Fall 2022 Automatic Freshman Merit Awards

Start by applying for admission and you will be considered for our special awards!

For qualified students, the Generations Award requires an application. Homeschool students are reviewed individually for scholarships. Students who receive a full tuition scholarship are not eligible for these merit awards from the Office of Admissions.

We have an exceptional adventure in store for high-achieving and highly motivated students like you! Explore your scholarship opportunities now.

Select your state below to review all of the awards available to you through the Office of Admissions.

Location AlaskaAlabamaArkansasArizonaCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDistrict of ColumbiaDelawareFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIowaIdahoIllinoisIndianaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMassachusettsMarylandMaineMichiganMinnesotaMissouriMississippiMontanaNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaNebraskaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNevadaNew YorkOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaPuerto RicoRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVirginiaVermontWashingtonWisconsinWest VirginiaWyomingUS citizens living abroadMilitary dependents living abroad

Recognition Awards for Wisconsin Students

NOTE: The minimum cumulative GPA must be met to earn each award. Students will be expected to meet the minimum GPA paired with the minimum core course count or ACT or SAT score for the Adventure Award and the Journey Award.

CORE COURSE COUNT: Count of core courses is the sum of the number of courses completed in high school that are in the core subject areas and are expressed in terms of years or fractions of years of study. Core subject areas include English, math, science, social studies, world language, and computer science.

Important Scholarship Information

Iowa State offers recognition awards to out-of-state students who fulfill specific academic requirements. The awards are automatically awarded to out-of-state students who have been offered admission to Iowa State.

• Grade Point Average (GPA): Minimum cumulative high school GPA (4-point scale). We accept weighted GPA, provided the school’s weighted grading system does not award more than one additional quality point to the grade earned in weighted courses.
• Test score: Minimum ACT composite or minimum SAT Total (Reading and Writing+Math) is used. We accept a student’s best score, including ACT provided superscore.
• Deadline: Students must be admitted by July 1, 2022, as a freshman entering directly from high school. Awards may be made after July 1 contingent upon the availability of funds. These awards are specifically available to students enrolling for the Fall of 2022. Scholarships are reviewed annually and are subject to change for future enrolling classes.
• Final Transcript and Test Score: Awards are offered based on preliminary or self-reported academic information, but all awards are contingent upon receipt of the official, final high school transcript and test score verifying the requirements have been met. The award will be withdrawn if all requirements have not been fulfilled. Students will not receive more than one award. Students will be offered the highest award value they qualify to receive and awards can be updated during the year if their GPA or test score improves.
• Freshman Status: A student must enroll at Iowa State University for the fall semester immediately following high school graduation to qualify for a freshman award; a student who has attempted college coursework following high school graduation (with the exception of the summer term) is not eligible for freshman awards. A student must be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, refugee, or asylee to qualify.
• Eligibility for other awards: These awards are not tuition specific. They can be used toward a student’s total University bill and be combined with scholarships offered by an undergraduate college, department, or the Office of Student Financial Aid. Students who receive a full tuition scholarship like the National Merit Tuition Scholarship, George Washington Carver Tuition Scholarship, Multicultural Vision Program Tuition Scholarship, or Science Bound Tuition Scholarship are not eligible for other merit awards from the Office of Admissions including the Automatic Freshman Merit Awards.
• Home school students: When calculating a home school applicant's high school GPA for scholarship purposes, only those grades which have been assigned by an independent entity (e.g., the local high school, a college, or an accredited online curriculum) are factored into the cumulative GPA. Home school applicants must have earned independently assigned grades in at least 12 semester credits of college-level coursework or at least 5 Carnegie units of high school-level coursework (or a combination of both) before their independently assigned grades can be used to establish their high school GPA. Home school applicants who do not have enough independently assigned grades to establish their high school GPA will be awarded Admissions automatic scholarships if they meet the minimum ACT/SAT score requirements for those awards.

Renewal Requirements:

To renew these awards the student must remain continuously enrolled at Iowa State University on a full-time basis in good academic standing with a minimum of 12 credits per semester, be assessed nonresident tuition and maintain a minimum 2.50 cumulative grade point average. These awards are available during fall and spring semesters only, not during the summer term. The value of the award(s) is fixed and will not change for the student in future terms.

Generations Award:

The Generations Award is awarded to students who are nonresident children or grandchildren, or great-grandchildren of Iowa State graduates. A graduate is defined as any person who has been awarded a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree from Iowa State. In order to be considered for this scholarship, students must provide information so the graduation of the parent, step-parent, legal guardian, or grandparent may be verified. Students may complete the scholarship application form available online at admissions.iastate.edu/generations.

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