University of Wyoming

University of Wyoming International Student Insurance

The University of Wyoming (UW), located in Laramie, Wyoming, was founded in 1886 and opened its doors to students in 1887. It was established before Wyoming officially became a U.S. state, and as such, its location was specifically written into the state’s constitution. UW is the only public university in Wyoming and offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs in more than 190 fields, including professional fields like law, medicine, and pharmacy. The university also offers education (more than 40 degree, certificate, and endorsement programs) to distance learners across Wyoming and beyond through its Outreach School. 

UW enrolls about 12,500 students and counting each year. Its colors are brown and gold, and its athletic nicknames are the cowboys and the cowgirls.

On Campus

Notable features on campus include Prexy’s Pasture, an open, grassy area in the center of campus that the Wyoming Legislature has protected against any development; the Half Acre Gym; and the Coe Library, which features the Grace Raymond Hebard Collection, the most comprehensive collection of published materials about Wyoming history and culture in the world. It’s also home to several museums like the American Heritage Center; the University of Wyoming Art Museum, notable for its collections of 18th- and 19th-century Japanese prints, 15th- to 19th-century Persian and Indian miniature paintings, and 20th-century Haitian art; and the University of Wyoming Geological Museum, whose claim to fame is a 95%-complete Allosaurus fossil known as “Big Al.” If you have time, it’s also worthy stopping by the University of Wyoming Insect Museum.

Another important campus institution is the Enhanced Oil Recovery Institute, dedicated to finding the most economic and environmentally sound ways to recover “stranded” oil deposits in Wyoming and beyond. Similarly, the School of Energy Resources was founded in 2006 with the goal of enhancing the school’s energy-related education, research, and outreach. 

Notable Alumni

Noteworthy University of Wyoming alumni include former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney; former Wyoming governor Dave Freudenthal; industrialist W. Edwards Deming; former NASA director Samuel C. Phillips; and LGBT-rights icon Matthew Shepard, whose death led to new federal hate crime legislation.