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Scholarships
Top Iowa scholarships for you
Find Iowa scholarships that can help you pay for college.
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What are Iowa scholarships?
Iowa scholarships are financial aid for college created specifically for students living in Iowa or looking to go to school in Iowa. Iowa scholarships can help students attain higher education opportunities that otherwise may be out of reach due to financial reasons. All scholarships are free money for college that you don’t have to pay back.
Eligibility requirements for Iowa scholarships
Before you apply for Iowa scholarships, make sure you check the eligibility requirements. To qualify for Iowa scholarships, you’ll most likely need to prove you’re a resident or you’re attending school in that state. Some other common eligibility requirements may include your GPA, community service, citizenship, plan to attend an accredited program, leadership potential, and submitting a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®). Scholarship eligibility requirements vary, so don’t assume you won’t qualify. Check them out!
Are Iowa scholarships worth my time?
Some scholarships are quick and easy to apply for. Others require time and effort. Typically, fewer students apply to scholarships that require work which means you could have better odds of winning.
Pro tip: Don’t skip over Iowa scholarships with smaller award amounts ($). There’s typically less competition for them—and they add up!
How do I find Iowa scholarships?
There are many resources to help you find Iowa scholarships.
Scholarship resources
- The financial aid office at a college or career school
- Organizations (such as professional associations) related to your field of interest
- Federal agencies
- Free scholarship search tools like Scholly Scholarships
- Local libraries, businesses, or associations
Your high school guidance office is a great place to start when looking for local scholarships. You could also try doing a search for your city’s name and “community foundation,” or the county you live in and “foundation.”
Scholly Scholarships
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Hot tip! Smaller scholarships may have less competition, increasing your odds of winning.
Scholarships for Iowa
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The Scholarships360 $10,000 "No Essay" Scholarship
Due: 6/30/2025
No Essays
$10,000
Iowa Tuition Grant
Due: 7/1/2025
No Essays
No min. GPA Required
No Recommendations Required
No Transcripts Required
Amount Varies
The Iowa Tuition Grants are awarded to Iowa residents enrolled at one of Iowa's eligible private colleges and universities. Applicants must be enrolled in an associate or bachelor degree. Recipients can receive grants for up to four years of full-time, undergraduate study. Part-time students may be eligible for adjusted amounts. Please visit the award's website for more information.
Beloit College Midwest Flagship Match
Due: Varies
No Essays
No min. GPA Required
No Recommendations Required
Amount Varies
The Beloit College Midwest Flagship Match is open for students that are academically qualified residents of Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, and Minnesota that pay the same tuition at Beloit as their home state's flagship public university. For first-year applicants, they must have an unweighted GPA of 3.5 or above in core academic classes. And for transfer applicants, they must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above in college classes. Please see the scholarship website for more information. Eligible students must have been state residents for at least 12 months before enrollment and complete the FAFSA by April 1.
Luther College Iowa and Minnesota Impact Award
Due: Varies
No Essays
No Recommendations Required
Amount Varies
The Luther College Impact Awards is available to incoming student first-time or transfer students for fall 2025. Applicants must be Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin residents as defined by the Bureau of Iowa College Aid, Minnesota Office of Higher Education, or the Wisconsin Higher Educational Aids Board and have a family-adjusted gross income of $80,000 or less. Recipients must reside on campus for each year the award is received. Submission of standardized test scores is not required. Students are recommended to submit a personal statement and an educator reference (from a teacher or counselor). Please visit the scholarship's website for more information.
