Winter Session Financial Aid

Below is information about winter courses based on Winter 2022. 

Winter session financial aid is usually limited to Federal Direct Loans. For the Winter 2022 session only, there is a grant opportunity for some Pell Grant recipients called the Winter Institutional Grant.

A separate winter application is required to be considered for loans (no application is needed for the Winter Institutional Grant). You must be registered for winter courses prior to submitting the winter application. The winter application is available in MyUI and must be submitted one week prior to the end of the winter session.

The University of Iowa’s financial aid year includes the following terms: fall, winter, spring, and summer. Because the winter term falls in the middle of the year between fall and spring semesters, most students already have an academic year financial aid package that covers living expenses for the winter session. Therefore most students' cost of attendance for winter will only include expenses for tuition and books. The winter cost of attendance is calculated based on the information supplied on the winter application.

Eligible students are emailed information regarding their offer.

Financial aid disbursements will begin on the first day of the student's winter class, if all disbursement requirements are met.

Winter Institutional Grant

For the Winter 2022 session only, current Federal Pell Grant recipients may be eligible for the Winter Institutional Grant. Funds are limited for this award, so not all Pell Grant recipients will receive this grant. You will receive a revised financial aid offer in mid-December if the grant has been offered to you. If you drop a class or withdraw from the winter session, you may experience a change in the grant amount.

A winter financial aid application is not needed to receive the Winter Institutional Grant.

Below are the initial criteria to qualify for this grant:

• Must be receiving a Pell Grant for the 2022-2023 year
• Register for a 1, 2, or 3 credit hour UI winter course
• Must be meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress
• Must be registered for the spring 2023 semester

Winter Session Loans

If you have already accepted your annual Federal Direct Stafford Loan (subsidized and/or unsubsidized) maximum for the fall and spring semesters, you will not be eligible for subsidized and/or unsubsidized loans for the winter session. (View the annual loan maximums for subsidized and unsubsidized loans) 

The parent of a dependent student can apply for the Federal Direct Parent PLUS loan pending credit approval.

Graduate/professional students are eligible to receive the Federal Direct Graduate PLUS loan pending credit approval. 

Students or parents can apply for private student loans. Students applying for private student loans will typically require a co-signer.