057-5 Wyo. Code R. §§ 5-13 - Administering the Wyoming's Tomorrow Scholarship Program

(a) Expenditure Account Scholarship Funding

(i) By February 1 of each calendar year, the Community College Commission, in consultation with the State Treasurer, shall determine available scholarship funding in the Expenditure Account for the academic year beginning with the next fall academic term. The Commission shall notify the colleges and the University of Wyoming no later than February 1 of each academic year after the date in which the Expenditure Account first receives a deposit from the Endowment Fund, of the total amount available. For the first fiscal year in which the Expenditure Account receives a deposit, if the deposit is received after February 1 but before August 1 of the calendar year, the Commission shall notify the colleges and the University of Wyoming of the total scholarship amount available for the upcoming academic year within thirty (30) days of the date on which it becomes known to the Commission that a deposit has been or will be made to the account. The scholarship amount available for this first academic year shall be available no earlier than the beginning of the upcoming fall academic term.

(ii) The Commission may reserve up to ten percent (10%) of the total available scholarship funding provided under paragraph (a)(i) of this section. The Commission shall notify the colleges and University by February 1 each year if this reserve shall be applied and the amount.

(iii) The Commission shall divide the total available scholarship funding into two funding allocation pools under which the colleges and University shall have access to award scholarships. There shall be a base scholarship award pool allocation (base allocation) and a high demand scholarship award pool allocation (high demand allocation). The colleges and University shall be notified of the final base allocation and the high demand allocations not later than February 28. For the first year in which the Expenditure Account receives a deposit, if the deposit is received after February 1 but before August 1 of the calendar year, the Commission shall notify the colleges and the University of Wyoming of the base and high demand allocations within thirty (30) days of the date the Commission determines the total available scholarship funding for the upcoming academic year beginning with the next fall academic term.

(A) The initial amount of each allocation shall be established at fifty percent (50%) of the total available funding less any amount reserved pursuant to paragraph (a)(ii) of this section. The initial base allocation shall be further apportioned into annual academic year allotments for each college and the University based on Commission analysis of the following data reported to or assembled by the Commission:

(I) The number of Wyoming resident students age 24 to 64 years old enrolled in the fall term of the current academic year in non-graduate programs by students' county of residence.

(II) The Commission shall obtain the most current census or related data for county-specific population counts for individuals aged 24 to 64 years old.

(B) The Commission may further adjust the base allocation and colleges' and the University's initial allotments based on the anticipated enrollment of Wyoming Tomorrow's Scholarship recipients from the prior year at each institution. The Commission may also use the following additional criteria to adjust and further increase the base allocation and colleges' and University's allotments. Each of these criteria shall carry equal weight and be calculated based on each colleges' proportion of students that fall within each separate criteria. Students that fall within more than one criteria may be counted once within each criteria calculation:

(I) Students who receive an industry sponsorship;

(II) Students who have yet to complete a post-secondary program certificate or degree;

(III) Students who are enrolled or indicate that they will enroll in programs of study that are in high economic or industry growth areas or areas of significant economic development opportunities, as the Commission determines annually each fall for the following academic year in consultation with the community colleges, University, business and industry stakeholders, and related state agencies.

(C) The final adjusted high demand allocation shall be calculated as the total scholarship funding amount less the amount reserved as determined in paragraph (a)(ii) of this section and less the initial base allocation and all subsequent adjustments to this base allocation. The high demand allocation shall not be less than twenty-five percent (25%) of the total available funding less the amount reserved pursuant to paragraph (a)(ii) of this section. The high demand allocation shall not be further divided into pre-academic year or pre-academic term allotments to each college and University prior to the Commission's determination for any academic term that use of the high demand allocation is necessary to meet all scholarship awards in the state. The Commission may distribute funding from the high demand allocation to an institution that has exhausted its base allocation amount as necessary to meet that institution's unmet scholarship demand.

(D) At the conclusion of each academic year, the colleges and University shall notify the Commission of any unawarded scholarship funds from their base allocation allotment.

(iv) The colleges and University shall report the scholarship commitment status of their adjusted base allocation awards to the Commission no later than August 15 for the following fall academic term, January 15 for the following spring academic term, and May 1 for the following summer academic. The Commission shall determine and notify each institution no later than thirty (30) days after the institutions report their commitment levels the amount of high demand allocation funding available to their institution to fund additional scholarship awards for each academic term.

(v) The Commission shall notify the State Treasurer no later than September 1 for the fall academic term, February 1 for the spring academic term, and June 1 for the summer academic term, of the scholarship prepayment amount of funds to be disbursed to the colleges and the University for anticipated scholarships awards for each academic term. For the first academic term of the first academic year for which scholarship funding is available, the Commission shall report to the State Treasurer not later than the first day of the month following the start of the academic term the amount of all awarded scholarships for that term. Within thirty (30) days of the beginning of each academic term, the community colleges and the University shall submit to the Commission a list of students enrolled in the institutions who have accepted a Wyoming's Tomorrow Scholarship award and the amount for which they qualify.

