This article exists to put that layer in front of you, in English and without jargon, for University of Wyoming, a public university in Laramie, Wyoming. It will not tell you whether it is the right one for your child. That depends on pieces only your family has: what your child wants to study, what your child has built so far, and what you can afford. But it can give you, precisely, one of the three pieces of the map: what this university really is, according to its own reports.
What Kind of University It Is and Where It Is Located
University of Wyoming is a public four-year-or-higher institution. The government classifies it among doctoral universities with high research activity, and it also reports that the university offers programs through the doctoral level, the highest level recorded for it. That is an institutional fact: it does not tell you whether the specific field your child is interested in reaches that level. That must be asked program by program.
According to the Carnegie classification based on 2019-20 data, it is a large, primarily residential four-year school: at that time, between 25 and 49 out of every 100 undergraduate students lived in housing owned, controlled, or affiliated with the institution, and at least half studied full time. That same system, using more recent data from 2021, places it among institutions that enroll many transfer students. If your child is considering coming here after studying somewhere else, ask in writing, before enrolling, which courses will count and which will not. The “high transfer-in” label does not tell you how many credits each person brings in.
Geographically, University of Wyoming is in Laramie, in Albany County, and the area around the campus is classified as a remote town, not an urban area. If your family does not live nearby, this means something very concrete: you will have to calculate separately where your child would live and how your child would get to campus. The data only locate the school’s address; they say nothing about your own trip.
And here is something that applies to everything that follows: in the official 2023 file, this university is marked as a Land Grant Institution, a designation it shares with only 80 of the 3,012 institutions in this database. Do not read it as a verdict on quality. The label does not measure how much actual support your child will receive there. That is found in things with names: which student center exists, which scholarship applies, who answers the phone in April.
The Size of the Community and Who Else Will Be There
University of Wyoming reported 10,913 enrolled students in the official fall count. It is a large school, in the government’s 10,000 to 19,999 range, and among similar schools its size is one of the most common: neither among the largest nor among the smallest.
But that large number includes graduate students. Of the total, 8,250 are undergraduates and 2,663 are graduate students. If your child is entering a first degree program, the number that truly matters is 8,250, not the total.
As for who shares the classroom with your child: out of every 100 undergraduate students, 9 are Hispanic or Latino. It is a small minority, and compared with similar selective public universities, University of Wyoming ranks below the midpoint of that group. Having few Latino students does not make the school bad, just as having many would not make it good by itself: this figure only counts who is enrolled. If your child will be one of the few, it is worth asking during the visit which student group, cultural center, or person in the admissions office speaks Spanish, and talking with a current student before deciding. The number is for the entire school; your child’s program may feel different.
In other breakdowns: 15 out of every 100 undergraduate students are between 25 and 64 years old, the undergraduate population is almost evenly divided between men and women (54 out of every 100 are women), and just over half of incoming students, 56 out of every 100, reported living in Wyoming when they applied. That tells you that almost half come from outside the state, something worth keeping in mind when we get to cost.
How the Academic Year Is Organized and How Broad the Offerings Are
The year at University of Wyoming is organized into semesters: two long terms of about 15 weeks each. It is a calendar with the same dates for everyone.
The university stated that it accepts credit from AP exams and also what IPEDS calls credit for life experiences—independent study, adult courses, work experience, portfolios, licenses, or certifications, including military or professional pathways—as well as credit for military training. It also enrolls high school students in college courses for credit, both within and outside formal dual-enrollment programs.
Here is a hard truth that cannot be softened: saying they accept AP does not mean they award credit for every exam. The report does not say what scores they require or how many credits they award, or whether those credits will count toward your child’s specific program. Ask for the equivalency evaluation in writing before enrolling. Do not budget for the savings until you have it in hand.
As for what can be studied: between July 2022 and June 2023, University of Wyoming awarded 2,126 bachelor’s degrees across 25 families of fields of study. None accounts for a large share: the most popular, business and management, represented only 17 out of every 100 degrees awarded that year. Compared with similar schools, it ranks in the quarter with the greatest variety of fields represented in its offerings. Still, 25 families with a row in the report do not mean 25 majors in the current catalog, nor do they guarantee that each has many degrees: one family groups several programs, and a row may report zero. Verify the exact program your child is interested in, by its full name.
The university also reports structured opportunities: study abroad, undergraduate research as a cocurricular activity, preparation for teacher certification below the postsecondary level, and the option to complete preparation in certain areas of teacher specialization at the university itself.
