Scholarships & Grants

It’s a gift, extra money without strings attached.

Scholarships and grants are ways to support you with additional money for college. The good news is they’re both considered “gift aid,” which means you don’t have to pay them back, ever. While both scholarships and grants fill in financial gaps, they come from different sources and are awarded for different reasons.

Freshmen Scholarships

Transfer Scholarships

Scholarships

Scholarships are financial awards you earn for achievement; it’s a moment to be proud of what you’ve accomplished so far. For example, merit scholarships recognize academic achievement. Other scholarships acknowledge achievements in athletics, the arts, the sciences, or for having the courage to be the first in your family to go to college. We believe in putting students first, so UNI has significantly increased the number of scholarships awarded to students. What’s more, there are countless outside organizations that give scholarships too. It’s definitely worth checking out!

Freshmen Scholarships

Transfer Scholarships

Grants

Grants are government-funded, need-based gifts, and that means, to be considered for a grant, your FAFSA must be complete. It is reviewed, and based on your family’s financial status and need, grants may be awarded to help you. Amounts vary based on your need, but no matter what, you never have to pay back grant money.

Full Tuition Guarantee Programs

Full Tuition Guarantee Program for Iowans

This program provides a four-year commitment of full tuition and fees provided through a combination of federal, state, and institutional grants and scholarships.

The applicant must:

Be an Iowa resident
Newly-graduated from an Iowa high school
Have an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) as determined on the FAFSA of 1000 or less their first year

Students must be full-time (12 credits or more) for this program. Students must be Pell Grant eligible, as determined by the FAFSA, for the remaining three years of the program to qualify.

Full Tuition Guarantee Program for Multicultural Community College Iowans

This program provides a two-year commitment of full tuition and fees provided through a combination of federal, state, and institutional grants and scholarships.

The applicant must:

Be an Iowa resident
Have 24 transferrable hours from an Iowa Community College
Have a ethnic or racial status of African American/Black, Hispanic/Latina/Spanish, Alaskan Native or American Indian, Asian, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander

Students must be full-time (12 credits or more) for this program. Students must be Pell Grant eligible, as determined by the FAFSA, throughout the two years of the program for continued qualification.

How it works.

For eligible students, the Tuition Guarantee Grant will be applied to ensure all gift aid equals or exceeds UNI’s annual tuition and general fees (not housing costs) for the first year. If initial grants and scholarships already cover your entire tuition and fees, no additional award titled "Tuition Guarantee Grant" will appear on your financial aid award.

The following are examples that help show how the Full Tuition Guarantee Program works.

Student 1

Annual tuition/fees: $9,053
Federal Pell Grant: $6,495
Supplemental Education
Opportunity Grant: $1,000
Panther Impact Award: $1,000
Tuition Guarantee Grant: $1,058

The student qualifies for the Full Tuition Guarantee Program, but their other scholarships and grants are not enough to meet the annual tuition and fees. A Tuition Guarantee Grant is added to ensure all gift aid covers the cost of tuition and fees.

Student 2

Annual tuition/fees: $9,053
Federal Pell Grant: $5,495
Supplemental Education
Opportunity Grant: $1,000
Tuition Guarantee Grant: $2,558

‌Student 3

Annual tuition/fees: $9,053
Federal Pell Grant: $5,495
Supplemental Education
Opportunity Grant: $1,000
Panther Impact Award: $3,500
Tuition Guarantee Grant: $0

The student qualifies for the Full Tuition Guarantee Program. Their annual tuition and fees is already covered through other traditional gift aid resources, so no Tuition Guarantee Grant is added.

Other Institutional Grants

Tuition Assistance Grant

This Tuition Assistance Grant is prorated for less than full-time enrollment and renewable based on EFC on next year's FAFSA. The applicant must have an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) as determined on the FAFSA of 8000 or less. This grant is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Summer Tuition Assistance Grant availability and awarding parameters are based on availability of funds. Cannot be awarded in conjunction with the Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (not stackable.)

CBA Grant

The CBA Grant is a $1000/year award available to juniors and seniors pursuing a major in the College of Business and their first bachelor's degree (Post-bachelor students are not eligible). Students must be Pell Grant eligible and have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher. Students receiving merit awards from the College of Business are ineligible.

Federal Grants

Pell Grant

Federal Pell Grants are usually awarded to undergraduate students who have not earned a bachelor's or professional degree. (A professional degree is usually earned after earning a bachelor's degree in a field such as medicine, law, or dentistry.)
The U.S. Department of Education uses a formula established by law to calculate a student's financial eligibility, otherwise known as the Expected Family Contribution (EFC). Your Student Aid Report (SAR) contains this number, in the upper right portion of page 1. This number will determine if you are eligible for a Pell Grant and for how much. Awards are prorated for students enrolling less than full time.

Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG)

Federal need-based grant for families with EFC's between 0-1000. The maximum award is $1,000. Funds are limited. Cannot be awarded in conjunction with the Tuition Assistance Grant.

TEACH Grant

Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program provides grants of up to $4,000 per year to students who intend to teach in a high need field in a low income school. Due to federal sequestration, the maximum TEACH Grant for 2020-21 is $3,772 for the academic year. There is no application to apply for the TEACH Grant. Students just need to submit their FAFSA yearly, have a declared high need area of study, and academic (ACT or GPA) component to be offered the TEACH Grant.

Graduate Students eligible for the TEACH Grant need to self-identify to the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships their first year.

For more information, please review the Federal Student Aid website: Federal TEACH Information

For information specific to qualifying for the TEACH Grant at UNI, please review this PDF document: UNI TEACH Information

State Grants

IMAGES

IMAGES awards range up to $2000. Eligibility Criteria:

Funds limited on first-come, first-served basis
Priority given to student participants in College Bound activities
Must be an Iowa resident
Requires ethnic or racial status of African American/Black, Hispanic/Latino/Spanish, Alaskan Native or American Indian, Asian Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander
Demonstrated financial need as determined on the FAFSA

All Iowa Opportunity Scholarship

The All Iowa Opportunity Scholarship is available for one year only. Recipients must demonstrate financial need as determined on the FAFSA with a High School GPA of 2.5 or above. Students must complete an online application through the Iowa College Aid Commission.

Future Ready Iowa Grant

The Future Ready Iowa Grant is an opportunity for students who:

Have at least half of the credits completed and accepted towards an eligible program (typically 60 credits or more).
Have not been previously enrolled in post-secondary education for two or more years
Have applied for all other available aid (no financial need required for the grant)
Maximum annual award amount for 19-20 is $3,500

For more information on the grant and to apply, visit the Iowa College Aid Commission.

For all state of Iowa scholarships and grants, click here.

Grants

Applying for Other Scholarships

UNI Scholarship Application

The UNI Scholarship Application helps simplify the process of applying for hundreds of additional scholarships within academic departments from all across campus in one online application. Students can begin the application in early July, leading into their senior year. The priority deadline each year is January 15. Incoming students must apply to UNI before they will have access to complete the scholarship application.

More Information

Information for

Freshmen and Transfer Students

Graduate Students

International Students

Online & Distance Students

Veterans

Studying away from UNI