ISSO: Graduate Global Scholars Award for Retention

Global Scholars Award
This funding source is designed to assist international undergraduate students with temporary financial support for education-related expenses (Ubill) due to unforeseen financial hardship they have incurred.

Eligibility Requirements:

  • Applicants must be assessed international tuition rate. Students with a graduate assistantship are NOT eligible for this scholarship and should not apply.
  • Applicants must have been continuously enrolled full-time at Iowa State University for the preceding two semesters (at the time of submitting their application) at their current education level (undergraduate or graduate).
  • Applicant must be enrolled at Iowa State University in the semester of receiving the award. If the student has a hold preventing registration that is caused by an outstanding Ubill balance, then the award can be received if it will allow the hold to be lifted.
  • Applicant must have at minimum 2.5 GPA (undergraduate) or 3.0 GPA (graduate) at time of applying and maintain this minimum GPA requirement through the semester(s) of receiving the award.
  • Applicant must be working in an on-campus employment job or submit a compelling explanation why they are not able to work an on-campus job.
  • Preference given to students closest to degree completion.
  • This award is renewable for up to one additional semester based on continued enrollment and eligibility (two semesters total). Strong preference is given to students who have not received the Global Scholars Award previously.

Application Requirements:

  • Adequate financial documentation is required to gain admission to Iowa State University and have an immigration document issued. Applicants must:
  • Explain, in detail, what their initial plan was for funding their education, including what/whose financial documentation did they provide for their Form I-20/DS-2019.
  • Explain the unexpected change in funding source or significant financial hardship that occurred after starting their academic program.
  • Have a well-articulated plan for how they will pay for future educational and living expenses after receiving this temporary award, ultimately leading to successful degree completion at Iowa State University.

Application Deadline and Timeline for Awarding:

  • Application open through March 25, 2026. Applicants may only apply once for this award.
  • 1st Review: A first review of applications will occur for those submitted by November 1. Awardees notified by the end of the Fall 2025 semester.
  • 2nd Review: A final review of applications will occur after the application deadline March 25. Awardees will be notified by the end of the Spring 2026 semester.

Award Amount: Varies

Budget Worksheet
For this application, you will be required to download and complete the ISSO Global Scholars Award: Budget Worksheet. This can be downloaded from this Cybox link. If you have any questions about completing this document, please email issoscholarships@iastate.edu before the application due date.

Award
Varies
Deadline
03/25/2026
Supplemental Questions
  1. Only students enrolled for two consecutive semesters (including the current semester) at Iowa State at their current education level (undergraduate or graduate) are eligible to apply for this award. Have you been enrolled at Iowa State University for at least two consecutive semesters as a graduate or professional student?
  2. What is your current immigration status?
  3. Only students assessed the international tuition rate are eligible for this award. Are you assessed the international tuition rate?
  4. Graduate assistants are NOT eligible to receive this award, and should not apply. Do you have a graduate assistantship appointment that provides a partial or full tuition scholarship for Fall 2025?
  5. Do you have a graduate assistantship appointment that provides a tuition scholarship for Spring 2026?
  6. In what semester do you expect to finish your academic program?
  7. Employment Information

    Are you employed on-campus? List any current on-campus student employment at Iowa State University and the average number of hours per week you work during this semester (this information will be verified).
    If you do not work on-campus, provide a compelling reason why you are not able to work on-campus to help support your studies and living expenses in the United States.
  8. List any authorized off-campus employment (e.g., CPT) you have been authorized for in the past one year. Include dates of authorization and hours per week worked.
  9. Funding Plan and Change in Finances

    F-1 Students: Upload a copy of your most recently issued Form I-20 (F-1 students) or Form DS-2019 (J-1 students). (For students not in an F-1 or J-1 visa status, attach a personal letter indicating how you intended to pay for your education at the time of admission.)
  10. When initially admitted to Iowa State University, what was your financial plan for covering expected tuition, fees, and living expenses? Please include details of personal funds, sponsor funding (family members or otherwise), scholarships, and/or loans. Reference the funding source listed on your Form I-20 or other financial documentation that you have just uploaded in the previous question.
  11. Have any unforeseen, significant expenses occurred in your personal life which have impacted your financial plan and ability to pay your university fees? If yes, please provide detail on the necessary, unforeseen expenses, the date it occurred, and the financial impact it had on your ability to continue your program at ISU. (There is an optional file upload field at the bottom of this application to provide any supporting documentation, if available.)
  12. Budget Worksheet

    Upload the ISSO Global Scholars Award: Budget Worksheet (see link in application instructions)
  13. From the Budget Worksheet, what were your TOTAL EXPENSES from the past academic year (bottom of first column of worksheet)
  14. From the Budget Worksheet, what was your TOTAL FUNDING from the past academic year (total funding from second column of worksheet)
  15. From the Budget Worksheet, what was the DIFFERENCE (TOTAL EXPENSES minus TOTAL FUNDING)
  16. Upload a copy of your current Ubill statement (Workday > Financials Hub > Statements and Documents > View Statement))
  17. Plan for Completion

    An ISSO scholarship is a temporary award and may not be able to provide for the full amount of your financial need. Please discuss how you plan to continually support yourself financially through the completion of your program at ISU. Please provide specifics regarding your future funding plan.
  18. (OPTIONAL) If you have any supplemental documentation regarding loss of funding source or unforeseen significant expenses that would be useful to the review committee, please upload as one combined PDF.
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