§ 21-17-105 — Tuition to be as nearly free as possible; number, qualifications and selection of students for reduced tuition; tuition for veterans, their spouses and children; reciprocal residency

(a) To the end that none of the youth of the state who
crave the benefits of higher education may be denied, and that
all may be encouraged to avail themselves of the advantages
offered by the university or community colleges, tuition shall
be as nearly free as possible, and it shall be reduced by five
hundred dollars ($500.00) per semester to either the university
or any community college in the state, as elected by the
student, to three (3) students annually from each county as are
selected and appointed by the board of county commissioners
therein. Scholarships under this section shall be in addition
to any Hathaway scholarship awarded a student under W.S.
21-16-1301 et seq., but shall be considered for purposes of
calculating unmet financial need for Hathaway need based
scholarships.
(b) Students shall be appointed after due consideration of
the individual student's extra curricular activity, scholastic
ability and American college testing score. Grade point
average and American college testing scores shall be equally
weighted. For any entering student who fails a math or English
placement test, the reduced tuition scholarship under this
section is not effective. Notwithstanding the provisions of
subsection (a) of this section, the county commissioners may
award one (1) additional scholarship each year as a renewal to a
student maintaining above a 2.50 average, provided that the
total number of students receiving original and renewal
scholarships in any county in any year shall not exceed:
(i) Counties of the first class, four (4) students;
(ii) Counties of the second class, three (3)
students; and
(iii) Counties of the third class, two (2) students.
(c) Any honor scholarships granted by the University of
Wyoming shall be based on the student's scholastic ability and
American college testing scores. Grade point average and
American college testing scores shall be equally weighted. For
any entering student who fails a math or English placement test,
the scholarship is not effective.
(d) Any person including the spouse and any child of that
person shall qualify as a resident for purposes of tuition at
the university if:
(i) His principal employment is located within
Wyoming and the income from his employment is the principal
source of income for his family;
(ii) He pays Wyoming taxes as required by law;
(iii) He has been employed within Wyoming for at
least a majority of the twelve (12) consecutive months
immediately preceding application for resident tuition pursuant
to this subsection;
(iv) He resides in a state with a law substantially
similar to this subsection; and
(v) At the time of enrollment and in accordance with
requirements of the enrolling institution, the person, his
spouse or any child of that person submits to the university or
community college a notarized affidavit attesting to the
requirements of this subsection.
(e) An applicant for resident tuition who is a veteran,
eligible individual or covered individual as described in 38
U.S.C. 3679(c)(2), shall qualify as a resident for purposes of
tuition at the University of Wyoming or Wyoming community
college if the applicant provides:
(i) A certificate or other evidence of the veteran's
or uniformed service member's qualifying service in the
uniformed services of the United States;
(ii) Documented evidence before or at the time of
enrollment that:
(A) The applicant for resident tuition intends
to live in Wyoming during the term of enrollment;
(B) The veteran was discharged or released from
a qualifying period of service in the active military, naval or
air service before the date of enrollment or the uniformed
service member is currently on active duty;
(C) The applicant is a veteran, eligible
individual or covered individual as described in 38 U.S.C.
3679(c)(2).
(f) For purposes of subsection (e) of this section,
"uniformed services of the United States" means as defined in
W.S. 8-1-102(a)(xxii).
(g) A person who has qualified for resident tuition under
subsection (e) of this section shall remain qualified in
subsequent years if the person pursues one (1) or more courses
of education while remaining continuously enrolled, other than
during regularly scheduled breaks, lives in the state during the
term of enrollment and, if the person is eligible through a
transfer of eligibility pursuant to 38 U.S.C. 3319, the transfer
has not been validly revoked. A spouse or child of a uniformed
service member who is eligible for resident tuition under
subsection (e) of this section at the time of admittance to the
University of Wyoming or a Wyoming community college shall not
lose eligibility for resident tuition before the time of
enrollment at the university or college because the uniformed
service member is transferred on military orders outside of this
state.
(h) Trustees shall through regulation provide that
students receiving a Hathaway expand Wyoming scholarship in any
amount shall qualify for resident tuition at the university each
semester the student receives the scholarship.