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SF0047 • 2026

Increase of Hathaway scholarship awards.

AN ACT relating to increasing the Hathaway scholarship program awards; making conforming amendments; and providing for an effective date.

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Education
Last action
2026-02-27
Official status
enrolled
Effective date
7/1/2026

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Increase Hathaway Scholarship Awards

This law increases the amount of money students can receive from Hathaway scholarships for college.

What This Bill Does

  • Increases the Opportunity scholarship award to $1,180 per semester.
  • Raises the Performance scholarship award to $1,770 per semester.
  • Boosts the Honor scholarship award to $2,360 per semester.
  • Upscales the Provisional Opportunity scholarship award to $1,180 per semester.
  • Adjusts need-based Hathaway scholarships to a maximum of $2,120 and minimum of $150 per year.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Students who qualify for Hathaway scholarships based on their academic achievements and financial needs.

Terms To Know

Hathaway Scholarship
A scholarship program in Wyoming that helps students pay for college or technical training.
Need-based Scholarship
Financial aid given to students based on their financial need and ability to pay for education.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The changes take effect starting July 1, 2026.
  • Details about how the scholarships are awarded remain unchanged.

Bill History

  1. 2026-02-27 LSO

    Assigned Chapter Number 7

  2. 2026-02-27 Governor

    Governor Signed SEA No. 0004

  3. 2026-02-26 House

    H Speaker Signed SEA No. 0004

  4. 2026-02-25 Senate

    S President Signed SEA No. 0004

  5. 2026-02-25 LSO

    Assigned Number SEA No. 0004

  6. 2026-02-25 House

    H 3rd Reading:Passed 59-0-2-1-0

  7. 2026-02-24 House

    H 2nd Reading:Passed

  8. 2026-02-23 House

    H COW:Passed

  9. 2026-02-21 House

    H Placed on General File

  10. 2026-02-21 House

    H04 - Education:Recommend Do Pass 7-0-2-0-0

  11. 2026-02-19 House

    H Introduced and Referred to H04 - Education

  12. 2026-02-18 House

    H Received for Introduction

  13. 2026-02-18 Senate

    S 3rd Reading:Passed 26-4-1-0-0

  14. 2026-02-17 Senate

    S 2nd Reading:Passed

  15. 2026-02-16 Senate

    S COW:Passed

  16. 2026-02-13 Senate

    S Placed on General File

  17. 2026-02-13 Senate

    S04 - Education:Recommend Do Pass 5-0-0-0-0

  18. 2026-02-09 Senate

    S Introduced and Referred to S04 - Education 30-1-0-0-0

  19. 2026-01-14 Senate

    S Received for Introduction

  20. 2026-01-14 LSO

    Bill Number Assigned

Official Summary Text

Bill Summary - 26LSO-0196

Bill No.:

SF0047

Effective:

7/1/2026

LSO No.:

26LSO-0196

Enrolled Act No.:

SEA No. 0004

Chapter No.:

7

Prime Sponsor:

Joint Education Interim Committee

Catch Title:

Increase of Hathaway scholarship awards.

Has Report:

No

Subject:

Increase of Hathaway Scholarship awards.

Summary/Major Elements:

Increases the Hathaway Scholarship program awards, on a per semester basis, as follows:
Opportunity: $840 to $1,180
Performance: $1,260 to $1,770

Honor: $1,680 to $2,360
Provisional Opportunity: $840 to $1,180

Adjusts the need-based Hathaway scholarship awards to provide higher maximum ($1,575 to $2,120) and minimum ($105 to $150) semester awards.

The above summary is not an official publication of the Wyoming Legislature and is not an official statement of legislative intent.

While the Legislative Service Office endeavored to provide accurate information in this summary, it should not be relied upon as a comprehensive abstract of the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
26LSO-0196

ORIGINAL Senate

File No
.
SF0047

ENROLLED ACT NO. 4,

SENATE

SIXTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
2026 Budget Session

AN ACT relating to increasing the Hathaway scholarship program awards; making conforming amendments; and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1
.

