General Grants

• Iowa offers three financial aid grant programs for students who show a demonstrated financial need. Eligibility for these awards is determined by students' answers on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, which is available from the U.S. Department of Education. The Iowa Grant program provides a maximum of $1,000 per year for students to attend any private or public two- or four-year institution in the state. The Iowa Tuition Grant offers funding specifically for students enrolled in programs at private institutions. As of January 2011, these awards paid a maximum of $3,700 for nonprofit institutions and $1,560 for for-profit schools. The Iowa Vocational-Technical Tuition Grant pays up to $1,250 per year for students in vocational certificate programs at Iowa's community colleges.
  
  

Specific Criteria Grants

• The Iowa National Guard Educational Assistance Grants provide financial assistance for students who served as members of Iowa's National Guard. The award pays 80 percent of the tuition cost at eligible colleges and universities in Iowa. For the 2010 and 2011 school year, the average annual amount of the award at public Iowa four-year colleges was $7,141. Students who were part of the foster care system in Iowa and are between the ages of 17 and 24 qualify for the All Iowa Opportunity Foster Care Grant, which pays up to $7,330 per year.
  
  

General Merit Scholarships

• Some Iowa scholarships use academic merit as the primary eligibility criteria for the awards. The All Iowa Opportunity Scholarship is for students who demonstrate financial need and achieved a minimum of a 2.50 on a 4.00 scale while in high school. The award pays up to $7,141 toward only the first year of study at a public or private four-year institution in Iowa or up to $3,780 for the first two years at an Iowa community college. The Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship gives up to $1,500 of funding for up to four years of attendance at a four-year Iowa college for students who achieved a 3.5 GPA as well as minimum scores on the SAT or ACT college admission tests.
  
  

Specific Criteria Scholarships

• Iowa also offers scholarships for students involved in certain activities, pursuing education in specific areas or who meet other criteria. The Governor Terry E. Branstad Iowa State Fair Scholarship provides a one-time award of $500 to $1,000 to high school seniors who perform well at competitions at the annual Iowa State Fair. The Iowa Barber and Cosmetology Arts and Sciences Tuition award provides up to $1,200 per year for students pursuing education in cosmetology at an Iowa college who have a demonstrated financial need. The Iowa Farm Bureau Federation Scholarship grants up to $1,200 per year for children of bureau members who are pursuing degrees in agriculture or a related field from any two- or four-year college in the United States.