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University of Wyoming

Outreach Programs


Twelve Things To Know About Financial Aid For Students In Outreach Programs


1. The types of aid which are available

In general, the same financial aid is available to students seeking degrees through UW Outreach programs as to students seeking degrees at UW's Laramie and Casper locations. State-appropriated scholarships such as the UW President's Honor Scholarships and County Commissioners' Scholarships may be used for Outreach courses by eligible students, for example. Federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Grants, Richardson Scholarships, Federal Perkins and Stafford Loans and UW short-term (emergency) loans may be used by eligible students who meet federal and/or local requirements, as may most scholarships.

2. Recipients of federal funds must have a declared degree objective

Outreach students who qualify for federal funds will fall into one of the following two categories:

A. those who have been accepted for admission to UW and who are enrolled in a program leading to a UW bachelor's or master's degree.

B. those who are enrolled in a degree program on the Laramie or Casper campus, who are or who have previously attended class on campus and who are pursuing one or more Outreach courses in conjunction with their on-campus work.

Please note that students in a) and b) above are seeking a UW degree. Students who do not fall into one of these categories should consult with an adviser in the Office of Student Financial Aid and/or with an adviser in the Outreach program (1-800-448-7801 #6).

3. On-campus deadlines apply to Outreach applicants

Outreach students who apply for financial aid should be aware of the application deadlines which are associated with each of the various types of aid in which they are interested. Since these deadlines sometimes involve complex application processes, applicants are responsible for checking with the Office of Student Financial Aid to learn the details. Priority consideration for scholarships and federal aid is given to applicants whose data have been received by March 1 prior to the semester in which the aid is to be used, but awards are made all year long, when funds are available.

4. Minimum credit-hour enrollment requirements may vary

Below are shown the minimum credit-hour enrollments required for eligibility for various financial aid programs at UW. Be sure to read #5 below for further information on enrollment.

  • Federal Pell Grant ----- 12 credit hours for full grant; proportionate reduction for fewer hours.

  • Federal Stafford Loan ----- 6 credit hours for in-school deferment and to borrow. Master's candidates check with Financial Aid Office.

  • Short-term loans from UW ----- 12 credit hours, with limited exceptions

  • Federal Perkins Loans ----- 6 credit hours for in-school deferment; no minimum to borrow

  • State-funded scholarships ----- 12 credit hours for most scholarships

  • Other scholarships ----- check regulations of award for enrollment requirements

5. When UW hours may be combined with community college hours

Courses taken through UW Outreach programs may be combined with courses taken at the Wyoming community colleges to achieve the minimum enrollments specified above only as noted here:

A. for state-appropriated scholarships - The Superior Student in Education Scholarship and County Commissioners' Scholarships may be used at any Wyoming community college, as long as the recipient has remaining semesters of eligibility, as specified by the terms of the scholarship. Therefore, courses through UW may be combined with courses at one or more of the community colleges to meet the minimum credit hour enrollment requirement for these particular scholarships.

B. for students in cooperative programs - UW has cooperative agreements with all the Wyoming community colleges to offer specific upper-division (junior and senior-level) degree programs. Students accepted for admission to UW in programs covered by these joint agreements may combine UW course hours with community college credit hours to achieve the minimum credit-hour requirement for financial aid. A special consortium agreement must be prepared each semester to cover the concurrent enrollments.

6. How payment is made for tuition costs

Normally, financial aid is disbursed only after official confirmation has been made of your enrollment. Since you are usually expected to pay for your credit hours when you register for them, you will need either to use your own funds for tuition costs or to make arrangements to defer tuition payment until the arrival of your aid. Book charges may sometimes be deferred, also. If you defer your tuition costs and later find that you are ineligible for aid, you are still obligated to pay your outstanding charges.

Your financial aid may be mailed to you in several checks or in one lump sum, depending on timing. If your tuition and book charges are also still outstanding when your financial aid is credited to your account, as much as possible of your charges will automatically be paid by your financial aid. If there is excess aid, after your charges have been paid, a " credit balance check" for the remainder will be mailed to you. If you also owe tuition charges at a community college, you must make arrangements on your own to pay or defer payment until your aid arrives.

Please note that financial aid has some unique disbursement arrangements. It is always disbursed in two payments, once each semester. Also, when you borrow your first Stafford Loan, you will be required to participate in entrance loan counseling before your check can be mailed to you. You may complete this requirement online or you may make arrangements at the community college closest to you to watch their video and have confirmation sent (or faxed) to the UW cashier. If you do not live within reasonable driving distance of a college or if other factors make a visit to a college campus impossible, you should call the UW financial aid office for assistance.

7. How your community college coursework will be confirmed

If you are enrolled through the UW Outreach School and one of the Wyoming community colleges (see 5b), you will normally be enrolled predominately in UW (that is, upper division) coursework. If you find it necessary to your academic program to enroll in some community college (that is, lower division) courses, along with your UW coursework, the total of your hours from both institutions can be counted toward your enrollment requirement for financial aid purposes.

