To apply for financial aid, students must follow the application procedures provided on Applying for Aid. A student must be admitted to a University of Iowa (UI) degree program and enrolled at least half-time (six hours for an undergraduate and five hours for a graduate student) at the UI in order to be eligible for federal financial aid.

However, federal financial aid regulations allow a once-in-a-lifetime exception. Non-degree students enrolled in prerequisite courses required for admission into a degree-seeking program may be eligible for a Federal Direct Subsidized and/or Unsubsidized Stafford Loan for one consecutive 12-month period. Once the student receives a loan, the 12-month period begins.

Non-degree students are not eligible for scholarships offered through Admissions or the Office of Student Financial Aid.

Non-degree students may be eligible for federal loans if they meet the following:

  • are admitted or currently enrolled as a UI non-degree student
  • are registered for at least six hours of UI prerequisite courses that are required to be considered for admission to a degree program (the prerequisite courses cannot be required courses for the intended degree program)
  • email finaid-sap@uiowa.edu to request a Non-Degree Student Status Form.

Annual Loan Maximums:

  • The annual loan maximum for non-degree students taking prerequisites to be admitted into an undergraduate program is $2,625 for dependent students and $8,625 for independent students
  • The annual loan maximum for non-degree students taking prerequisites to be admitted into a graduate program is $5,500 for dependent students and $12,500 for independent students

The following non-degree students are not eligible to receive financial aid:

  • graduate students who are not admitted to a UI degree program because they have not completed the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) or have missed the application deadline
  • students taking courses to raise their grade point average for admission consideration
  • students taking courses that will apply toward the intended degree
  • students enrolled in non-degree courses at an institution other than the University of Iowa