Lawmakers Weigh Big Changes to Wyoming’s Hathaway Scholarship

Wyoming’s popular Hathaway Scholarship — the fund that helps thousands of local students pay for college — is back on the table as lawmakers gear up for the next legislative session.

At a two-day Joint Education Committee meeting last week, state legislators chewed over several possible changes to the program. By the end, the Legislative Service Office had a whole list of bill drafts to polish up before lawmakers reconvene in November.

The Hathaway Scholarship, launched in 2006, helps Wyoming high school grads cover tuition at the University of Wyoming or community colleges. Awards are based on GPA and ACT scores, and students can use the money for up to eight semesters, as long as they stay continuously enrolled.

This time around, two ideas sparked the most debate:

1. Turning the Hathaway into a lump-sum award (instead of splitting it by semester).
2. Letting students use the money at private colleges.

Sen. Chris Rothfuss, D-Laramie, pushed the lump-sum approach, arguing it gives students more flexibility.

“If you just took those funds, put them together and gave them over two years, students can get a lot closer to funding their undergraduate tuition,” he said.

But others, like Sen. Charles Scott, R-Casper, worried it could drain resources too fast.

“How the heck are we ever going to manage the thing if we pass this?” Scott asked. “We risk tying up a bunch of funds in lump sums and not being able to cover future students.”

The second draft bill — allowing Hathaway funds at private schools — came with its own hurdles. Legislative staff flagged multiple questions in the draft, noting current law makes it tricky to apply the scholarship outside public institutions. Lawmakers will have to hammer out the details.

On top of that, some legislators raised concerns about the shrinking power of Hathaway dollars. When the program began, it covered up to 202% of tuition and fees depending on award level. Today, the top award covers less than 41% of tuition at UW.

“I think the real need here is to focus on improving the size of the awards so that we get a higher percentage of tuition,” Scott said.

He suggested Wyoming’s strong financial footing might finally make that possible.

Still, none of the drafts discussed last week included a direct bump to award amounts. That conversation is likely to heat up as the November meeting — and the 2026 session — get closer.

For now, students and parents will have to wait and see whether lawmakers prioritize bigger checks, more flexibility, or keeping Hathaway the way it is.

The original story by Allison Allsop for Casper Star Tribune.