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🎓 College profile

University of Wyoming

WY · Public · Remote town · 5,644 applicants 2023

Land-grant R2 Research
97% admit rate $19,634/yr at $110k+ income

🧭 A parent's read

  • The major moves the money more than the admit letter. Computer Science grads from here earn about $99,287 four years out; international grads about $39,168 — a 2.5× spread on the same diploma. Have the major conversation before you deposit, not after.
  • Grades and scores convert directly to dollars here. This college publishes an automatic merit grid — hit the GPA/score tiers and the discount is guaranteed, no negotiation. Check the scholarship table below before assuming the sticker.
  • The payoff holds even at full price: roughly 6× over a decade. With no aid at all — the full in-state ~$24,818/yr — a decade of median earnings (~$56,880/yr) still runs about 6× the four-year cost. This payoff doesn't depend on qualifying for anything. (Out-of-state costs more.)
  • Ask the submit question deliberately. This college is test-optional — but at many such colleges, applicants who submit strong scores are admitted at meaningfully higher rates. “Optional” is a strategy decision, not a pass.

Composed from this page's data — every claim is backed by a number in the sections below.

Get your child's odds at University of Wyoming Free Family Decision Report — Reach / Match / Likely + your real net price. University of Wyoming starts already on the list. Start →

🎯 Parent/student verdict

Likely

Accessible for most applicants. Affordable for in-state families — net price averages ~$13,599/yr. Major value play for in-state residents.

✅ Best for

  • Strong test/GPA students chasing merit aid — Brown and Gold Commitment or Cowboy Commitment on offer (see merit-scholarship tab below)
  • In-state residents (tuition ~$7,768 — major value play)
  • Research-curious students (R2 — active research output)

🎯 The reality

  • Out-of-state tuition is 3.1× the in-state rate

Verdict is composed from this college's structured data (admit rate, SAT bands, net price by income, Carnegie classification, scholarship grids) using transparent rule thresholds — not a chat-bot's opinion.

🏛️ Institutional snapshot

What kind of college is this?

Carnegie classification
R2: Doctoral - High Research Activity
Total enrollment
7,944
10,000 - 19,999
In-state tuitionThe published full price before any aid. Families who don't qualify for need-based aid — common above ~$110K income — pay this, minus any merit scholarships.
$7,768
sticker, before aid
Out-of-state tuition
$24,178
+$16,410 vs in-state
Admit rateThe share of applicants a college accepts. Useful context, but your student's odds depend on their own grades and scores, not the average.
97.4%
Accepts the majority
Test policyApplicants choose whether to send SAT/ACT scores. At many such colleges, students who submit strong scores are still admitted at higher rates.
Test-optional
2023
10-yr earningsMedian yearly pay of former students ten years after they STARTED here — not ten years after graduating — all majors combined. The broadest single outcome number a college reports.
$56,880
median, after entry

Source: federal IPEDS Admissions 2023 for scores + admit rate; federal College Scorecard (20260606 vintage) for earnings + outcomes. SAT/ACT bands are the 25th–75th percentile of enrolled submitters.

📊 Outcomes & cost

What graduates actually earn, finish, and owe.

Federal College Scorecard data. Earnings are median annual income measured years after entering. Debt is for federal-aid borrowers only (cash-pay students aren't counted).

Earnings, 6 yrs after entry
$48,360
Earnings, 10 yrs after entryMedian yearly pay of former students ten years after they STARTED here — not ten years after graduating — all majors combined. The broadest single outcome number a college reports.
$56,880
4-year completionThe share of students who finish a bachelor's in four years. Nationally barely half do — and a fifth year quietly adds a full extra year of cost to the real price.
59%
Median debt (completers)The federal-loan balance of the typical graduating borrower. Families who pay cash aren't counted, so read it as "among those who borrowed."
$18,000

💰 The real cost

What families at your income actually pay

Above $110K income — where most Reach families sit — aid-receiving families average $19,634/yr at University of Wyoming; families who don't qualify for aid pay the full ~$24,818/yr. Lower brackets pay less — the full ladder is below. One caveat, once: every bracket figure here averages only the families in that bracket who received aid — it says nothing about whether your family will qualify.

🔎 Earning over $110K? You're above the top federal bracket — the median family headed by a 45-to-54-year-old (the prime college-parent years) earned about $134K in 2024, and the federal data lumps everyone from $110K to $1M+ into one row.

Whether you'll get need aidGrant money based on your family's finances (via FAFSA and the college's own forms), not your student's stats. at this income is entirely college-specific: a few heavily-endowed schools meet full need well past $150K, while many others give little above the brackets shown — there, merit scholarships, where offered, become the realistic lever.

Start your Family Decision Report →

Your odds + estimated net price across your whole college list — then confirm the exact figure with University of Wyoming's own Net Price Calculator ↗ (10–15 min; have your tax return handy).

Family income $110k+ most Reach families
$19,634/yr
Family income $75-110k
$15,205/yr
Family income $48-75k
$9,585/yr
Family income $30-48k
$7,730/yr
Family income $0-30k
$7,977/yr

📈 The payoffTen years of typical earnings divided by four years of cost. A 3× means a decade of median pay covers the cost three times over — check both the full-price and with-aid versions to see which applies to you., both ways

5.7× at full price 10.5× with aid
Full price, no aidThe all-in yearly price — tuition, housing, food, books, fees — before any aid. This is the real "full price," not just the tuition line. (4 yrs, in-state)
$99,272
~$24,818/yr all-in (out-of-state runs higher)
Aid recipients pay (4 yrs)
$54,396
$13,599/yr average
10-yr earnings total
$568,800
$56,880/yr median, 10 yrs out
Years to recoup the cost
1.7 yrs
at full price (1.0 with aid), at the median earnings rate

Source: College Scorecard (NPT41–NPT45; Title IV first-time, full-time undergraduates; suppressed brackets = small cohorts; the $110K+ ceiling is a federal data limitation — the brackets haven't been refreshed since the early 2010s). Payoff multiple = (10-yr median earnings × 10) ÷ (4-yr cost); full price is the published cost of attendance, largely in-state for publics; earnings are 10 years after enrollment, all majors combined.