Missouri University of Science and Technology Border County Award
Due: 2/1/2026
No Essays
No min. GPA Required
No Recommendations Required
Amount Varies
The Missouri University of Science and Technology Border County Award is open to out-of-state students from Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Nebraska, or Tennessee counties immediately bordering Missouri. The award covers 100 percent of the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition and cannot be combined with any institutional or athletic fund that will pay out-of-state tuition. Border County Award cannot be combined with the Groundbreaker Scholarship, Transfer Merit Scholarship, or Athletic Out of State Waivers. The S&T Border County Award is available for students from the following counties: (1) Illinois: Adams, Alexander, Calhoun, Hancock, Jackson, Jersey, Madison, Monroe, Pike, Randolph, St. Clair, Union (2) Iowa: Appanoose, Davis, Decatur, Fremont, Lee, Page, Ringgold, Taylor, VanBuren, Wayne (3) Kentucky: Ballard, Carlisle, Fulton, Hickman (4) Nebraska: Nemaha, Otoe, Richardson (5) Tennessee: Dyer, Lake. Please visit the scholarship's website for more information.
Iowa Vocational-Technical Tuition Grant
Due: 7/1/2025
No Essays
No min. GPA Required
No Recommendations Required
No Transcripts Required
$1,200
The Iowa Vocational-Technical Tuition Grant is open to Iowa residents enrolled in career or technical education programs at Iowa community colleges. Students must be enrolled in at least 3 credit hours in a qualified program of study (of at least a 15-week duration), enrolled at an Iowa community college, and must demonstrate financial need. The award is available for up to two years of education. Part-time students may be eligible for adjusted amounts. Please visit the award's website for more information.
Iowa National Guard Service Scholarship
Due: Varies
No Essays
No min. GPA Required
No Recommendations Required
No Transcripts Required
Amount Varies
The Iowa National Guard Service Scholarship is open to Iowa National Guard members who attend eligible Iowa colleges and universities. Students must be members of an Iowa Army or Air National Guard unit for each term the member receives benefits, satisfactorily completes required Guard training, and maintain satisfactory performance of Guard duty. Students must pursue a certificate or undergraduate degree at an eligible Iowa college or university. Please note that a qualified individual cannot receive an Iowa National Guard Service Scholarship award for more than 120 semester credit hours or the equivalent (effective July 1, 2015) of undergraduate study. July 1 is the Fall priority deadline and December 1 is the Spring priority deadline. Please visit the scholarship's website for more information.
O'Brien-Vrba Scholarship Trust Program
Due: 4/8/2025
No Essays
$2,500
The O'Brien-Vrba Scholarship Trust is intended to assist rural Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Michigan high school graduates who plan to continue their education in college. Applicants must currently live or have resided in an approved rural county during high school. Applicants must be an underGraduate Students or graduate-level student, who plans to enroll in a course of study at an accredited four-year college or university for the entire upcoming academic year. Applicants must be actively involved in school activities and community service and have a family Adjusted Gross Income of $150,000 or less. Applicants of the Catholic Faith, those who attend Catholic institution, and/or who participate in activities through the Newman Center at their college are given additional consideration. Two online letters of recommendation must be submitted; one from a teacher, advisor or clergy writing about the applicant's performance and character; and one from a community service supervisor addressing the applicant's service and leadership in the activity. If you will be changing schools, please provide a copy of your acceptance letter to the school you will be attending. Please visit the scholarship's website for more information.
Dian and Harlan Stai Honors Access Scholarship
Due: 12/1/2025
No Essays
No Recommendations Required
No Transcripts Required
$20,000
The Dian and Harlan Stai Honors Access Scholarship will be awarded to outstanding high school seniors from South Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa each year based on ACT/SAT scores or GPA and extracurricular activities. This scholarship is renewable for four years. Students are chosen for Stai Honors through a competitive interview selection process. Students selected to interview must have extensive leadership and extracurricular involvement. Applicants must also submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and qualify as Pell Grant Eligible. Stai Honors Access recipients will be required to participate in the Van D. and Barbara B. Fishback Honors College. The invitation to interview for this competitive scholarship will be sent via the mail to students by December 31. The on-campus interviews take place in late January. Please visit the scholarship's website or contact the Office of Financial Aid for more information.
