1. An Iowa hope loan may be awarded to a resident of Iowa who is admitted and in attendance as a student in a single, twelve-month or less, vocational-technical or career option program in a community college in the state, who meets the eligibility requirements for a Pell grant, and who is working toward certification, a diploma, or a degree in a skilled occupation. In addition, an eligible applicant shall have obtained the bona fide intent of a company operating in Iowa to employ the applicant upon the applicant's attainment of a certificate, diploma, or degree, or shall be currently employed by a company operating in Iowa that has expressed a bona fide intent to advance the employee in employment upon the employee's attainment of a certificate, diploma, or degree.
2. A student who meets the qualifications of subsection 1 may receive an Iowa hope loan for not more than twelve months. A student shall not receive assistance for courses for which credit was previously received.
3. The amount of an Iowa hope loan shall not exceed the cost of tuition for the community college program in which the student is enrolled and attends. If a student receives financial aid under any other program, the full amount of that financial aid shall be considered part of the student's financial resources available in determining the amount of the Iowa hope loan.
4. Payments under the loan shall be allocated equally among the semesters or quarters of the year upon certification by the community college that the student is in attendance in a vocational-technical or career option program, as defined under rules of the department of education. If the student discontinues attendance before the end of any term after the community college receives payment from the loan, the entire amount of any refund due that student, up to the amount of any payments made to the community college from the loan, shall be paid by the community college to the state.
5. The commission shall administer this program and shall do all of the following:
a. Provide application forms for distribution to students by Iowa high schools and community colleges.
b. Adopt rules for determining financial need, requiring that no interest be charged for an Iowa hope loan, defining residence for the purposes of this section, processing and approving applications for grants, determining priority for loans, and establishing procedures for the repayment of the loan. The repayment schedule shall commence not less than six months after the loan recipient successfully completes the program and is awarded a certificate, a diploma, or a degree in a skilled occupation. The repayment schedule may be suspended if the loan recipient is a full-time student in an accredited postsecondary institution.
c. Approve and award loans on an annual basis. A student approved for a loan under the program shall enter into a payment agreement with the commission before receiving a loan under the program.
d. Make an annual report to the governor and general assembly.
6. Each applicant, in accordance with the rules established by the commission, shall do all of the following:
a. Complete and file an application for an Iowa hope loan.
b. Be responsible for the submission of the financial information provided for evaluation of the applicant's need for a loan, on forms provided by the commission.
c. Report promptly to the commission any necessary information requested by the commission.
7. An Iowa hope loan revolving fund is created in the state treasury as a separate fund under the control of the commission. All moneys deposited or paid into the fund are appropriated and made available to the college student aid commission to be used for loans as provided in this section. The commission shall deposit payments made by Iowa hope loan recipients into the Iowa hope loan fund. Notwithstanding section 8.33, any balance in the fund on June 30 of each fiscal year shall not revert to the general fund of the state, but shall be available for the purposes of this section in subsequent fiscal years.
8. Loans awarded under this section are subject to the limitations of any appropriations made by the general assembly and of the moneys in the revolving fund. The amount of a loan awarded to an eligible student shall not be less than five hundred dollars and shall not exceed one thousand dollars. However, if full tuition is less than five hundred dollars, the amount of the loan shall be for not more than an amount equal to the full tuition.
95 Acts, ch 197, §1
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