📚 What students study here

Most popular majors at University of Wyoming

Top 5 fields of study by bachelor's degrees awarded (most recent IPEDS Completions). Use this to see what University of Wyoming actually graduates — not just what it markets.

1. Business, Management, & Marketing
364 degrees · 32.0%
Broad set of corporate roles. Finance + consulting pay top, accounting + HR pay middle, sales spread is wide.
2. Engineering
201 degrees · 17.7%
Engineering majors land high-paying technical roles. Top-earning sub-disciplines: petroleum, chemical, computer engineering.
3. Health Professions
200 degrees · 17.6%
Highest-paying group on this list, but most careers require additional training beyond a 4-year degree.
4. Biological & Biomedical Sciences
191 degrees · 16.8%
Many bio majors → med school / grad school. Direct-employment bio roles are lower-paid than that pipeline.
5. Education
182 degrees · 16.0%
Teaching is the largest path. Salary depends heavily on district + state.

💼 What those majors earn here

Median earnings 4 years after entry, by major — University of Wyoming's own graduates, not national averages.

Major (CIP) Credential Cohort 1-yr earnings 4-yr earnings
Petroleum Engineering. Bachelor's Degree 22 $66,221 $100,911
Computer Science. Bachelor's Degree 33 $71,664 $99,287
Mechanical Engineering. Bachelor's Degree 58 $57,153 $87,533
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. Bachelor's Degree 148 $71,504 $83,525
Civil Engineering. Bachelor's Degree 38 $64,595 $83,184
Architectural Engineering. Bachelor's Degree 16 $66,497 $82,143
Chemical Engineering. Bachelor's Degree 30 $46,398 $81,629
Finance and Financial Management Services. Bachelor's Degree 53 $57,777 $80,827
Chemistry. Bachelor's Degree 14 $40,280 $69,992
Accounting and Related Services. Bachelor's Degree 62 $49,052 $69,378

Sources: IPEDS Completions (C2023_a; bachelor's-level first majors, 2-digit CIP family — share is of the top 5 only) · College Scorecard program-level outcomes (PP-FOS). Full college-vs-major comparison: /college-outcomes →

⭐ Merit aidScholarship money awarded for grades or test scores, not financial need — at many colleges it's automatic at certain GPA/score levels.

What your test score unlocks at University of Wyoming

Score-or-merit-based scholarships published by the institution. Stackable in most cases — confirm with the financial aid office.

Award Annual award Score gate GPA gate Renewable
Brown and Gold Commitment
OOS · out_of_state
 $12,000/yr 1060+ SAT 3.0+ Yes
Cowboy Commitment
In-state · in_state
 $6,500/yr 1060+ SAT 3.0+ Yes

See all merit scholarships across colleges + 13 national awards on /merit-scholarships →

See which merit tiers your child already clears — free Family Decision Report Start →

📈 Student body & economic mobility

Who attends here — and what the campus adds.

Opportunity Insights data. Why it matters even if you're full-pay: a high mobility rate means the campus itself confers earnings power — the outcomes aren't just selection effects.

Top-1% access
0.8%
from top-1% households
Mobility rateThe share of ALL students who arrived from the bottom 20% of family incomes AND reached the top 20% themselves by their early 30s — access and lift in one number, and a sign the campus itself adds earnings power.
1.5%
bottom 20% → top 20% by age 32
Upward rate
30.2%
of lower-income students who reach the top 20%
Pell recipientsStudents receiving federal Pell grants, which go to lower- and middle-income families — the standard shorthand for a college's economic mix.
23%
on federal need grants — context for these numbers

Full leaderboards: /college-mobility →

🤖 AI program signal

AI + computing education at University of Wyoming

CS degrees (annual)
38
CIP 11.0701 + 11.0101

Full multi-lens comparison: /ai-colleges →

Alternatives to University of Wyoming

Matched not just by selectivity, but by strategic goal — what a family actually decides on.

🏆 Better merit-aid options
These similar-selectivity schools publish merit scholarships your family can plan around — your kid’s stats could unlock real scholarship dollars.
University of Alabama at Birmingham
AL · Public
17 stats-based + 2 competitive scholarships
University of Mississippi
MS · Public
14 stats-based + 1 competitive scholarships
University of Kentucky
KY · Public
8 stats-based + 5 competitive scholarships
💰 Lower full price
Similar selectivity, but a meaningfully lower full sticker price — the comparison that matters most for families who won't qualify for much need-based aid.
Gordon State College
GA · Public
$14,771/yr full price (in-state) · $10,047 less before aid
Brigham Young University-Idaho
ID · Private nonprofit
$15,246/yr full price · $9,572 less before aid
Louisiana State University-Alexandria
LA · Public
$15,550/yr full price (in-state) · $9,268 less before aid
🚀 Stronger campus value-add
Per Opportunity Insights, these campuses add more earnings power to the students they enroll than University of Wyoming does — a quality signal, not a cost play.
California State University-Los Angeles
CA · Public
9.9% mobility rate (vs 1.5% here)
The University of Texas at El Paso
TX · Public
6.8% mobility rate (vs 1.5% here)
California State University-Northridge
CA · Public
6.3% mobility rate (vs 1.5% here)

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