All Iowa Opportunity Scholarship (AIOS) — 2026–2027 Academic Year

About This Opportunity

If you grew up in Iowa foster care — or were adopted from Iowa foster care after age 16 — the state of Iowa will pay for your college. The All Iowa Opportunity Scholarship (AIOS) covers up to $5,334 per year for full-time enrollment and is renewable for up to four academic years (eight semesters). This applies to any accredited Iowa institution — Iowa Western Community College, the University of Iowa, Iowa State, private Iowa colleges, and more. Council Bluffs is in Iowa. You are eligible. You do not need a minimum GPA to apply. You do not need to have graduated from high school on a traditional timeline. Apply through the Iowa College Student Aid Commission at educate.iowa.gov. File your FAFSA first — AIOS is need-based. Priority deadline is approximately April 1, 2026.

Who Can Apply

Must be an Iowa resident who (1) aged out of Iowa foster care at age 18, OR (2) was released from Iowa State Training School or similar juvenile facility, OR (3) was legally adopted from Iowa foster care after age 16. No minimum GPA requirement. No traditional high school graduation requirement — HiSET/GED accepted. Must enroll at an accredited Iowa postsecondary institution. Must complete FAFSA to determine need-based eligibility. Council Bluffs students in Pottawattamie County are Iowa residents — fully eligible.