The governor of Wyoming, Mark Gordon, recently approved a grant of 20 million dollars to be given to the University of Wyoming in order to help eligible students attend school.
“The Governor understands the financial burden that this pandemic has had on students and their families,” said the Education Policy Advisor Lachelle Brant for the state of Wyoming. “He recognizes the importance of student retention and completion for economic recovery in Wyoming. He wants to support students to continue to pursue their education goals.”
The award will be distributed into the students accounts beginning September 3 through the Scholarships and Financial Aid Office. The money can either be received through a direct deposit or by a check depending on what the student has set in WyoRecords with Student Financial Services said Hintz. September 3 is a day after the last day to drop courses for the semester and the day that all other student aid will begin to be disbursed for the semester.
According to a public university site concerning eligibility for this award, an individual must be enrolled in the fall 2020 semester and be a U.S citizen. Therefore, international students are not eligible for this award. Debra Hintz, the director of scholarships and financial aid, said international students do not qualify for this award because they are not U.S citizens and this award money comes from the CARES Act which international students also do not qualify for.
To apply, students must also answer some questions about how COVID-19 has financially affected them. You can apply at the public university site already cited. The deadline to enroll in the fall semester and become eligible for this award is August 21. The deadline to apply for this award is December 1. Currently enrolled students are able to apply now.
After applying, UW will determine how much money will be awarded to you which depends on how many credits you are enrolled in. Undergraduate and pharmacy students enrolled in 12 or more credits and graduate or law students enrolled in 9 or more credits are eligible to receive the full $3,250. Undergraduate and pharmacy students enrolled in 9 credits and graduate and law students enrolled in 7 credits are eligible to receive $2,437. Undergraduate and pharmacy students enrolled in 6 credits and graduate and law students enrolled in 4.5 credits are eligible to receive $1,625 according to the public university site.
The UW press release said another requirement is that “recipients must commit to comply with UW’s policies to limit the spread of COVID-19.”
This award is available for both in state and out of state students, however, the out of state students must have at least once class with an in person aspect according to the UW site.
“The Governor allocated an initial 20 million and is holding another 5 million if all of the funds are expended,” said Brant.
The university determined the costs of providing meals and housing for one semester and concluded with the amount of $3,250 said Brant. The UW site said this award is for financial burdens due to COVID-19 separate from the costs of tuition and university fees.
Eligible students will receive this award, however, the money will be given on a “last-dollar-in” basis according to the UW press release. This means the award will be added last after all other financial aid on a student’s account according to the press release.
“In some cases this will require a reduction in other sources of aid which would be loans or work-study,” said Hintz. “No other gift aid will be reduced and some students may receive less than the $3,250 since the grant is only awarded up to the student’s cost of attendance.”
Brant said that if money is left over from either the $20 million or the extra $5 million, the money must be reverted by the end of December.