Dian and Harlan Stai Honors Scholarship
Due: 12/1/2025
No Essays
No Recommendations Required
No Transcripts Required
$20,000
The Dian and Harlan Stai Honors Scholarship will be awarded to outstanding high school seniors from South Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa each year based on ACT/SAT scores or GPA and extracurricular activities. This scholarship is renewable for four years. Students are chosen for Stai Honors through a competitive interview selection process. Students selected to interview must have extensive leadership and extracurricular involvement. Stai Honors recipients will be required to participate in the Van D. and Barbara B. Fishback Honors College. The invitation to interview for this competitive scholarship will be sent via the mail to students by December 31. The on-campus interviews take place in late January. Please visit the scholarship's website or contact the Office of Financial Aid for more information.
What types of scholarships are available for students?
Need-based scholarships
These are scholarships for students who have demonstrated a financial need. There’s no universal number or set income level that tells you if you qualify. How each scholarship defines what financial need means varies. The federal government as well as specific organizations, corporations, and colleges/universities/schools offer need-based scholarships.
Merit scholarships
Merit scholarships are for students who have shown high academic, athletic, or extracurricular achievement over their high school careers. Not all schools/colleges offer merit-aid—highly selective schools typically don’t. The process for applying for merit scholarships varies. For merit scholarships offered through colleges and universities, you generally don’t have to do anything other than complete the application to the school itself. For some schools, you need to submit the FAFSA® to be eligible.
Career-specific grants or scholarships
These are awarded to students who know they want a career in a specific industry. Maybe they know they want to be a teacher, a nurse, or an engineer. To be eligible for grants, students must submit the FAFSA®. To find career-specific scholarships, try searching for your major and “association.”
Community or nonprofit scholarships
Nonprofit and community organizations often receive funding from donors to create scholarship programs for students who need them.
Tips for successful scholarship applications
- Pull together everything you need for the application including transcripts, so you can submit a complete scholarship application.
- You may need a recommendation letter or letters for a scholarship. Ask a teacher, employer, or someone else who knows you to write one for you—and be sure to give them enough time to do it.
- If you’re writing a scholarship essay, follow the prompt, answer the essay question completely, and write from your experience. A few well-written essays that you can reuse for different scholarship applications can really pay off.
- Highlight your strengths and achievements in your application.
- Talk about your financial need and what you would use the scholarship money for if you won. How would it help?
- Have to interview for a scholarship? Dress to impress in a professional outfit. And do your research! Look into how/why the scholarship was created. Try to bring up why it’s meaningful to you. Also, don’t forget to send a thank-you note afterwards.
- Keep track of all the deadlines for the scholarships you’re applying to. If you miss one, they may not extend the due date.
- Apply for scholarships year after year, all through college. As you continue your studies, gain more experience, and try new extracurricular activities in college, you might be eligible for more scholarships you weren’t originally qualified for.
Here are more tips that can help you understand all there is to know about scholarships and up your chances of winning.
Frequently asked questions
These tips can help as you get ready to apply for Iowa scholarships.
When are scholarship application deadlines?
There’s no standard deadline for scholarship applications. Each scholarship has its own deadline, so be sure to keep track of dates and make sure you don’t miss any deadlines of scholarships that you want to apply to.
Do you need to know which college you’re attending?
You don’t need to know which college you’re going to attend before applying for most scholarships. However, once you’re awarded scholarships, some of them may ask for eligibility verification—which can include proof of college enrollment.
Is there a limit on how many scholarships you can apply for?
Absolutely not, so apply for as many as you can to increase your chances of winning free money. Want to find more types of scholarships? There are so many, check them out!
Pro tip: Apply for scholarships each year you’re in college.
Does every scholarship application require an essay?
Not every scholarship will ask you to submit an essay—different scholarships have different requirements. If you’re applying for a scholarship with an essay and need help writing yours, get tips for writing scholarship essays.
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Tips for writing scholarship essays
Get tips for writing scholarship essays. Learn what makes a good scholarship essay.
Find scholarship resources
Explore our scholarship resources, articles, and guide to get all the tips and tricks to help pay for college.
Fill out the FAFSA®
Learn when and how to apply for the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) to maximize your chances of getting federal student financial aid. Get tips now.
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