Financial Aid & Scholarships

Kickstart Wyoming's Tomorrow Scholarship

24+ years old and ready for a come back? Get $$$ to finish (or get started on) your degree or certificate at Northwest College.

Wyoming's Tomorrow logo

Kickstart* Wyoming’s Tomorrow Scholarship is a new state-funded scholarship program for adults (24+) to pursue higher education at at one of Wyoming’s eight community colleges or the university. You can receive up to $1,800 per semester if enrolled in 12 credit hours or more, for up to four full-time semesters.

Applications are now being accepted for Spring 2025 semester:

Wyoming's Tomorrow Scholarship Application

You are eligible if:

  1. You apply prior to the commencement of the semester for which the Kickstart Wyoming's Tomorrow Grant is desired.
  2. You’ve been a Wyoming resident for no less than one (1) year immediately preceding application or not less than a total of three (3) years at any time prior to application;
  3. You’re twenty-four (24) years of age or older when you begin school;
  4. You’ve completed and filed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the academic year for which you are applying for a scholarship and have unmet financial need;
  5. You agree to register with the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services by completing a new account registration at hire.wyo.gov.

You may not be eligible if:

  1. You are currently receiving a scholarship under the Hathaway Scholarship program;
  2. Are not a United States citizen or a permanent resident alien who meets the definition of an eligible non-citizen under federal Title IV requirements, or requirements of a subsequent similar federal enactment;
  3. Owe a refund under a federal Title IV student financial aid program, or a subsequently enacted similar federal student financial aid program, or a student financial aid program administered through the state;
  4. Are incarcerated; or
  5. Previously received a scholarship under this scholarship program of four (4) full-time academic terms or a total of seven thousand two hundred dollars ($7,200) in scholarships for unmet financial need.

The Wyoming's Tomorrow Scholarship program and the administrative rules governing the Kickstart Wyoming's Tomorrow Scholarship program were created by the Wyoming State Legislature under State Statute WS 21-16-19.

State statute requires recipients of this scholarship to register with the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services (DWS) by completing an account registration at https://hire.wyo.gov/. By registering, you have access to information and career resources designed specifically for Wyoming residents’ needs, to help you prepare for your job search, see jobs available in Wyoming and connect with employers looking to hire. Acknowledgement of your DWS registration during a prior academic year Kickstart Wyoming's Tomorrow Scholarship application, or your agreement to create a new DWS registration if this is your first Kickstart Wyoming's Tomorrow Scholarship application, is part of annual Kickstart Wyoming's Tomorrow Scholarship student application and eligibility requirements.

Information you provide in registering at hire.wyo.gov will be used to track the performance of the scholarship program. No information will be released by the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services that identify an individual in any way. Please read the DWS privacy policy for further information.

Note:

*In 2022, the Wyoming's Tomorrow Scholarship (WTS) program and its initial endowment contribution of $10M was established by the Wyoming State Legislature. During that same 2022 legislative session, the WY legislature allocated $1.25M to "kickstart" scholarships with the same WTS student eligibility criteria and named it "Kickstart Wyoming's Tomorrow Scholarship" in an effort to support students during the WTS endowment's corpus maturity phase. In March 2024, the 2024 Legislative Session contributed the remaining funds to reach the mandated $50M WTS endowment corpus necessary to authorize student scholarship dividends beginning in the 2025-2026 academic year. During the same 2024 legislative session, an additional $2.5M was allocated to prolong KWTS awards until the 2025-26 award year begins for the WTS award disbursement. Once all legislatively appropriated KWTS funds are exhausted, KWTS awards shall be discounted and only scholarships awarded from the WTS endowment dividend shall remain in effect. Per Wyoming Legislature 2024 Session Laws, Chapter 118, Section 327(c) (page #355), students who receive KWTS may not receive WTS awards in any future semester of enrollment, even if the four full-time equivalent semesters of permitted usage are not exhausted.

For comprehensive application and eligibility requirements for all NWC Scholarships, please review the NWC Scholarships portion of the Financial Aid Disclosure & Consumer Information on our Financial Aid Policies page.

Contact

Financial Aid & Scholarships Office | Orendorff Building, ORB100 | Scholarships@nwc.edu | 307-754-6158 | 307-754-6154 (Fax) | 307-754-6225 (TTY)