W.S. 21
‑
16
‑
1304(a)(i)(A), (ii)(A) and (iii)(A), 21
‑
16
‑
1305(a)(i)(A) and 21
‑
16
‑
1306(a)(i)(B)(II) and (C) are amended to read:

21
‑
16
‑
1304.

Hathaway opportunity, performance and honor scholarships.

(a)

Any student who meets the criteria under W.S. 21
‑
16
‑
1303 is eligible to receive a scholarship to pursue a degree or certificate as follows:

(i)

With a minimum cumulative high school GPA of 2.50 and a score equal to or greater than the 2015
‑
2016 national percentile rank of forty
‑
three (43) on a college entrance examination administered throughout the United States and relied upon by institutions of higher education to determine acceptance of students for attendance, a Hathaway opportunity scholarship for:

(A)

Eight hundred forty dollars ($840.00)
One thousand one hundred eighty dollars ($1,180.00)
per semester at an eligible institution if enrolled for twelve (12) or more semester hours;

(ii)

With a minimum cumulative high school GPA of 3.0 and a score equal to or greater than the 2015
‑
2016 national percentile rank of fifty
‑
six (56) on a college entrance examination administered throughout the United States and relied upon by institutions of higher education to determine acceptance of students for attendance, a Hathaway performance scholarship for:

(A)

One thousand two hundred sixty dollars ($1,260.00)
One thousand seven hundred seventy dollars ($1,770.00)
per semester at an eligible institution if enrolled for twelve (12) or more semester hours;

(iii)

With a minimum cumulative high school GPA of 3.5 and a score equal to or greater than the 2015
‑
2016 national percentile rank of seventy
‑
nine (79) on an examination administered throughout the United States and relied upon by institutions of higher education to determine acceptance of students for attendance, a Hathaway honor scholarship for:

(A)

One thousand six hundred eighty dollars ($1,680.00)
Two thousand three hundred sixty dollars ($2,360.00)
per semester at an eligible institution if enrolled for twelve (12) or more semester hours;

21
‑
16
‑
1305.

Hathaway provisional opportunity scholarships.

(a)

Any student who meets the criteria under W.S. 21
‑
16
‑
1303 is eligible to receive a Hathaway provisional opportunity scholarship to pursue a certificate or degree as follows:

(i)

With a minimum cumulative high school GPA of 2.50 and either a score equal to or greater than the 2015
‑
2016 national percentile rank of thirty (30) on a college entrance examination administered throughout the United States and relied upon by institutions of higher education to determine acceptance of students for attendance or a qualifying cumulative score on a career
‑
technical aptitude test as determined by the department, a scholarship for:

(A)

Eight hundred forty dollars ($840.00)
One thousand one hundred eighty dollars ($1,180.00)
per semester at a Wyoming community college if enrolled for twelve (12) or more semester hours;

21
‑
16
‑
1306.

Need based scholarships.

(a)

In addition to scholarships made available under W.S. 21
‑
16
‑
1304 and 21
‑
16
‑
1305 there shall be made available a need based Hathaway scholarship as follows:

(i)

The scholarship shall be available only to students qualifying for a scholarship under W.S. 21
‑
16
‑
1304 or 21
‑
16
‑
1305 and for federal financial aid. The scholarships under this section shall be computed and awarded as follows:

(B)

If the student has annual unmet financial need greater than two thousand dollars ($2,000.00):

(II)

If a student is eligible for a scholarship under this article but does not qualify under subdivision (I) of this subparagraph – an award equal to twenty
‑
five percent (25%) of the annual unmet financial need in excess of two thousand dollars ($2,000.00), but not to exceed
one thousand five hundred seventy
‑
five dollars ($1,575.00)
two thousand one hundred twenty dollars ($2,120.00)
per year.

(C)

A student qualifying for any award under this section shall receive a minimum amount of
one hundred five dollars ($105.00)
one hundred fifty dollars ($150.00)
for each semester of qualification.

One
‑
half (1/2) of the annual award amount under this section shall be provided to the student at each semester of qualification;

Section 2
.

This act is effective July 1, 2026
.

(END)

Speaker of the House

President of the Senate

Governor

TIME APPROVED: _________

DATE APPROVED: _________

I hereby certify that this act originated in the Senate.

Chief Clerk

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