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Financial Aid & Scholarships

Students often graduate from Gillette College with little to no debt, so after graduation you can focus on your career goals instead of paying for your degree!

Learn more about available scholarships, student loans, and grants below!

Apply for FAFSA

School Code:  003930 (NWCCD)

Apply for the Hathaway Scholarship

*The Hathaway Scholarship for WY high school graduates has a separate deadline. Please review all information on the Hathaway Scholarship page carefully.

For additional information regarding the financial aid process at Gillette College, please contact Kiley Dodson, Assistant Director of Financial Aid, at (307) 681-6042 or kdodson.gccd@SHERIDAN.EDU.

Contact Financial Aid

Scholarships

Find thousands in scholarships to help earn a degree.

Spring 2024 applications are open now!
Apply for Scholarships

Available Scholarships

Many scholarships are available to Gillette College students. Click on the sections to view what could be available to you, or if there are any additional information required.

By completing the NWCCD Scholarship Application, you are eligible for the following scholarships:

  • Advisory Board Scholarships
  • Alpha Nu Psi Chapter E/PTK Scholarships
  • Arch Coal Scholarship
  • Associated Students of Gillette College Scholarships
  • Bette & Ron Sample Scholarship
  • Blaine and Susie Wilson Scholarships
  • CAT Excellence Scholarships
  • Chris Hard Memorial Scholarships
  • Cloud Peak Energy Endowed Scholarships
  • Education Scholarship
  • Elizabeth Moore Parravano Memorial Scholarship
  • Ellbogen Opportunity Scholarships
  • Florence T. Young Memorial Scholarship
  • Frank Stevens Memorial Scholarship
  • GALI Class of 2012-13 Scholarships
  • Gary Tarver Memorial Scholarship
  • GC Directors and Trustees Scholarships
  • Gene Haas Machine Tool Scholarships
  • General Scholarship Endowment Scholarships
  • Gillette Evening Rotary Scholarship
  • Gillette Rotary Club Foundation Scholarship
  • Herb and Dorothy Carter Scholarships
  • Institute of Supply Management Scholarships
  • Jack Pownall Scholarship
  • Jason Lee Haight Memorial Scholarships
  • Jeanette Heptner Scholarships – GC Computer Technology
  • John and Aline Mankin Scholarship
  • Joy Global Fund Run Scholarships
  • Kiwanis Club Scholarship
  • Lee Adami Memorial Scholarship
  • Marna M. Kuehne Scholarship
  • Mary Alice Logue Endowment Scholarships
  • Mike & Medelice Wirtz Scholarships
  • Nancy and Robert Sorenson Scholarship
  • Nelson Brothers Technical Programs Scholarship
  • Oedekoven Music Scholarship
  • Opportunities for Excellence Scholarships
  • Pacificorp Scholarship
  • Patricia and Wayne Moore Scholarship
  • Rassbach Memorial Scholarships
  • Richard and Marlene Riggle Scholarship
  • Richard M. Baker Scholarships
  • Robert P. McCreery Memorial Scholarships
  • Robert While Scholarship
  • Sherry McGrath Memorial Scholarships
  • Tammy Hladky Science & Technology Scholarships
  • Teckla Soderburg Putnam Scholarships
  • Veterans Scholarship Fund
  • Wells Fargo Bank Endowed Scholarships
  • White Family Scholarship
  • Women Reach for Your Dreams Scholarships

Nursing Scholarships are available to only Nursing and Pre-Nursing students:

  • Campbell County Health Nursing Scholarship
  • Catherine Stamato Nursing Scholarship
  • Clinical Excellence in Nursing Scholarships
  • Davis Land & Livestock Scholarship
  • Gillette College Nursing Scholarships
  • Gillette College Second Year Nursing Club Scholarships
  • Gillette Optometric Clinic Health Sciences Scholarship
  • Jeanette L. Heptner Scholarship
  • John J. Hines Nursing Scholarships
  • Michael Harry Scholarship – First Year Nursing Club Scholarship
  • Morel Nursing Scholarship
  • Patel Ensure the Future Scholarships
  • Ramzi Ammari Memorial Scholarships
  • Richard and Alice Bratton Memorial Scholarship
  • Sherry LaManna Health Sciences Scholarships

The requirements for “Extra Money Makers” scholarships are listed HERE on the main NWCCD scholarship page.

