The Hathaway Scholarship was named after Governor Hathaway to provide an incentive for students to prepare for college and attend a Wyoming community college. The Scholarship Program offers merit-based awards and need-based scholarships.
Once Northwest College has received your final high school transcript and ACT/SAT scores, a Hathaway Scholarship Technician will provisionally award you your scholarship level.
High School GPA
Your high school GPA is a key number that colleges look at to determine whether you have the potential to succeed in their schools. The college application will ask you to list your high school GPA, and a good one is typically around 3.0 or higher.
But what is important about your high school GPA is not the final number but the road you took to get there. Top universities want to see students who were challenged in classes and made progress over time. This is a sign of maturity and ambition that will serve you well in college.
When calculating your high school GPA, there are two different scales to use: weighted and unweighted. Most colleges will use the standard 4.0 scale for unweighted GPAs, but some will weigh your grades by course difficulty, including AP and honors courses. Some colleges will also count dual-enrollment courses and SAT or ACT test scores as part of your GPA.
Another factor to consider is grade inflation at your high school. If the faculty is giving out A’s for work that might not be fully deserved, this can cause you problems in college. Admissions officers are aware of this issue, and will be on the lookout for signs of this at your high school.
If your high school does have grade inflation, you may need to focus more on standardized test scores than your GPA. It is possible to be a highly talented student, but have a low GPA because of your high school’s grade inflation problem.
To qualify for the Hathaway Scholarship, you need to have a minimum of a 2.8 unweighted GPA and take 12 credits each fall and spring semester as a full-time student. If you are not enrolled as a full-time student, your scholarship may be rescinded until you have regained continuous enrollment. Contact the Hathaway Coordinator at your community college for details about how to reestablish continuous enrollment.
ACT/SAT Scores
While many schools are becoming test-optional, for students interested in earning scholarships or applying to top universities submitting your ACT or SAT scores is still important. These nationally recognized standardized exams are used to assess your readiness for college-level courses in reading, writing, and math. Having good ACT or SAT scores can help you get into your top school and even qualify you for merit scholarships.
Both tests are administered in the fall of senior year and provide colleges with a snapshot of your academic skills. There are differences between the ACT and the SAT, such as the number of questions per section and the content covered. Both tests are widely accepted by colleges across the United States.
The ACT test contains 215 questions broken into four sections: Reading, English, Mathematics, and Science. Each section is scored on a scale of 1 to 36, and the overall score is calculated by adding the four sections together. In addition to the overall score, ACT also reports a composite score that indicates how well you are doing in certain subject areas. These are called “Benchmark” scores and they indicate how well you would perform in corresponding first-year college courses (English composition, college algebra, or biology).
Each year the ACT releases data indicating national averages for both their individual sections as well as their composite score. You can use these conversion charts to see how your ACT or SAT scores compare to the national averages.
The Hathaway Scholarship is available for up to four full-time semesters at an eligible Wyoming community college for students who meet the following stipulations:
You must be a high school graduate or have achieved a GED in order to apply for the Hathaway Scholarship. If you graduated from a high school in another state or completed your GED via home school, you must submit a high school transcript and ACT or SAT scores to NWC’s Hathaway Scholarship Technician.
Students must maintain a 2.25 GPA or higher to continue to be eligible for the Hathaway Scholarship. Students whose GPA drops below 2.25 may be able to appeal the loss of eligibility for extenuating circumstances that are generally out of their control. For more information about this appeal process please contact the Hathaway Scholarship Technician or talk to your counselor.
WorkKeys
A high score on the WorkKeys assessment is an important indicator that you have the skills necessary to be successful in the workforce. These skills include reading for information, applied math and graphic literacy – skills that are highly valued in the workplace. Those with a higher WorkKeys score may be able to qualify for more scholarships and gain preferential hiring practices in the workforce.
Home school students who wish to apply for the Hathaway Scholarship must have their transcripts verified by a local home school support organization or a college admissions counselor and meet the minimum GPA, ACT/SAT and WorkKeys requirements. They must also meet the State Curriculum requirements and complete a Success Curriculum.
Hathaway Scholarship recipients must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) each fall and spring semester by enrolling and completing six or more non-remedial credits for the full-time student level or 12 or more non-remedial credits for part-time attendance each academic year. Failure to meet SAP will result in a loss of the scholarship. Summer terms cannot be used to reestablish SAP. Students should consult the Hathaway Scholarship Coordinator for their college of choice for more detailed information.
Students at the Honors, Performance and Opportunity levels of the Hathaway Scholarship can choose to start their college education at a community college or University of Wyoming. Students receiving the Provisional Opportunity level of the Hathaway Scholarship must use their scholarship at a community college and earn an associate degree before transferring to UW to be eligible to extend their award for four more full-time semesters.
NWC encourages all potential students to learn as much as possible about what is required to be a successful college student, both academically and financially. Talk with your school counselor and attend college fairs to get a better understanding of what the specific requirements for each type of college are. Taking the ACT is also an excellent way to gauge your readiness for college and can help you determine which colleges you should apply for. Students should apply early for college to maximize their opportunities.
Home Schooled Students
Home schooled students can have an advantage when it comes to the Hathaway Scholarship. They can work closely with a guidance counselor to ensure they are taking the right classes to meet scholarship requirements and that they are on track for their award tier. They can also focus their studies on subjects that are more difficult, allowing them to improve their ACT score and move into the next tier of the scholarship program.
In addition, home schooled students often have a stronger interest in academics than their counterparts at traditional schools. This is because they are not forced to follow a curriculum designed by someone else, and as a result, are more likely to develop an appreciation for the importance of education. The scholarships committee recognizes this, and is increasingly including home schooled students in their scholarship selection process.
While general aid initiatives like Pell Grants and Federally Subsidized Student Loans are available to all students, there are many merit scholarships targeted specifically to home schooled individuals. Applicants to these scholarships need to follow the same guidelines as other students, including taking the SAT/ACT in junior year and participating in extracurricular activities. They are also required to submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as part of their overall application package.
However, it is important to note that home schooled students must be enrolled in college at least as a full-time student for each fall and spring semester. Students who drop below this level or fail to meet academic progress standards (SAP) risk having their Hathaway Scholarship rescinded. Students who lose their eligibility may be able to regain it by enrolling in and passing at least one full-time course during the summer term.
In addition, home schooled students must maintain satisfactory academic progress and continue to meet the minimum SAP requirement to retain their Hathaway Scholarship for the duration of their program of study at NWC. If a student’s SAP status is rescinded due to extenuating circumstances beyond their control, they may be able to appeal their situation to the scholarship technician.