Wyoming’s Premier Scholarship

 

By Micaela Myers
 
Every year for the past 16 years, the University of Wyoming has awarded the Trustees’ Scholars Award to about 100 Wyoming high school seniors. 

“It was started by the UW Board of Trustees to reward Wyoming’s highest-achieving students,” says Director of Admissions and Interim Vice Provost for Enrollment Management Shelley Dodd. “It recognizes the best of the best in Wyoming who have worked hard in the classroom, challenged themselves with difficult classes and really excelled.”

The Trustees’ Scholars Award covers tuition, mandatory fees and a standard double room and meal plan (when living in university housing). 

“It removes one of the biggest barriers that comes with a college education: the cost,” says Student Financial Services Director Anna Terfehr. 

“I could not have personally afforded college without a great deal of debt if not for the Trustees’ Scholars Award,” says psychology major Eann Burns of Lander, who graduated this past spring with plans to become a counselor. 

All Wyoming high school students who apply to UW are considered for the award. 

“It recognizes their academic achievements through a really thoughtful selection process, and it is widely representative of our state,” Terfehr says. 

Without having to work extra jobs, these scholars can go above and beyond, taking part in undergraduate research, internships, sports, clubs, volunteer work and more. 

“The Trustees’ Scholars Award has made it possible for me to make the most out of my time in school without financial burden,” says junior Katie Shields of Riverton, who is majoring in psychology with minors in honors, neuroscience and an American Sign Language certificate, with plans to become a school counselor. “This award celebrates the achievements of hard-working students, creating a sense of pride and accomplishment.”  

 

• Since 2010, 1,147 students have received the Trustees’ Scholars Award, with a total of $46,229,911 awarded.
• Recipients typically average a 3.97 unweighted high school GPA and an average ACT composite score of 32.
• Over the years, the UW Board of Trustees has provided designated scholarship support under names such as the Trustees’ Pride, Trustees’ Superior Student Scholarship and, since 2010, the Trustees’ Scholars Award.
• All Wyoming high school applicants are considered for the award in the first round. In the second round, candidates submit an essay and resume, and in the third round, candidates are invited for an interview. About 100 awards are given each year.
• The Trustees’ Scholars Award works in combination with the Cowboy Commitment and Hathaway Honors Scholarship for a maximum of eight consecutive semesters or completion of a first bachelor’s degree, whichever comes first.
  
  

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