  • Boundless Opportunity Scholarships
  • Christine R. & Jack K. Nisselius Scholarships
  • Cpl. Jacob Ross Memorial Scholarship
  • Pfau and Lundock Scholarship
  • Sgt Ryan Zorn Scholarship
  • Tia and Mickey Doud Memorial Scholarship
  • Tammy Hladky Foundation Scholarships
  • Wyodak Mine Technical Education Scholarships

Kickstart Wyoming’s Tomorrow Scholarship

Beginning Fall 2023, Kickstart Wyoming’s Tomorrow is a new state-funded scholarship program for adults enrolling at one of Wyoming’s eight community colleges or the University of Wyoming to pursue a degree or certificate. You can receive up to $1,800 per semester if enrolled in 12 credit hours or more, for up to four full-time academic terms.

Learn More & Apply Now

Student Loans

Explore your options for federal and state student loans. View more information below, and use our Loan Simulator to calculate student loan payments and choose a loan repayment option that best meets your needs and goals. You can also use it to decide whether to consolidate your student loans. To view the Loan Simulator, click here.

The William T. Ford Direct Loan Program offers students low-interest loans funded by the Department of Education to assist students with paying their educational expenses. Through the Federal Direct Loan program, we offer subsidized and unsubsidized loan types and the Parent Plus Loan for dependent students.

Unlike grants, scholarships, and work-study, Federal Direct Loans must be repaid. When borrowing student loans, a student must understand the loan is a legal obligation, and they are responsible for paying the loan with interest, even if the student does not complete their degree program.

  • low interest rates, compared to other private loans
  • don’t need a credit check or cosigner
  • have a six-month grace period from the time you graduate or fall below half-time, before repayment begins
  • if a student demonstrates financial need

Subsidized:

  • Financial Aid Office will determines your subsidized eligibility based on the results of the your FAFSA and your financial need.
  • The government pays for the interest of the loan while you re attending school and enrolled at least half-time
  • Repayment begins six months after you cease to maintain half time enrollment
  • Effective on July 1, 2021: Changes made by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 removes the subsidized usage loan limit restriction (SULA) for any borrower who receives a Federal Direct Stafford Subsidized Loan first disbursed on or after July 1, 2021, regardless of the award year associated with the loan. In addition, all subsidy benefits will be reinstated retroactively to the date on which the loss of subsidy was applied for all Federal Direct Stafford Subsidized Loans with an outstanding balance on July 1, 2021, and for all award years since the 2013-2014 award year.Effective through June 30, 2021: If you are a first time borrower on or after July 1st, 2013, there is a limit on the maximum period of time that you can receive Federal Direct Subsidized Loans. If this limit applies to you, you may not receive Federal Direct Subsidized Loans for more than 150% of the published length of your program. For example, if you are enrolled in a two-year associates degree program, the maximum period for which you can receive Federal Direct Subsidized Loans is three years (150% of two years = three years).

Unsubsidized:

  • Interest starts accruing right away and it is the responsibility of the student to make interest payments, even when attending school and during your grace period.
  • The student must understand if they do not make interest payments, the interest will accumulate and be added to the principle of the loan amount.

Parent Plus:

  • Are available to parents of dependent undergraduate students to help pay for additional educational cost not covered by other financial aid. To apply, parents must log onto www.studentaid.gov with a parent FSA ID.

To learn more about the Federal Direct Loan program, requirements, and maximum loan limits, visit: https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/types/loans.

To qualify for a Federal Direct Loan, you, the student, must first complete the FAFSA and include Sheridan College (003930). You must be in an eligible degree or certificate program and enrolled in a minimum of six credits per semester. After NWCCD receives your FAFSA, you will be packaged subsidized and unsubsidized loans according to your Estimated Family Contribution and remaining unmet need.

You will be able to accept your student loan package on your MyNWCCD student account, on your Financial Aid Self-Service page. Please keep in mind, your loan amounts will be equally packaged to your account for fall, spring and summer semesters. If you qualify for subsidized loans, you must accept the maximum amount before accepting any unsubsidized loan amounts.

Entrance Counseling: All first time borrowers MUST complete Federal Direct Loan Entrance Counseling online and include Sheridan College (003930). This online information session explains the details of the loans as well as loan rights and responsibilities and must be completed before a loan will be disbursed on a student’s account. Click here to complete your Entrance Counseling requirement. If Entrance Counseling has already been completed for another school, the student must log back on and add Sheridan College as a school. Once a student completes the requirement, NWCCD will receive an automatic notification within 24 to 48 hours.

Master Promissory Note: All first time borrowers MUST complete their Master Promissory Note (MPN) prior to their loan disbursement. The MPN is a legal document which the student is promising to repay the total borrowed loan amounts, including any interest fees. Click here to complete your MPN requirement. Once a student completes the requirement, NWCCD will receive an automatic notification within 24 to 48 hours.