(b) Institutions Initial Declaration for Scholarship Funding

(i) Each college and the University shall submit a declaration for scholarship award funding using a form developed and maintained by the Commission. no later than the scholarship commitment date for each upcoming academic term specified in subsection (a)(iv) of this section. This declaration may be updated to add students determined eligible to the list, prior to the prepayment date for each academic term, as specified in subsection (a)(v) of this section. The declaration and list of students, shall be the basis for the Commission's initial estimate of scholarship award demand for each institution and each academic term. The declaration request shall include student-related information that shall include the following:

(A) Date of student's application;

(B) Identifier if the student's program of study is designated as a local or state priority for workforce or economic development needs, as determined annually each previous fall for the current academic year by the Commission in consultation with the community colleges, University, business and industry stakeholders and related state agencies;

(C) Identifier as to if the student has received a prior Wyoming's Tomorrow Scholarship in the immediately preceding term;

(D) Confirmation that the student has an industry sponsorship;

(E) Identifier that the student has received a prior post-secondary credential, if any;

(F) Confirmation that a student has been notified of or met the requirement to register with the Department of Workforce Services training assistance program;

(G) Confirmation that the student has not reached the maximum scholarship award amount of seven thousand two hundred dollars ($7,200.00);

(H) Confirmation that a student has not exceeded 4 full-time equivalent academic terms.

(I) A provisional funding amount for the student.

(ii) When the Commission determines there is insufficient funding to issue scholarship awards to all eligible student applicants, the Commission shall use the information provided in this subsection to prioritize awards to students as required by W.S. 21-16-1905 and 21-16-1906. The Commission shall apply preferences to student applicants based on the priorities established in this paragraph.

(A) Students shall be awarded a scholarship based on their membership in the following groups and in the following order. Students shall be considered for scholarship awards based on the highest priority group to which they belong.

(I) Students who received a scholarship in the immediately preceding academic term;

(II) Students with an industry sponsorship;

(III) Students entering a program of study determined to be in a high need or economic growth or economic development opportunity area, as determined by the Commission pursuant to subsection (b)(i)(B) of this section;

(IV) Students that have not previously obtained a postsecondary credential.

(V) All remaining students that do not qualify under the preceding preferences.

(B) If sufficient funding is not available to fund all eligible Wyoming's Tomorrow scholarship applicants in a group after fully funding all scholarships for students in higher priority groups, the available remaining funding will be distributed within the group in the order that the applicants submitted applications to the eligible institution. Students with the longest continuous residency in Wyoming shall preferentially receive the scholarship over those who submitted applications on the same date students.

(c) Students shall complete and submit to a college or the University an application for the scholarship to provide information consistent with the requirements under W.S. 21-16-1903.

(i) The application shall contain information to determine, at a minimum, the following:

(A) A student's initial or continued scholarship eligibility by a college's or the University's financial aid office.

(B) A notice and student acknowledgement of the requirement to maintain continuous enrollment to remain eligible for the scholarship.

(C) A notice of and student acknowledgement of the opportunity to seek a waiver of the continuous enrollment requirement.

(D) The student's attestation that the student has registered with the Department of Workforce services for applicable training and educational assistance and services.

(ii) If a community college, the University, or the Commission becomes aware of or determines that a student has misrepresented information on their scholarship application, the Commission may deny or revoke the scholarship. Any student who receives scholarship funds based on a scholarship application in which the student made a knowing material misrepresentation shall be required to repay to the Commission any scholarship funds improperly awarded.

(d) The following requirements apply to an applicant asking the Commission to waive the continuous enrollment requirement according to W.S. 21-16-1904(c)(iv).

(i) An applicant seeking a waiver of the continuous enrollment requirement shall submit to the intended community college or the University:

(A) A new scholarship application pursuant to subsection (c) of this section.

(B) Evidence of military service, religious service, or other good cause for the applicant's failure to maintain continuous enrollment;

(ii) The college or University financial aid office shall recommend that the Commission approve or deny an applicant's waiver. The Commission may request additional documentation from the community college or the University to resolve any outstanding questions before making a final waiver determination.

(iii) Students who successfully receive a waiver of the continuous enrollment requirement may receive a scholarship award in the academic term for which they apply in the same manner and within the same priority group in which they fall based on the date of their new scholarship application.

(e) For each scholarship applicant, the financial aid office of each college and the University shall determine students' eligibility. A student's scholarship award shall be provided for the student's unmet financial need, consistent with W.S. 21-16-1901(a)(xi).

(i) Non-credit program students are to be considered the equivalent of enrolled full time and may not receive more than $1,800 for any period of academic engagement that is substantially equal to or less than an academic semester in length.

(ii) All proration calculations shall be rounded down to the nearest dollar.

(iii) Each institution shall determine a student's continued eligibility for subsequent scholarship disbursement.

(iv) Students who complete a program of study and obtain a post-secondary credential under the scholarship program may continue to receive the scholarship for another program of study and credential if:

(A) The student continues to meet all eligibility requirements;

(B) The student has not previously received the maximum amount of scholarship funds authorized by W.S. 21-16-1904(b).

(f) Students transferring from one eligible institution to another shall request that the college from which they are transferring provide official financial aid and academic transcripts to the new college. The transcripts, or other information that may be attached to the transcript, shall include:

(i) A list of all academic terms for which the student received a Wyoming Tomorrow's Scholarship award;

(ii) Grades or other course completion information, or attempts to complete, on all non-credit and credit academic courses taken during the academic terms in which the student received a Wyoming Tomorrow's Scholarship award;

(iii) Satisfactory academic progress calculations performed by the financial aid office of the original school for all academic terms in which the student received a Wyoming Tomorrow's Scholarship award.

(g) Each student enrolled in a program must achieve SAP by the end of each academic or program term to remain eligible for a student scholarship.

(i) For non-credit programs, each institution shall use the same SAP standards as those used in the evaluation of Wyoming Works non-credit programs.

(ii) Each college and the University shall calculate SAP at the conclusion of each academic or program term within which the student is enrolled.

(iii) A student's SAP status for scholarship eligibility shall not change if the student transfers to a different program within the institution or to any approved program offered at a college or the University.

Notes

057-5 Wyo. Code R. §§ 5-13

Adopted, Eff. 4/25/2023. Amended, Eff. 12/6/2023.