All Iowa Opportunity Scholarship

Scholarship Sponsored by Iowa College Student Aid Commission

Overview
The All Iowa Opportunity Scholarship (AIOS) is a state-supported aid program for Iowa students who enroll at an eligible Iowa postsecondary institution.

Priority for awards
Applicants in the following groups receive priority consideration:
- Students who age out of Iowa’s foster care system, students who age out of the State Training School, and students adopted from Iowa foster care after age 16.
- Children of deceased public safety personnel (examples include peace officers, police officers, firefighters, sheriffs, deputy sheriffs, and correctional officers).
- High school participants in specified federal TRIO programs: Upward Bound, Talent Search, or Educational Opportunity Centers.
- Graduates of alternative high schools or participants in alternative high school programs.
- Students who took part in a Federal GEAR UP grant program in Iowa.

Who is eligible
Generally, the scholarship is intended for high school seniors who graduated in 2024 or who will graduate with the class of 2025 and who meet all other requirements below:
- Iowa residency.
- Enrollment at an eligible Iowa college or university.
- Graduation from an eligible Iowa high school or receipt of a high school equivalency (HSE) diploma within the past two years. (This HSE/high school requirement does not apply to students who were in foster care.)
- Be a first-time college freshman in fall 2025 or spring 2026 (unless you are renewing an existing AIOS award or you aged out of foster care).
- Enroll for at least 3 semester credit hours (or trimester/quarter equivalent) in a program that leads to an undergraduate degree, diploma, or certificate.
- Submit both the FAFSA and the Iowa Financial Aid Application by April 1, 2025.
- Have an eligible Student Aid Index (SAI) on the 2025–26 FAFSA. Eligible SAI values for 2025–26 range from -1,500 to 10,669.

Award amount and duration
- The AIOS award amount changes annually; the maximum for 2025–26 is $5,334.
- First-time recipients in 2025–26 may receive the scholarship for up to eight full-time semesters (or the part-time equivalent of sixteen semesters).

Renewal rules
Awards may be renewed up to the same limits (eight full-time semesters / sixteen part-time semesters) provided the student meets these conditions:
- Maintain continuous enrollment and receive a scholarship disbursement each term. (Students who were in foster care are exempt from the continuous-enrollment/disbursement requirement.)
- Maintain an eligible SAI for the entire academic year.
- File the FAFSA by April 1 prior to each academic year.

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