CHAPTER 12
IOWA TUITION GRANT PROGRAM
[Prior to 8/10/88, see College Aid Commission, 245—Ch 4]
283—12.1(261) Tuition grant based on financial need to Iowa residents enrolled at eligible private institutions of postsecondary education in Iowa.
	12.1(1) Financial need. The need of an applicant for financial assistance under this program shall be evaluated annually on the basis of a confidential statement of family finances filed on a form designated by the commission. For the purposes of determining financial need, the commission has adopted the use of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), a federal form used to calculate a formula developed by the U.S. Department of Education, the results of which are used to determine relative need. The FAFSA must be received by the processing agent by the date specified in the application instructions.
	12.1(2) Tuition and mandatory fees. Tuition and mandatory fees shall be defined as those college costs paid annually by all students enrolled on a full-time basis as reported annually to the commission by each participating college or university. Each college or university also will provide annually its rates for part-time tuition and fees to the commission.
	12.1(3) Student eligibility. A recipient must be an Iowa resident enrolled for at least three semester hours, or the trimester or quarter equivalent, in a program leading to a degree from an eligible Iowa college or university. “Iowa resident” means an individual who meets the residency requirements established in 283—Chapter 10.
Iowa tuition grants are provided during the traditional nine-month academic year generally defined as September through May. Students may receive no more than eight semesters of full-time Iowa tuition grants or 16 part-time semesters.
A recipient may receive this grant for summer enrollment if the recipient is enrolled in a commission-approved accelerated program that integrates summer attendance. The purpose of restricting summer Iowa tuition grants is to ensure that students who take classes during the summer do not exhaust Iowa tuition grant eligibility prior to completing four-year degree programs.
	12.1(4) Priority for grants. Applicants are ranked in order of the estimated amount which the family reasonably can be expected to contribute toward college expenses, and awards are granted to those who demonstrate need in order of family contribution, from lowest to highest, insofar as funds permit.
	12.1(5) Award notification. A grant recipient is notified of the award by the college or university to which application is made. Each award notification must clearly indicate award amounts, the state programs from which funding will be received, and that funding is contingent upon the availability of state funds. Any award notification provided by a college or university on probation with the accrediting agency must be made contingent upon the college’s or university’s maintaining affiliation with the accrediting agency. The college or university is responsible for completing necessary verification and for coordinating other aid to ensure compliance with student eligibility requirements and allowable award amounts. The college or university reports changes in student eligibility to the commission.
	12.1(6) Award transfers and adjustments. Recipients are responsible for promptly notifying the appropriate college or university of any change in enrollment or financial situation. The college or university will make necessary changes and notify the commission.
	12.1(7) Restrictions. A student who is in default on a Stafford Loan, SLS Loan, or a Perkins/National Direct/National Defense Student Loan or who owes a repayment on any Title IV grant assistance or state award shall be ineligible for assistance under the Iowa tuition grant program. Eligibility for state aid may be reinstated upon payment in full of the delinquent obligation or by commission ruling on the basis of adequate extenuating evidence presented in an appeal under the procedures set forth in 283—Chapters 4 and 5. Credits that a student receives through “life experience credit” and “credit by examination” are not eligible for tuition grant funding.
[ARC 2205C, IAB 10/28/15, effective 12/2/15]
283—12.2(261) Tuition grant institutional eligibility requirements.
	12.2(1) Institutional eligibility under Iowa Code section 261.9. An Iowa college or university requesting participation in the Iowa tuition grant program must apply to the college student aid commission using the commission’s designated application.
A college or university participating in the Iowa tuition grant program (Iowa Code section 261.9, et seq.) must:
	a. 	Be accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA); and
	b. 	Be exempt from taxation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or, if not exempt under Section 501(c)(3), the college or university must have been an eligible participant during the 2003-04 academic year; and
	c. 	Annually provide matching aggregate institutional financial aid to Iowa tuition grant recipients equal to a required percentage of the amount received by its students under the Iowa tuition grant program. (Specialized colleges offering health professional programs affiliated with health care systems located in Iowa are exempt from this requirement.); and
	d. 	Be located in Iowa. “Located in Iowa” means a college or university accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, that has made a substantial investment in a permanent Iowa campus and staff, and that offers a full range of courses leading to the degrees offered by the institution as well as a full range of student services.
