Scholarships & Award Programs

Within the past academic year more than $110,000 in scholarships and awards were provided to Iowa students, parents or guardians, and high schools.

Iowa Student Loan Total Awards

Since Jan. 1, 2012

Iowa Student Loan awarded $457,500 to 290 Iowa high school students
Iowa Student Loan awarded $314,750 to 391 Iowa parents and guardians
Iowa Student Loan awarded $80,750 to 154 Iowa high schools

Save Now, Save Later: College Savings Plan Parent Giveaway

Two hundred thirty parents or guardians of Iowa students in sixth through 12th grades have received more than $275,000 worth of deposits into College Savings Iowa 529 accounts since the program began in 2014. To enter a random drawing for one of the $1,000 prizes, parents and guardians experience the Parent Handbook to learn tips for preparing for postsecondary education.

Iowa Financial Know-How Challenge: Senior Scholarship

Since its inception in 2014, nearly 30,000 Iowa high school seniors have registered for this scholarship program, which currently awards $2,000 in college scholarships to each of 30 recipients, plus an additional $100 to each recipient's high school to be used for scholarship and financial literacy programs.

Registered students experience Student Loan Game Plan and ROCI Reality Check to learn how student loan debt and choice of major affect their financial future and to learn strategies to reduce debt and increase financial know-how. Scholarships are awarded to students who score highest on an assessment related to these tools.

See recent recipients.

College Funding Forecaster Giveaway

From 2017 through 2020, this program awarded nearly $30,000 in awards for educational expenses to Iowa high school students chosen through random drawings. More than 2,700 Iowa high school students, parents and guardians entered after using the College Funding Forecaster tool to estimate total college cost over four years.

ISL Midwest Senior Scholarship

The ISL Midwest Senior Scholarship awards $1,000 college scholarships to 10 high school seniors from Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota or Wisconsin for the following fall. This program replaced the Come 2 Iowa Senior Scholarship in 2021. In 2020, more than 1,100 students registered for the Come 2 Iowa random drawing.

Student Planning Pointers for Parents

Every quarter, 40 participants are randomly selected to receive a $250 deposit to their selected student's college savings plan. Participants receive an entry into the drawing after viewing twice-monthly articles and answering two survey questions, giving them multiple entries and chances to win.