Scholarship resources

This page has a wide range of useful tools to help you with the financial aid process. These will be useful not just for WYCF scholarships, but for other applications as well. Be sure to scroll all the way down to make sure you see everything this page has to offer!

Costs of Attendance for WY Colleges

Net Price Calculators for WY Colleges

FAFSA Information and Advice

PLEASE NOTE: In 2023, FAFSA completed major changes to their website, application, and how they determine financial need.

WYCF scholarships do not require a FAFSA form, though most financial aid applications do. We therefore strongly recommend that you complete a FAFSA.

It can be a little overwhelming, though. Here are some useful resources:

Wyoming has put together an excellent FAFSA website. This should be your starting point for FAFSA work.
The “FAFSA guru” has a whole YouTube channel of great advice.
Kantis Simmons has another great channel on college prep, including some FAFSA videos. Here’s one to start with.

Apprenticeships in Wyoming

Wyoming companies host many apprentices, and more are coming with new funding in place.

Find an apprenticeship here.

Learn more about WYCF’s Lauren P. Miller Apprenticeship Scholarship here.

Other Costs

Costs of Living:

To help you calculate expenses for off-campus living, you can use the Wyoming Women’s Foundation Self Sufficiency Calculator. This is an excellent tool that can help anyone make personal finance decisions (it is not designed exclusively for women).

Costs of Books:

There are many useful articles on the cost of books, like this one.

Writing a Strong Application

Your whole application needs to be as strong as possible, but it is nearly always the essays that set the winners apart. Good writing is one of the most important skills you can have. Here are some tools to help with writing scholarship application essays:

Click HERE for a guide to writing a strong WYCF scholarship essay.

HERE is a great article from the University of Maryville on writing a good application essay.

Donovan Taplin talks about telling your story (and mental health) in this excellent TEDx talk.

Support for Students with Children

Casper College affordable childcare and support for single parents
Central Wyoming College support (under grants, see “Single Parent/Displaced Homemaker/Nontraditional Careers Grant”)
Western Wyoming Community College on-campus childcare
LCCC on-campus childcare and scholarships for single parents (see under the “general” tab)
U.W. on-campus childcare and a program to support single parents

Career Planning Tools

The State of Wyoming offers a Career Coach tool, complete with information to help you plan your finances with different careers. You can find it here.

The Wyoming Afterschool Alliance offers a College & Career Readiness toolkit to help YOU shape your future through an interactive StoryMap. Explore the toolkit here.

Have other questions? Need advice and not sure where to look? Email Ben Kinion (BenK@wycf.org) or call 307-721-8300 for help.

Mission: Connecting people who care with causes that matter to build a better Wyoming.

WYCF Headquarters

Hours: Monday – Friday, 9:00-5:00
Address: 1472 N. 5th Street, Suite 201
Laramie, WY 82072
Email: wcf@wycf.org
Phone: 307-721-8300