Iowa State University
PA-7: Affordability and Access

The TRiO programs at Iowa State University include four outreach and support programs targeted to help disadvantaged students progress from middle school to post-baccalaureate programs. Programs offered at Iowa State include Educational Talent Search, Upward Bound, Student Support Services, and Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement.

Iowa State University programs equip the University's faculty and staff to better serve students from low income backgrounds. These programs actively engage faculty and staff and, in many cases, Iowa State University students in a variety of ways from traditional classroom settings to informal learning environments such as workshops, research opportunities, career exploration/job shadowing, mentoring, tutoring, advising (academic, career, financial, etc.), community services, participation on committees, recruitment, and more. The following programs are all involved in this effort: Educational Talent Search Upward Bound Student Support Services Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Project SEED

The Hixson Opportunity Awards are scholarships available to incoming freshman with financial need. All recipients take The Hixson Seminar (University Studies 101), which provides an introduction to life and resources at Iowa State University and an orientation to the functions of the Hixson Program. The seminar helps Hixson Scholars adjust to college life, develop better self-understanding, and gain more knowledge about their learning processes. The course provides a support system for examining difficulties associated with the first-year college experience in an atmosphere that is less formal than traditional college courses.

Iowa State University offers several scholarships to low-income students, including the Roy J. Carver Scholarship Program. Twenty awards are available to applicants with great potential and promise who have to work hard to make ends meet, or who are faced with significant social and economic obstacles in their lives. Selection is based on academic merit, potential in field of study, financial need, and the consideration of extenuating circumstances that present challenges to obtaining a degree (http://www.financialaid.iastate.edu/scholarships/view.php?id=181). In addition, the Office of Student Financial Aid offers the ISU Grant, which is available to students with a demonstrated financial need. (http://www.financialaid.iastate.edu/grants/isu.php) Finally, students can also apply for a Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership (LEAP) Grant. These awards target students with a substantial financial need (http://www.financialaid.iastate.edu/grants/leap.php).

Upward Bound: • Upward Bound serves high school students from low-income families and high school students from families in which neither parent holds a bachelors degree. The goal of Upward Bound is to increase the rates at which participants enroll in and graduate from institutions of post-secondary education. • Upward Bound is a college preparatory program for first generation and/or income eligible high school students. It is designed to prepare youth for education beyond high school by providing appropriate academic, cultural, and social programs that develop the skills, attitudes, and motivation necessary for post-secondary education. Educational Talent Search: • Iowa State University TRIO Educational Talent Search (ETS) is a college preparatory program funded by the US Department of Education. The goal of ETS is to increase the likelihood that participants graduate from high school and enroll in college. This goal is accomplished by providing participants with academic, financial aid and personal counseling through monthly school visits. • ETS serves 1000 students in grades 6-12 in 5 central Iowa school districts. Two-thirds of students served by ETS must qualify as first-generation college-bound (meaning neither parent has received a Bachelor's degree) and by income guidelines established by US ED. ETS Advisers work with school counselors and teachers to identify qualified youth who have the potential for college success.

The Iowa State University Office of Student Financial Aid incorporates into its ISU Financial Aid Code of Conduct the following principles and standards: Support efforts to encourage students, as early as the elementary grades, to aspire to and plan for education beyond high school. Educate students and families through quality consumer information. Respect the dignity and protect the privacy of students, and ensure the confidentiality of student records and personal circumstances. Ensure equity by applying all need analysis formulas consistently across the institution's full population of student financial aid applicants. Provide services that do not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, disability, age, or economic status.

Iowa State awards thousands of scholarships each year for incoming students. Part-time students do have the opportunity to apply for the majority of these scholarship opportunities.

The office of ISU Child Care & Family Resources supports all families on the Iowa State University campus and in the surrounding community. We offer collaborative services, programs, and resources to assist in enhancing the family unit of students, faculty, staff, and community members.

Non-traditional students who don't meet regular freshmen admission requirements are given individual consideration since the traditional measures of high school performance may not always be good predictors of success for these students.

Statistics are based on 2014-2015 year, the most accurate and complete data available at time of submission.