	12.2(2) Processing college and university applications. Application forms will be provided by the commission.
Applicant colleges and universities are required to provide the commission with documentation establishing eligibility as described in 12.2(1).
Colleges and universities seeking to participate in the Iowa tuition grant program must submit applications by January 1 of the year prior to the beginning of the academic year for which they are applying for participation.
Applicant colleges and universities must submit written plans outlining academic programs that integrate summer attendance in accelerated programs prior to making summer awards. If the summer program is approved by the commission, an applicant’s students may receive Iowa tuition grants beginning in the summer following approval. Academic programs, defined by colleges or universities, which allow students to complete four-year baccalaureate programs in less than the normal prescribed time period while taking the same courses as students completing the same degree during a traditional four-year time period will be approved. A summer academic program may be defined for a group of students or may be a self-directed program in which a student has received approval from appropriate officials of the college or university.
	12.2(3) Notice of change of status. Any college or university which loses NCA accreditation or 501(c)(3) status or fails to make the institutional match must immediately notify the commission. Failure to comply with this notice of change requirement may result in the college or university being required to return Iowa tuition grant funds to the commission.
	12.2(4) Review of eligibility.
	a. 	The commission shall periodically, at least every three years, investigate and review compliance of institutions participating in the tuition grant program with criteria described in Iowa Code section 261.9 and this rule.
	b. 	If the commission finds that a college or university fails to comply with the provisions of Iowa Code section 261.9 and this rule, participation in the tuition grant program shall be suspended.
	12.2(5) Reporting requirements. Every college or university participating in the Iowa tuition grant program shall submit an annual report which includes student and faculty information, enrollment and employment information, the amount of institutional matching financial aid dollars, and other information required by the commission as described in Iowa Code sections 261.9 through 261.16.
These rules are intended to implement Iowa Code chapter 261.
[Filed 1/28/71; amended 6/29/72, 10/15/73, 6/28/74]
[Filed 1/7/77, Notice 10/20/76—published 1/26/77, effective 3/2/77]
[Filed 2/16/79, Notice 11/1/78—published 3/7/79, effective 4/11/79]
[Filed 3/9/82, Notice 1/6/82—published 3/31/82, effective 5/5/82]
[Filed 7/15/83, Notice 4/27/83—published 8/3/83, effective 9/7/83]
[Filed emergency 8/26/83—published 9/14/83, effective 8/26/83]
[Filed 12/16/83, Notice 9/14/83—published 1/4/84, effective 2/8/84]
[Filed 8/22/86, Notice 6/4/86—published 9/10/86, effective 10/15/86]
[Filed 1/15/87, Notice 12/3/86—published 2/11/87, effective 3/18/87]
[Filed 7/22/88, Notice 3/9/88—published 8/10/88, effective 9/14/88]
[Filed 1/13/89, Notice 11/2/88—published 2/8/89, effective 3/15/89]
[Filed 6/19/91, Notice 5/1/91—published 7/10/91, effective 8/14/91]
[Filed 9/13/91, Notice 7/24/91—published 10/2/91, effective 11/6/91]
[Filed 9/25/92, Notice 8/5/92—published 10/14/92, effective 11/18/92]
[Filed 1/20/95, Notice 12/7/94—published 2/15/95, effective 3/22/95]
[Filed 11/30/95, Notice 10/25/95—published 12/20/95, effective 1/26/96]
[Filed 8/8/96, Notice 6/19/96—published 8/28/96, effective 10/2/96]
[Filed 10/1/99, Notice 8/11/99—published 10/20/99, effective 11/24/99]
[Filed 11/21/02, Notice 9/18/02—published 12/11/02, effective 1/15/03]
[Filed 4/11/03, Notice 2/19/03—published 4/30/03, effective 6/4/03]
[Filed 9/24/04, Notice 6/23/04—published 10/13/04, effective 11/17/04]
[Filed ARC 2205C (Notice ARC 2037C, IAB 6/24/15), IAB 10/28/15, effective 12/2/15]