Scholarship Timelines

The wide range of scholarship opportunities on the Iowa State campus are awarded by a network of offices dedicated to supporting students. Each awarding office might have unique timing based on the needs of that unit or its students. Since most opportunities run through OneApp, it is always worth consulting with the Office of Student Financial Aid in regards to their deadlines.

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences has a priority deadline system that corresponds with award packaging deadlines. Students can apply or update their application after the priority deadline to be considered in later rounds of scholarship selection. First-year and transfer student awards are continuously selected throughout the spring semester as the recipients finalize their enrollment plans.

New first-year students

To be considered for scholarships, new students must first apply for admission to Iowa State. This step doubles as an application for automatic first-year merit awards offered by the Office of Admissions. To be considered for additional resources, students typically follow this timeline:

  • July - Application for Admission opens.
  • September - OneApp opens.
  • October - FAFSA opens.
  • December - FAFSA deadline.
  • January - Priority deadline. First round of first-year scholarships selected.
  • February - Office of Student Financial Aid delivers the complete student aid package.

New transfer students

To be considered for scholarships, transfer students must first apply for admission to Iowa State. This step doubles as an application for transfer awards offered by the Office of Admissions. To be considered for additional resources, students typically follow this timeline:

  • July - Application for Admission opens.
  • September - OneApp opens.
  • October - FAFSA opens.
  • December - FAFSA deadline.
  • March - Priority deadline. First round of transfer scholarships selected.
  • April - Office of Student Financial Aid delivers the complete student aid package.

Current Students

All current students should consider applying for scholarships each year, even if they are the recipient of a renewable scholarship. Since new scholarship funds are added every year, students who did not meet qualifications for awards in previous years should not assume that they will not in the future. We cannot guarantee you will be awarded something if you apply, but it is a pretty safe bet that you will not be awarded a scholarship if you do not apply.

  • September - OneApp opens.
  • October - FAFSA opens.
  • December - FAFSA deadline.
  • January - First round of many renewable scholarships awarded.
  • March - Priority deadline. First round of current student scholarships selected.
  • April - Office of Student Financial Aid delivers the complete student aid package.