8. You are responsible for maintaining your address record

When enrollment has been certified and all eligibility requirements have been met, UW will mail your excess financial aid in the form of checks payable to you. The check(s) will be mailed to the address on record for you on the UW Registrar's computer database. This address is updated only when you request the Registrar to do so. It is always appropriate for you to confirm that the Registrar has your current address and if not, to update it. You may do this by calling or writing the Office of the Registrar several weeks before any expected disbursement or other mailing from UW.

9. How to notify UW of your enrollment plans

Since you normally enroll in Outreach classes only a few weeks before the classes begin, the UW financial aid office does not have a clear picture of your academic plans for the semester until just before the semester starts. To assist us in preparing the correct amount of aid for your academic schedule, we ask that you phone this office at least a month before the start of your classes each semester, to notify us of your intended courseload. If you identify yourself as an Outreach student, your call will be transferred to the appropriate area of the office. Please remember to discuss any coursework you may be planning to take from a Wyoming community college, when you call.

10. Reduction in enrollment hours must be reported

When recipients of financial aid withdraw completely from the school which disbursed their aid, the proceeds of any refund are applied first to the federal aid account(s) from which the student received assistance. This procedure is described in detail in the UW General Bulletin. Outreach students receiving financial aid of any kind are required to notify the Office of Student Financial Aid of their withdrawal.

11. Reasonable academic progress is reviewed annually

Students requesting federal financial assistance are subject to an annual review of their academic standing (GPA) and of their progress toward their degree objective. This review occurs immediately after the conclusion of the spring semester on campus and sometimes before the calculation, reporting and posting of grades from the Outreach locations. This can lead to an inaccurate calculation of completed hours, since not all Outreach hours may appear to be complete at the time of the review. If you are notified that you appear not to have met reasonable academic progress requirements, in terms of the percentage of hours you have completed, you may write to the Office of Student Financial Aid to request a second review, taking all Outreach courses into consideration, once the credit for them has been posted to your record.

Reasonable academic progress is defined as 1) maintenance of a 2.0 cumulative UW grade point average (GPA) for students seeking a bachelor's degree and 3.0 for graduate students; 2) completion of degree requirements for a first bachelor's degree before attempting 180 undergraduate hours (220 for a second bachelor's degree and 60 for a master's degree); and 3) successful completion of at least 67% of the credit hours attempted during the most recent academic year of attendance at UW. Students who do not meet these criteria will be asked to explain their circumstances in writing before receiving financial aid.

Requests for an exception to the reasonable academic progress standards are made to the Office of Student Financial Aid. They normally contain a careful, thoughtfully worded explanation of the situation(s) which caused the student to make less than satisfactory progress. Successful appeals include a description of the steps that have been taken to assure that reasonable progress can be made in the future. Please note that some scholarships with specific GPA and/or credit-completion requirements do not have a provision for appeals and thus cannot be re-offered to a student who does meet those requirements.

12. In-school loan deferment provisions may vary

If you have an unpaid balance on a Federal Perkins, NDSL, Nursing, or Pharmacy Loan made by UW and are otherwise eligible for a student deferment, your loan may be deferred based on your enrollment in the required number of credit hours. If you are enrolled in one of the cooperative programs, you should bring that information to the attention of the UW Office of Student Financial Operations when you request the deferment. Perkins, and other loans made by another college can be deferred by that college but you may have to provide additional information regarding the nature of the Wyoming cooperative degree arrangement, if that is applicable to you. In your correspondence with your previous school(s), you may wish to refer to the cooperative program as a "consortium agreement," since that is the term by which such programs are nationally known.

Federal Stafford, GSL, Supplemental, ALAS, or SLS Loans from UW or from other colleges may be deferred while you enroll in UW Outreach courses. Please contact your lender for the appropriate deferment forms. If you are in one of the cooperative programs and taking classes from both UW and a community college, you should read the following:

The college which would award your financial aid ( the "home" college) is the college to which you should send your request for in-school deferment. If you are a junior or a senior, for example, UW is your home college. Please attach a note to your deferment form each semester, drawing the UW Registrar's attention to the fact that you are enrolled in a cooperative program and have hours at both UW and a community college. If you are receiving financial aid that semester, it is likely that UW already has documentation of your combined hours. If not, that documentation will have to be obtained from the community college before UW can certify your total hours of enrollment.

Numbers you may need

To ask about: Contact: Phone: Fax:
Eligibility for financial aid Student Financial Aid Office 307-766-2118 307-766-3800
When/where your check was mailed Accounts Receivable Office 307-766-6232 307-766-3633
Admission to UW Admissions Office 800-DIAL-WYO
or 307-766-5160		 307-766-4042
General questions about Outreach classes Outreach School 800-448-7801 #5
or 307-766-4300		 307-766-3445
In-school deferments Registrar's Office 307-766-5272 307-766-3960
Address changes Registrar's Office 307-766-5272 307-766-3960
Cooperative degree programs Outreach School 800-448-7801 #5
or 307-766-4300		 307-766-3445
Perkins Loan deferments Student Financial Operations 307-766-3214 307-766-3633
Emergency, short-term loans Student Financial Operations 307-766-3214 307-766-3633
Academic Advising Dianne Davis 800-448-7801 #6 307-268-2416