Wyoming
Student Access & Success
Wyoming’s lone four-year institution receives a low grade in this area, ranking in the bottom 10 states for both retention rate and the percentage of undergraduates receiving Pell Grants. However, the state’s two-year institutions do better, ranking in the top 10 states for completion rate and an overall average performance.
Efficiency & Cost-Effectiveness
Wyoming receives very low grades in this area, with a four-year cost per completion ($87,899), four-year state and local funding per completion ($105,038), two-year cost per completion ($77,021), and two-year state and local funding per completion ($67,200) all ranking in the bottom five states nationally.
Meeting Labor Market Demand
The median wage of a Wyoming bachelor’s degree holder is $14,000 (or 39%) more than the median wage of a high school graduate; the overall unemployment rate for a bachelor’s degree holder is about 2 points lower. The median wage of an associate’s degree holder is approximately $4,500 (or 13%) more than the median wage of a high school graduate; the overall unemployment rate is less than 1 point lower.
Transparency & Accountability
Wyoming receives a low score for its consumer information and public accountability resources. While Wyoming does not track student performance in the labor market, the University of Wyoming has actively used the Collegiate Learning Assessment to assess student learning. For the same purpose, the Wyoming Community College Commission has used the Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency.
Policy Environment
The Wyoming Community College Commission has goals for degree completion, measuring student learning outcomes, and system efficiency. Wyoming allows students to transfer a full associate’s degree, although individual courses short of a full degree are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. The state does not have outcomes- based funding.
Innovation
Wyoming’s WyCLASS initiative is a robust effort to promote online learning, providing students with access to information about online offerings at all public institutions in the state. Regarding new providers, Wyoming has a sensitive regulatory trigger but low licensure fees and a straightforward program approval process.
Report Card
Compare with
Four-Year Institutions
WY Nat'l| Student Access & Success | D |
|---|
| Percentage of Pell Grant Recipients | 22.0 | 30.8 |
|---|---|---|
| Retention Rate | 72.8 | 77.9 |
| Completion Rate | 53.6 | 54.5 |
| Completions per 100 FTE Students | 19.9 | 19.7 |
| Risk-Adjusted Completion Points (5-point Scale) | 2 | |
| Complete College America |
| Efficiency & Cost-Effectiveness | F |
|---|
| Cost Per Completion | $87,899 | $68,140 |
|---|---|---|
| State and Local Funding Per Completion | $105,038 | $41,198 |
| State, Local, and Tuition Funding Per Completion | $123,640 | $76,932 |
| Cost Per Completion and Public Funding Combined Measure (5-point scale) | 1 |
| Meeting Labor Market Demand | D |
|---|
| BA vs. HS Wage Gap (Overall) | $14,000 | $17,881 |
|---|---|---|
| BA vs. HS Wage Ratio (Overall) | 138.9 | 156.0 |
| BA vs. HS Wage Gap (25–34) | $7,979 | $12,703 |
| BA vs. HS Wage Ratio (25–34) | 123.1 | 149.9 |
| BA vs. HS Unemployment Gap (Overall) | 2.1 | 4.0 |
| BA vs. HS Unemployment Ratio (Overall) | 2.4 | 2.1 |
| BA vs. HS Unemployment Gap (25–34) | 3.4 | 7.1 |
| BA vs. HS Unemployment Ratio (25–34) | 3.1 | 2.9 |
| Transparency & Accountability | D |
|---|
| Transparency—Public Accountability (5-point Scale) | 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Transparency—Consumer Information (3-point Scale) | 0 | |
| Does the State Report Labor Market Outcomes? | false | |
| Labor Market Outcomes (4-point Scale) | 0 | |
| Does the State Report Student Learning Outcomes? | true | |
| Student Learning Outcomes (3-point Scale) | 3 |
Two-Year Institutions
WY Nat'l| Student Access & Success | C |
|---|
| Percentage of Pell Grant Recipients | 31.9 | 46.9 |
|---|---|---|
| Retention Rate | 59.6 | 58.6 |
| Completion Rate | 30.9 | 20.5 |
| Completions Per 100 FTE Undergraduates | 17.3 | 16.8 |
| Risk-Adjusted Completion Points (5-point Scale) | 4 |
| Efficiency & Cost-Effectiveness | F |
|---|
| Cost Per Completion | $77,021 | $57,210 |
|---|---|---|
| State and Local Funding Per Completion | $67,200 | $35,476 |
| State, Local, and Tuition Funding Per Completion | $78,514 | $52,512 |
| Cost Per Completion and Public Funding Combined MeasureCombined Measure (5-point Scale) | 1 |
| Meeting Labor Market Demand | D |
|---|
| AA vs. HS Wage Gap (Overall) | $4,511 | $8,545 |
|---|---|---|
| AA vs. HS Wage Ratio (Overall) | 112.5 | 126.1 |
| AA vs. HS Wage Gap (25–34) | $890 | $6,595 |
| AA vs. HS Wage Ratio (25–34) | 102.6 | 125.0 |
| AA vs. HS Unemployment Gap (Overall) | 0.7 | 2.7 |
| AA vs. HS Unemployment Ratio (Overall) | 1.3 | 1.5 |
| AA vs. HS Unemployment Gap (25–34) | 3.4 | 4.9 |
| AA vs. HS Unemployment Ratio (25–34) | 2.97 | 1.84 |
| Transparency & Accountability | C |
|---|
| Transparency—Public Accountability (5-point Scale) | 4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Transparency—Consumer Information (3-point Scale) | 0 | |
| Does the State Report Labor Market Outcomes? | false | |
| Labor Market Outcomes (4-point Scale) | 0 | |
| Does the State Report Student Learning Outcomes? | true | |
| Student Learning Outcomes (3-point Scale) | 3 |
State
WY Nat'l| Policy Environment | C |
|---|
| State Goals (6-point Scale) | 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Does the State Have Outcomes-Based Funding? | false | |
| Four-Year Outcomes-Based Funding (3-point Scale) | 0 | |
| Two-Years Outcomes-Based Funding (3-point Scale) | 0 | |
| Does the State Have a Credit Transfer Policy? | true | |
| Credit Transfer Policy (5-point Scale) | 3 |
| Innovation: Openness to Providers | C |
|---|
| Numerical Openness to New Providers Grade | 73% | |
|---|---|---|
| Regulatory Jurisdiction | 40% | |
| Financial Burden | 100% | |
| Approval Process Burden | 80% |
| Innovation: Online Learning | A |
|---|
| Numerical Online Learning Grade | 85.7 | |
|---|---|---|
| Online Learning Score (7-point Scale) | 6 |
State Facts at a Glance
- Number of Public Four-Year Institutions 1
- Number of Public Two-Year Institutions 7
- Number of Students Served by Public Four-Year Institutions 9,076
- Number of Students Served by Public Two-Year Institutions 17,289