enrolled as part- and full-time (one semester part-time status and one semester full-time status) must complete at least 18 credit hours per academic year (fall and spring).

  • Students enrolled as full-time must complete at least 24 credit hours per academic year (fall and spring).

  • For students enrolled in a consortium agreement, all courses taken and completed at each Wyoming institution will be included in the calculation for Minimum Credit Hours.

Continuous Enrollment – after initiating the scholarship, students must be enrolled at a Wyoming community college or the University of Wyoming at least two semesters per year (fall and spring).

Loss of Hathaway

If a student does not meet eligibility as defined above, they will lose the Hathaway scholarship until they are able to reestablish their eligibility. If students lose Hathaway for GPA or Minimum Credit Hours as explained above, summer term can be used to reestablish either, or both, requirements.  Students will need to self-identify to Scholarships & Financial Aid when they believe their eligibility has been reestablished, especially if they choose to complete summer session(s).

Students may appeal for reinstatement of their Hathaway scholarship if it is lost for any, or all, of the three Hathaway standards if they can document extraordinary circumstances. Appeals must be submitted by the annual deadline noted in the email notification you will receive. All appeals are reviewed by a committee and approved or denied.

UW Renewing Commitments and Awards

Brown & Gold Commitment, Cowboy Commitment, Pokes Transfer Commitment, Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) Award, and WY Transfer Commitment

To maintain eligibility, students must:

• Maintain a 3.0 cumulative UW GPA (does not include any transfer credit hours).

• Be continuously enrolled in a minimum of 12 hours each fall and spring, with successful completion of 24 credit hours each academic year. Grades that qualify for successfully completed status include A, B, C, D, and S.

• Note: Since eligibility for the award is reviewed at the end of every spring semester, enrollment during summer session(s) following the spring review is not included. If the Commitment or Award is lost, it cannot be reinstated even if the requirements are met at a later date.

Commitments and Awards are renewable for a maximum of eight (8) consecutive semesters* use or completion of first bachelor's degree, whichever comes first. Exceptions to that number of semesters includes:

• *Transfer students awarded before fall of 2023 (UW Transfer, Cowboy Transfer, WUE Transfer, or Nebraska Transfer Awards): A maximum of four (4) semesters of consecutive use or completion of the first bachelor's degree, whichever comes first.

• *Transfer students awarded starting fall of 2023 (WY Transfer Commitment, Pokes Transfer Commitment, WUE Transfer Award,or Nebraska Transfer Award): A maximum of six (6) semesters of consecutive use or completion of the first bachelor's degree, whichever comes first.

Note: WUE Transfer and Nebraska Transfer Awards will sunset after Spring 2025.

Study abroad students must be enrolled in a 4001-level study abroad course (an exchange program), with tuition billed by the University of Wyoming, for their Commitment or Award to pay. If you enroll in a non-exchange program, you will waive that semester of Commitment or Award eligibility.

Students may appeal for reinstatement of their Commitment or Award if it is lost if they can document extenuating circumstances. Appeals must be submitted by the annual deadline noted in the email notification you will receive. All appeals are reviewed by a committee and approved or denied. 

---

Trustees’ Scholars Award

Students must maintain all the requirements noted above, in addition to:

• Maintaining a 3.25 cumulative UW GPA (does not include any transfer credit hours).