Types of Graduate Student Financial Aid Offered by OSFA
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Financial aid for graduate students may be available in the form of assistantships, fellowships, or student loans. The first step to be considered for financial aid at the University of Iowa is to be admitted to the University. Admission information is available on the Office of Admissions website.
Graduate students are primarily offered student loans, but there may be additional funding available through the Graduate College & specific graduate departments.
Graduate students may be eligible for financial aid if they are enrolled at least half-time (five semester hours during the academic year or three semester hours during the summer session) in a program leading to a degree at The University of Iowa. Students admitted as nondegree students s listed below.
To apply for financial aid funds that are offered by the Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA), you must follow the application procedures provided in our Step-By-Step Process web page.
- Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan
- Federal Direct PLUS (Graduate/Professional Student) Loan
Half-Time or Full-Time Status Requirement
In order to be eligible for the Federal Direct Student Loans and/or the Work-Study Program, or to maintain deferment status on the Federal Family Education Loans, or Federal Direct Student Loans, federal financial aid regulations state that a graduate student must be registered at least “half-time,” and in some cases “full-time.” The University of Iowa definition of half-time for a graduate student is a minimum registration of five semester hours. If you are registered for less than five hours, and you are working on your dissertation or thesis or are doing research toward fulfillment of your degree requirements, you may be considered a half-time or full-time student. Read more
