All Iowa Opportunity Scholarship

Scholarship Sponsored by Iowa College Student Aid Commission

Introduction
The All Iowa Opportunity Scholarship (AIOS) is a state-supported financial aid program for Iowa students who enroll at an eligible college or university within Iowa.

Who receives priority consideration
Applicants from the following groups are given priority for AIOS awards:
- Youth who have aged out of Iowa’s foster care system, those who aged out of the State Training School, and students adopted from Iowa foster care after turning 16.
- Children of public safety personnel who died in the line of duty (examples include peace officers, police officers, firefighters, sheriffs, deputy sheriffs, and correctional officers).
- High school students who participated in qualifying federal TRIO programs (Upward Bound, Talent Search, or Educational Opportunity Center).
- Graduates of alternative high schools or alternative high school programs.
- Students who took part in a Federal GEAR UP grant program in Iowa.

Who is eligible
Generally, the scholarship is available to high school seniors who graduated in 2024 or who will graduate with the class of 2025, provided they meet all of the following:
- Are an Iowa resident.
- Plan to attend an eligible Iowa college or university.
- Graduated from an eligible Iowa high school or earned a high school equivalency credential within the last two years. (This requirement does not apply to students who were in foster care.)
- Are a first-time college freshman in fall 2025 or spring 2026, unless you are renewing an AIOS award or you aged out of foster care.
- For renewal eligibility, must remain continuously enrolled and must receive a scholarship disbursement each term (students who were in foster care are exempt from this continuous-enrollment/disbursement requirement).
- Enroll for a minimum of 3 semester hours (or the trimester/quarter equivalent) in a program that leads to an undergraduate degree, diploma, or certificate.
- Submit both the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the Iowa Financial Aid Application by April 1, 2025.
- Have a qualifying Student Aid Index (SAI) on the 2025–26 FAFSA. Eligible SAI values for 2025–26 are between -1,500 and 10,669.

Award amounts and duration
AIOS award levels change annually. For the 2025–26 academic year the maximum award is $5,334. New recipients beginning in 2025–26 may receive the scholarship for up to eight full‑time semesters (or the equivalent of sixteen part‑time semesters).

Renewal rules
To continue receiving AIOS funds for subsequent semesters (up to the eight full‑time / sixteen part‑time limit), students must:
- Maintain continuous enrollment and receive a scholarship disbursement each term (this continuous-enrollment/disbursement requirement is waived for students who were in foster care).
- Maintain an eligible SAI throughout the academic year.
- File the FAFSA by April 1 prior to each academic year for which they seek renewal.

If you’d like, I can condense this into a one-page checklist or produce wording formatted for a website or brochure.