Financial Aid

Iowa Merit Scholarships and Financial Aid

Iowa gave merit aid averaging $5,880 to 2,082 first-year students who had no financial need, about 68% of the freshmen without need.

Merit aid

Scholarships Iowa gave to first-year students who had no financial need.

Average merit award

$5,880

Freshmen who got one

2,082

of 5,187 in the class

Share of those without need

68%

who received merit aid

Need-based aid

For first-year students the college found to have financial need.

Average need-based grant

$11,938

Average percent of need met

53%

Freshmen with need

41%

2,138 students

The average total aid package, which can include loans and work-study, was $14,098.

How to read these numbers

Merit aid is awarded for grades, scores, or talent. Need-based aid is awarded for family finances. A student can receive both.
The merit figures count only students with no financial need, so they show what a family that will not qualify for need-based aid can expect.
A grant does not have to be repaid. A package can include loans, which do.

Email me Iowa's aid numbers

A link to this page, plus the merit aid comparison for every college we track.

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Frequently asked questions

Does Iowa give merit scholarships?

Iowa gave merit aid averaging $5,880 to 2,082 first-year students who had no financial need, about 68% of the freshmen without need.

How much is the average merit scholarship at Iowa?

$5,880 for first-year students without financial need, according to Iowa's 2025-26 Common Data Set. That is an average across everyone who got an award, so individual offers run higher and lower.

Does Iowa meet full financial need?

Iowa reports meeting 53% of need on average for first-year students who were awarded need-based aid. A figure under 100% means the average student was left with a gap to cover.

What share of Iowa freshmen have financial need?

2,138 of 5,187 first-time, full-time freshmen, or 41%, were found to have financial need.

Source: Iowa’s own Common Data Set 2025-26, Section H, for first-time, full-time freshmen. Last checked 2026-10-08. These are averages for one entering class, and some colleges report the prior year’s class in this section. Your own offer depends on your family’s finances and your application.