ISSO: Graduate Assistantship Supplement Award

ISSO: Graduate Assistantship Supplement Award
This funding source is designed to assist international graduate students with temporary financial support for education-related expenses (Ubill) due to:

  • Unexpected change in graduate assistantship level of support (e.g., now only receiving 1/4-time assistantship after previously receiving 1/2-time assistantship)
  • For applicants who did not receive an unexpected change in the support level of their assistantship but have less than 100% tuition scholarship provided by the assistantship appointment – then, an unexpected change in personal or sponsor funding source must be documented.

Eligibility Requirements:

  • Applicant must be a graduate students with assistantship receiving less than a 100% tuition scholarship.
  • Applicants must have been continuously enrolled full-time at Iowa State University for the preceding two semesters in their current graduate academic program.
  • 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.
  • Preference given to students closest to degree completion.

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 November 30, 2025.
  • Awardees will be notified by end of Fall 2025 semester.

Award Amount: Varies

Award
$0.00
Deadline
11/30/2025
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. 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.)
  4. 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.
  5. What total percentage of tuition scholarship did you receive from all graduate assistantship appointments in Fall 2025?
  6. Was the amount of tuition scholarship or stipend received a change from what you had previously received in the previous academic year?
  7. If you are receiving a lower scholarship or stipend amount this semester, please provide a detailed narrative about the circumstances that led to this change. What was the cause of the change? When were you notified of this change?

    OR

    If you are receiving the same or a higher tuition scholarship or stipend this semester than in past semesters, then please provide a detailed narrative about what 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.)
  8. 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.
  9. Upload a copy of your current Ubill statement (Workday > Financials Hub > Statements and Documents > View Statement))
  10. (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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