Cost of Attendance Maximum
In all cases, University of Iowa policy and Title IV (federal financial aid) regulations require the sum of all scholarships and grants to be equal to or less than the Cost of Attendance that is developed annually by the Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA). This includes scholarships and grants awarded by the Office of Admissions, the OSFA, colleges and departments, and scholarships and grants from agencies and others outside the University of Iowa. In some cases, students are limited to receive scholarships and grants up to the student's financial need when certain Title IV (federal financial aid) and institutional need-based scholarships and grants are awarded.
It is the responsibility of students to report to the OSFA any scholarships and grants they will be receiving from agencies and others outside the University of Iowa. If the sum of all scholarships and grants, combined with outside scholarships and grants, exceeds the Cost of Attendance and/or financial need, University of Iowa scholarships and grants will be reduced to keep all scholarships and grants within the Cost of Attendance and/or financial need. If changes to a student’s financial aid package are required, a revised Award Notification from the OSFA will be sent.
Scholarship Awarding
Students are automatically considered for Office of Admissions scholarships based upon high school credentials and standardized test scores. The following deadlines must be met in order to be considered for scholarships.
- Determination of merit-based scholarship eligibility will only consider standardized test scores administered through February prior to a student’s admission session.
- March 1 is the deadline for students to apply for admission in order to be considered for these scholarships (prior to a student's admission session).
- April 1 is the deadline to submit updated transcript and/or official test score for scholarship reconsideration (prior to a student's admission session).
- May 1 is the deadline for all admitted students to accept admission and pay the acceptance fee. Students not meeting this deadline are not eligible for scholarships, and any previously awarded scholarships will be canceled.
Changes to GPA in the final grading period (8th semester) will only be used for admission purposes, not scholarship awarding.
Multiple test scores will not be used to calculate a superscore for scholarship consideration.
Cumulative high school GPA is used for scholarship consideration. If a GPA is not on a 4-point grading scale, it will be converted. If a high school provides both a weighted and unweighted GPA, the higher GPA is used.
The following merit-based scholarships from the Office of Admissions may not be combined. A student may receive one of these merit-based scholarships: Iowa Flagship Award, Old Gold
Scholarship, Iowa Scholars Award and National Scholars Award. If a student meets the minimum requirements for multiple awards, they will automatically be awarded the scholarship with the highest dollar amount.
Enrolled students who update, after initial enrollment, their biodemographic (ethnicity) information cannot become eligible for Advantage Iowa. Incoming new students who update
their biodemographic (ethnicity) information by April 1 before initial enrollment can be considered for Advantage Iowa funds.
Students who choose to graduate high school early and enroll at the University of Iowa in the spring term will not be eligible for Admissions-awarded merit scholarships until the following
fall term.
Students pursuing a second bachelor’s degree are not eligible for any merit-based scholarships awarded by the Office of Admissions and the OSFA.
Transfer student scholarships will be awarded to students transferring to the University of Iowa from community colleges only. Students transferring from 4-year institutions are not eligible for institutional merit or need-based awards awarded by the Office of Admissions and the OSFA.
Students, currently enrolled or enrolling in the future, who have a change in residency status for tuition purposes are not eligible for institutional merit based scholarships awarded by the Office of Admissions. If a student has scholarships awarded by the OSFA, they will need to consult with that office directly to check eligibility. Changes to a student’s residency status for tuition purposes could be through eligibility for state or federal programs or by meeting the requirements outlined in the Application for Resident Classification with the Office of the Registrar.
Release of Scholarship Funds
Institutional scholarships managed by the Office of Admissions are disbursed in two equal payments and are released during fall and spring semesters. Scholarship funds are not released
during the summer or winter. The annual amount of a scholarship is never released in one semester for students who may graduate early. A student who finishes their undergraduate degree
early will not receive a refund of unused scholarship monies or an increase in their award amount for the enrolled semesters. Scholarships coordinated through colleges or departments may vary on when and how they are disbursed.
Scholarship funds can be applied to study abroad programs that are administered by the University of Iowa Study Abroad Office. Consult with the University of Iowa Study Abroad Office.
Scholarship funds are not released during internship semesters. Scholarship funds can be reinstated the following semester providing the student will be enrolled full-time.
International students whose initial University of Iowa enrollment is part-time, due to required English language courses, are not eligible to receive scholarship funds during that semester. If student is approved for full-time enrollment in regular coursework within their first two semesters, their scholarship will be reinstated. If a part-time enrollment continues beyond two semesters, scholarship funds are cancelled permanently.
Scholarship Renewals
All scholarships require full-time (12 semester hours or more) continuous enrollment each semester at the University of Iowa as well as maintaining the University of Iowa cumulative GPA requirement specified in the award letter. Reviews for scholarship renewals are completed each semester. Renewal appeals will be managed on a case-by-case basis.
Additional Policies
Several Office of Admissions scholarships are initially awarded to incoming first-year students on the basis of self-reported test scores and grade-point averages via the application for admission. All students who accept admission are required to submit official final high school transcripts and official test scores from the testing agency as soon as possible after high school graduation but no later than July 1. An evaluation will be completed to compare the final official documents/scores with the self-reported information to verify admission decisions as well as any scholarship offers made based on self-reported information. Appropriate action will be taken if it is determined that a student has misrepresented their academic record in this process.
New scholarship programs may be created each year and award amounts for existing scholarship programs are subject to change. Currently enrolled students cannot become eligible for a new scholarship or a new award amount that did not exist when they first enrolled at the University of Iowa.
In the event there are reductions in state funding for the University of Iowa, support for institutional scholarships and grants may be impacted. If that happens, awards may be reduced accordingly within the academic year.
We reserve the right to update or modify these policies at any time without prior notice. For this reason, we encourage you to review the policy whenever you are reviewing financial information.