As for the relationship between students and faculty: the official ratio is 13 full-time-equivalent students for each full-time-equivalent instructional staff member, a low ratio compared with similar schools. But this figure does not tell you the actual size of a first-year class. It is an institution-wide aggregate ratio, not a promise about the classroom where your child will sit.
What Admission Is Like: The Admissions Policy
In its official report, University of Wyoming stated that it does not have open admissions: it reviews certain elements before saying yes. Of nine possible considerations, it marked four as required: the high school record, high school GPA, completion of the college-preparatory curriculum required by the university, and an English proficiency exam for those to whom it applies.
The list of what it does NOT consider is longer: class rank, the personal essay, letters of recommendation, a portfolio or competency exam, work experience, and whether a family member studied there. Even if they are submitted, the report says they do not factor into the admissions decision.
If your child studied outside the United States or attended high school in Spanish, this directly affects you: ask now whether the English proficiency exam applies and what would provide an exemption. This is one of those things people discover late, when there is no longer time to address it calmly.
The undergraduate application fee is $40.
And here comes the number that will surprise many families most: in the reported cycle, University of Wyoming counted 5,644 first-time applicants and offered admission to 5,498. That is 97 out of every 100. It is among the universities with the highest acceptance rates among its selective peers: at least nine out of every ten similar schools accepted an equal or smaller percentage. Even so, 146 applicants did not receive an offer.
Put simply: almost everyone who applies here gets in. Your child’s energy is better spent meeting deadlines and completing the application file than competing for a spot. But being easy to get into does not mean it is inexpensive or that most students finish. Before deciding, you have to look at net price and the graduation rate. Those two calculations matter more than admission.
And here is proof that getting in is not the same as deciding to attend: out of every 100 students who were admitted, only 27 ultimately enrolled. The other 73 had the letter in hand and did not use it. Compared with similar schools, this proportion is on the high side—a smaller share of admitted students enroll at most of those schools—but the message for your family is the same: receiving the letter is not the same as deciding to attend. When the admission decisions arrive, place the letters side by side and compare net price, program, and distance before the deposit deadline.
As for standardized tests: University of Wyoming reported that it does not consider SAT or ACT scores in the admissions decision, even if applicants submit them. That does not cover scholarships or course placement; ask about those separately.
About Transferring: Coming and Going
One piece of context about student movement: from a cohort of first-time, full-time, bachelor’s-degree-seeking students who entered in 2017, 382 transferred without completing here and enrolled at another institution. That is 23 out of every 100, a common proportion among similar schools. Transferring is not the same as failing, but it is helpful for your child to know in advance how to request the paperwork needed to leave if necessary.
In the other direction, the university also receives considerable transfer activity: 858 undergraduate students entered in fall 2023 for the first time after studying at another institution. That number does not say how many courses they received credit for. If your child transfers to or from this university, ask for the equivalency list in writing, with the courses in hand, before making the move.
The Cost: Two Prices, Neither of Which Is What You Ultimately Pay
At University of Wyoming, among 112 first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid, paid the in-state or in-district tuition rate, and whose EFC records showed family income of less than $30,000, the average net price was $7,602. Among 85 students in the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $10,168; among 101 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $18,136. For dependent students, the band combines their parents’ income with their own.
The difference between the average for the lowest-income band (112 students) and the highest-income band (101 students) is $10,534. Among first-year students who received any scholarship or grant, the average was $13,299.
The advertised price is not the same as the price paid. Here, for students with low incomes, the average net price was $7,602 in the 2022-23 academic year.
The income bands in this profile describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; at this public institution, they use the in-state or in-district tuition rate. The overall average for students with grants or scholarships, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships; it also uses that tuition rate. If your family lives outside the state or district, the calculation is different. Ask about it before applying.
Financial Aid and Loans: Separating the Piles
At University of Wyoming, aid that does not have to be repaid—scholarships and grants—reached 73 out of every 100 degree- or certificate-seeking students, with an annual average of $8,999 among those who received it. The Pell Grant, specifically for low-income families, reached 23 out of every 100. The difference between those two percentages may include state, local, institutional, or other sources of aid; ask which programs make it up.
As for loans: 28 out of every 100 undergraduate students received a federal student loan in the reported year, with an average of $6,362 among those who borrowed. Compared with similar schools, this proportion of students with loans is on the low side. That average is for a single year and covers only federal loans in the student’s name: it does not include Parent PLUS loans that parents sometimes sign for, debt from banks or credit cards, or the total debt with which someone graduates.
Here is the hard truth, without cushioning it: this percentage describes other families, not yours. What your child would have to borrow is determined by the financial aid letter your child receives in writing, not by an institutional average. Wait for that letter before ruling out the school and before committing to it.
