High school seniors can earn $2,000 for college through Iowa Student Loan program

A program offering $2,000 scholarships is now open to Iowa high school seniors. Students not only have a chance at much-needed funds for college but can also learn ways to reduce college loan debt through the program.

Iowa high school seniors may register for the Iowa Financial Know-How Challenge: Senior Scholarship at www.IowaStudentLoan.org/Know-How between now and March 11. Once registered, students will receive instructions via email on completing two online modules and a related assessment.

Scholarships will be awarded to the students who score highest on the assessment or are determined through a tie-breaker. The two modules, Student Loan Game Plan and the Return on College Investment tool, are designed to help students and families determine maximum recommended levels of student loan debt and find ways to minimize the debt they need to repay.

One of last year’s scholarship participants, Keagen Head of Durant, found the modules to be helpful as he prepared for college in early 2021. “I really like your website! I think it’s great that you provide this useful information for free to students everywhere,” he said.

Registered participants also receive emailed tips about planning and paying for college, as well as more general financial literacy tips, throughout the registration period. Once registered, students have until 4 p.m. (Central time) March 11 to complete the required steps, which should take around an hour in total, organizers say. Awards will be sent directly to the recipients’ colleges and universities in fall 2022 to be applied to college expenses.

“This scholarship is our opportunity to reach students like Keagen,” said Christine Hensley, board chair for Iowa Student Loan Liquidity Corporation, which sponsors the scholarship and provides education lending under the name ISL (Iowa Student Loan) Education Lending. “We are pleased to be able to award a scholarship to 25 recipients, but even more, we are excited to see thousands of Iowa high school students experience and learn from our resources each year.”

ISL is a nonprofit organization that provides the online resources and scholarship programs as part of its mission. “We are here to serve the families of Iowa as they prepare to make a significant investment in education,” said Steve McCullough, president and CEO. “We do this through programs like this scholarship and our free online resources for students and parents, as well as lower-cost private education loans.”

The two modules used to qualify for the scholarship are always available to the public at www.IowaStudentLoan.org. In addition, families can visit the website for additional resources and to sign up for other services, like the parent email service Student Planning Pointers for Parents.

The Iowa Financial Know-How Challenge: Senior Scholarship is open to legal U.S. residents who are seniors at an Iowa high school during the 2021–2022 academic year and plan to attend college in fall 2022. No purchase is required to enter. Full rules and details are available at www.IowaStudentLoan.org/Know-How.