Exit Counseling: Exit counseling provides students important information to prepare them to repay their federal student loan(s). If you have received a subsidized and/or unsubsidized loan under the Direct Loan Program, you must complete exit counseling each time you drop below half-time enrollment, graduate or leave school. NWCCD will send out an exit loan counseling packet to the most current address on the student’s record within 30 days of determining the student graduated, dropped below half-time or has left school. It is the student’s responsibility to complete this federal requirement.

It is very important to know and understand all resources that are available to you to help you pay for college. If you have not yet completed your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), NWCCD highly encourages you to do so, to determine your Federal financial aid eligibility. The Department of Education provides many benefits to students through Federal Student Aid programs. To learn more about Federal Aid benefits, please refer to the Student Financial Aid Assistant Programs & Eligibility, Grants and Federal Direct Loan links on our Financial Aid home page.

If you require more financial assistance than what appears on your award letter, and you have not met your Cost of Attendance (COA), you may apply for additional student loans from private student loan programs. The Office of Financial Aid at NWCCD does not have preferred lender arrangement agreements with any private education loan lenders, and will not recommend, and will not refer students to, any specific private student loan programs. You may obtain more information and compare the loans offered by these lenders by visiting the FASTChoice website.

The Wyoming Investment in Nursing Program is available to Wyoming residents (or students who graduated from a Wyoming high school) who have been accepted into our Nursing Program and plan to practice as a nurse or nurse educator in Wyoming after graduation. This loan may be repaid by the State of Wyoming if you agree to work full-time as a nurse within the state of Wyoming for a certain amount of time.

Students who apply for WYIN must complete their FAFSA prior to being considered for the loan. The FAFSA application must be received by the school by July 1. Funds are limited, consideration is given to students who have the greatest unmet financial need, submitted their application and self-certification by the posted deadline, and have a completed FAFSA application on file at NWCCD.

Grants

Pell Grant Eligibility for a Federal Pell Grant is determined by information provided on a student’s current FAFSA submission. Pell Grant funds do not need to be repaid, however, failure to complete a course may result in a reduction of Pell Grant funding for the semester. The student may be responsible for repaying unearned Pell Grant funds. The amount of Pell Grant awarded is determine on the student’s Expected Family Contribution (EFC) which is calculated with the FAFSA submittal. Award amounts may be subject to change based on the individual student’s financial need, costs to attend school, enrollment status, and Satisfactory Academic Progress. Only courses that are applicable to the student’s graduations requirements for their active degree program will be calculated towards enrollment status for Pell Grant eligibility. Pell Grant Facts: • The Pell Lifetime Eligibility Usage (LEU) for all undergraduate students is 600% • The maximum amount of Pell that a student can use in one semester is 50%. • The maximum amount of Pell that a student can use in one year is 150%. • The Pell amount is prorated to less than 50% if a student is taking less than 12 credits, for example: 37.5% for 9-11 credits, 25% for 6-8 credits, or 12.5% for 1-5 credits. • If a student used their full 100% of Pell (by enrolling full-time in fall AND spring) then they are required to enroll in at least six credit hours to receive additional Pell. • If a student did not use their full 100% of Pell (by enrolling less than full-time in fall OR spring) then they still have remaining eligibility from their original 100% of Pell, and the student can still receive Pell funds in the summer if they are enrolled less-than half-time. • Any amount of Pell that is not used in one year is forfeited, however unused Pell does not count against the student’s total 600% eligibility. Each student has a 600% Pell Lifetime Eligibility Usage (LEU) limit. This means that students can use up to 100% of their Pell grant eligibility each year for up to 6 years, or twelve semesters at full-time (if they qualify for the Pell grant based on their FAFSA). If a student does not use the full amount of Pell that they qualify for within the 6 years, they can receive a Pell grant in additional years, until they reach the 600% total lifetime eligibility. The US Department of Education Appropriations Act, 2017 allows a student to receive Federal Pell Grant funds for up to 150% of the student’s Pell Grant Scheduled Award for an award year, or Year-Round Pell. This provision is effective beginning with the 2017–2018 award year. Students who take full-time course loads receive 50% of their Pell grant in the fall and 50% of their Pell grant in the spring, and are eligible to use up to an additional 50% of their Pell grant in the summer semester, for a total of up to 150%. Below are examples of Pell grant percentages used each year, and how that affects a student’s total 600% Pell LEU. Keep in mind, these are only examples; a Pell grant award will vary depending on enrollment status for each semester during an award year. Examples: Example Students for Pell Grant Awards

The US Department of Education approves additional grant funds annually to be awarded to students with the highest financial aid unmet need. In addition to the approved Federal funding, NWCCD contributes a twenty five percent match. The total Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG) is awarded to students based on the following criteria until all funding is spent. SEOG awards vary annually and per enrollment.

  • Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is zero, as determined by the FAFSA
  • Be enrolled in a Title IV degree seeking program (associates and/or certificate)
  • Students have to be Pell Grant eligible, as determined by the US Department of Education
  • Priority will be given to earlier FAFSA submissions
  • Award based on enrollment for the semester; full-time, three-quarter-time, half-time or less-than-half-time
  • Award is subject to change if an eligible student’s enrollment status changes prior to the Financial Aid census date (freeze date)

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (also know as the fiscal year 2018 omnibus spending bill) that was signed into law on March 23, 2018 created a new scholarship program–Children of Fallen Heroes Scholarship (CFHS). Under the CFHS, a Pell-eligible student whose parent or guardian died in the line of duty while performing as a public safety officer is eligible to receive a maximum Pell Grant for the award year for which the determination of eligibility is made.  To qualify for this scholarship, a student must:

  • Be Pell-eligible and have a Pell-eligible expected family contribution (EFC) for the award year; and
  • Be less than 24 years of age or enrolled at an institution of higher education at the time of his or her parent’s or guardian’s death.

In subsequent award years, the student continues to be eligible for the scholarship, as long as the student has a Pell-eligible EFC and continues to be an eligible student. Instead of a separate scholarship program, the CFHS is awarded as a Federal Pell Grant.

All Title IV aid awarded to such eligible students must be based on an EFC of zero without regard to the student’s calculated EFC. Thus, the student is eligible for the maximum Pell Grant for his or her enrollment status and cost of attendance (COA). In addition, the student’s eligibility for Direct Loans and for campus-based program aid must be based on an EFC of zero.

For purposes of the Children of Fallen Heroes Scholarship, a public safety officer is:

  • As defined in section 1204 of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3796b):
    • an individual serving a public agency in an official capacity, with or without compensation, as a law enforcement officer, as a firefighter, or as a chaplain
    • an employee of the Federal Emergency Management Agency who is performing official duties of the Agency in an area, if those official duties:
      • are related to a major disaster or emergency that has been, or is later, declared to exist with respect to the area under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act ( 42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq. ); and
      • are determined by the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to be hazardous duties;
    • an employee of a State, local, or tribal emergency management or civil defense agency who is performing official duties in cooperation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency in an area, if those official duties:
      • are related to a major disaster or emergency that has been, or is later, declared to exist with respect to the area under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act ( 42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq. ); and
      • are determined by the head of the agency to be hazardous duties; or
    • a member of a rescue squad or ambulance crew who, as authorized or licensed by law and by the applicable agency or entity, is engaging in rescue activity or in the provision of emergency medical services.
  • A fire police officer, defined as an individual who is serving in accordance with State or local law as an officially recognized or designated member of a legally organized public safety agency and provides scene security or directs traffic in response to any fire drill, fire call, or other fire, rescue, or police emergency, or at a planned special event.

NWCCD’s financial aid staff must determine and document, in collaboration with the student, the student’s eligibility for the Children of Fallen Heroes Scholarship Program. Please contact the Financial Aid Office for more information.

Wyoming Works provides programs and resources for adult students to learn a skill and secure employment. The program makes available individual grants for students enrolling in approved programs at a Wyoming community college. It also provides a mechanism for colleges to apply for resources in support of the creation of high-demand programs.

For more details, view the Wyoming Works Grant page.

Employee/Family Grant
The Northern Wyoming Community College District (NWCCD) offers tuition assistance to employees and their eligible family members. The award is applied to each eligible term and is based on several criteria as well as availability of funding. Employees or eligible family members wishing to review additional criteria can access the form in the Financial Aid page of the NWCCD Hub, or stop by the Financial Aid Office. The completed application must be signed by the Human Resources Office and submitted to the Financial Aid Office for processing.

Golden Age Grant
The Golden Age Grant is available to students who are age 60 or above on or before the first day of the semester of enrollment. The grant will cover 50% of tuition charges only (fees are not included). Any remaining balance is the student’s responsibility and must be paid by the payment deadline. 50% of tuition charges will be automatically credited by the financial aid office; no form or application is required to receive the credit. Please call the Financial Aid Office for further details.

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