The institution also reports an installment tuition payment plan and participation in a Promise program, two mechanisms worth asking about by name.
Campus Life, Instructional Format, and Available Support
University of Wyoming does have institution-controlled housing, with a reported capacity of 2,872 students, on or off campus. According to the institution’s response, not all first-time, full-time students are required to live there. It also offers meal plans, with a fixed number of meals per week in the largest plan. The existence of housing does not guarantee that a bed will be available for your child: ask in writing for this year’s rate, the application deadline, and whether a space is guaranteed or your child would go on a waiting list.
For those considering ROTC: the university reports opportunities in two branches, Army and Air Force; Navy is not marked. Appearing in the report is not the same as being accepted, and the report does not clarify whether the program is offered on this campus itself. Ask by name before building a plan around it.
In athletics, University of Wyoming competes at the intercollegiate level and is affiliated with the NCAA, with reported membership in football, basketball, and cross-country or track and field. The membership belongs to the school, not your child: if your child is interested, write directly to the coach for that sport and ask about a place on the team, the division, and whether athletic aid is available, in writing.
As for distance education: the university offers this format at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Out of every 100 undergraduate students, 15 took their entire course load at a distance, and 85 took at least one in-person class. It also reported having at least one program in which all required courses can be completed at a distance, although the data do not confirm whether that applies specifically at the undergraduate level: confirm it by program.
The library operates with paid staff and expenditures exceeding the $100,000 threshold recorded by the government, has physical and digital materials, and offers interlibrary lending. What the data do not say is the exact schedule or whether someone is available to guide your child through a search: ask directly.
Finally, the university reports a broad list of services: combined academic and career counseling, employment services for current students, placement services upon program completion, on-campus child care for students’ children, participation in Yellow Ribbon, a point of contact for veterans and military service members, a student veterans organization, and a services page for people with disabilities. Their being reported does not indicate how accessible or effective they are in practice: that is confirmed by speaking with the appropriate office.
They Stay, Leave, and Graduate: The Numbers That Matter Most Over Time
Of a cohort of 1,577 full-time students who entered in fall 2022, 1,222 met the official retention criterion: they were still enrolled or had already graduated one year later. That is 77 out of every 100, slightly above the midpoint among comparable schools. In a separate cohort of 39 part-time students, the result was only 33 out of every 100—but do not compare these two figures directly: they are different groups with different circumstances, and one does not prove that the mode of study caused the other outcome.
As for graduation: of 1,681 first-time, full-time students who began a bachelor’s degree in 2017, 1,006 had graduated from the same institution within six years. That is 60 out of every 100, slightly above the median among similar schools. At four years—the timeline most families have in their budget—the figure falls to 40 out of every 100. Those 20 percentage points of difference between four and six years are, in practice, the cost of a fifth year that many families had not planned to pay for.
Of that same cohort of 1,681: 1,006 completed the bachelor’s degree there; 382 transferred without completing and continued at another institution; 70 remained enrolled without having completed within the measured period; and 223 fell into the “no longer enrolled” category, a label that does not explain the reason and may include those who graduated after the measured period. Before signing, ask in writing how long the program your child is interested in usually takes, how its required courses are scheduled, and how the total cost would change if it takes more than four years.
There is a broader, eight-year measure that follows a cohort of 3,003 students who entered between July 2015 and June 2016: 62 out of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate from this school by the August 2023 reporting cutoff. Among those who received a Pell Grant, that figure falls to 55 out of every 100—nine percentage points below those who did not receive one. The report does not explain why; it only shows it. If your family would qualify for Pell, it is worth asking the school what specific support exists for those students: an assigned advisor, emergency aid, whether the internal scholarship renews each year. And ask for the answer in writing.
What You Now Know and What Is Still Up to You
You now know, with the precision official reports allow, one of the three pieces of the map: what University of Wyoming is, how it admits students, what it costs on paper and in practice by family income, and what happens to students who enroll there, stay, leave, or graduate.
The other two pieces are not in any government report. One is what your child wants to study and what your child has built so far. The other is what your family can and is willing to pay. No figure in this article decides those two things for you.
What you can do now is bring them together. Place this information alongside what your child brings and what your budget allows. A plan that lets your family decide with open eyes comes from that combination, not from a single number.
Source: The information in this article comes from official reports submitted to the U.S. Department of Education’s IPEDS system, corresponding to different cycles and cohorts as indicated in each section. Best College Aid does not represent University of Wyoming or any government agency.