If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
“Big Wyoming” earned its nickname due to its wide open skies, incredible national parks and amazing scenery. What it doesn’t say is Wyoming has the absolute lowest population (both in square miles and per mile) in the country. It has one state college, six community colleges and that’s pretty much it. The need-based college grants it offers are nearly as under-populated.
To further illustrate, while every other state in the country has its own financial aid package for needy students, Wyoming will help a worthy student apply for a federal Pell Grant, which any student should be applying for anyway. This means filing a FAFSA form and selecting the most appropriate institution for one’s advanced education. In turn, the recipient can get a renewable federal grant for up to $5,500.
When that isn’t enough, the state will help students apply for the Leveraging Education Assistance Program (LEAP) Grant. To qualify a student (or his/her family) must be able to prove they can’t provide at least $3,850 towards the tuition. If qualified, the LEAP will contribute anywhere from a supplemental $100 to $2,500 per academic year towards an advanced education.
Not that the Equality State is completely without financial assistance. They are just highly specialized cases. One such plan is the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Grant. It targets the physically and mentally impaired by educating and helping them enter the labor market. Administered by the state’s Department of Workforce Services, it pays the entire tuition and related expenses of a student, and then helps land him/her land a first job.
One way Wyoming entices its residents to join its National Guard is through its Education Assistance Program. To apply, a person must first have gone through the Guard’s boot camp and be ready for active duty. It also states that a student can not be going to the university of choice when called. At the same time, when off duty, Wyoming will pay the entire tuition of a Guardsman up to graduation.
Wyoming is also going through an extreme shortage of nurses. To encourage students to take up the profession, it has set up the Investment in Nursing Program. It operates like a loan forgiveness program and requires being accepted into a state-accredited program and filling out a FAFSA application. The state will set up loans to help a student go to one of its nursing schools (state or community). In return, a graduate can pay it off with one year of service for each year of loans he or she took out.
Wyoming also has a teaching program that operates on the same terms as its nursing plan. The major difference here is after graduating, the recipient is sent to an under-served educational district instead of a health care facility. The number of years is the same though.
This pretty much summarizes the number of need-based plans the state of Wyoming has to offer. Reading about online universities will help you learn about the options available to you for your education. Luckily, there are other financial aid programs, including state scholarships, other national grant plans such as the SEOG, and private sources like the American Legion. Sourcing these out are highly advisable. Secure your future by learning more on online college classes.
