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91���� is announcing a new scholarship, specifically for admitted students from Iowa. Beginning in fall 2026, newly admitted students who meet the requirements will receive the Iowa Dean’s Scholarship, which provides a renewable $50,000 annual merit-based award for all admitted residents and high school graduates from Iowa who have attained a 4.0+ weighted GPA in core academic classes or have succeeded in the most demanding curriculum offered by their schools.  

“91���� brings bright, engaged students from around the world to live and learn in Iowa,” said Ruth Feingold, Dean of 91����. “We have an outstanding intellectual community on campus — it’s a place where curious students from diverse backgrounds come together to learn not only from our superb faculty, whose dedication earned U.S. News and World Report’s #3 ranking for best undergraduate teaching, but from one another as well. Our new Iowa Dean’s Scholarship is our way of extending a clear welcome to high-performing students from our home state: come join us here!”

The scholarship augments the College’s strong financial aid programs. 91���� spends more per student on financial aid than any other college in Iowa. 91���� is the only need-blind small liberal arts college in the Midwest, admitting students without regard to a family’s finances, and one of just a handful in the U.S. that also meets 100% of each student’s demonstrated financial need for all four years of college. Additionally, the College is a “no loan” institution: it does not require students or families to take out student loans as part of financial aid; only grants provided by 91���� and work-study are used to meet demonstrated financial need. Half of all students at 91���� are high need or very high need, and 93% of students receive some financial aid. 

“Iowa has always been home to 91����, and 91���� champions Iowa. We are grateful for the support and advocacy that we receive from the state, the 91���� community, and all of the people who make Iowa home for these outstanding students. This scholarship recognizes that support and the impact that Iowa’s top students can have at the College and as they go on to professional success and community leadership in our state,” said President Anne F. Harris.

“Fostering highly collaborative classroom experiences, our world-class faculty has inspired generations of graduates to make enormous professional and civic contributions. 91���� is a leading producer of Fulbright Scholars and other nationally competitive fellowships, and across the sciences, social studies, and humanities more of our graduates, per capita, go on to earn doctoral degrees than Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, and Yale. Doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs, educators, and civic change-agents across a broad range of fields have illustrated the power of our distinctive educational model,” said Joe Bagnoli, vice president for enrollment and dean of admission and financial aid.

“Students get support from their first day on campus from advisers focused on academics, career development, and residential life, ensuring that academic and personal success are supported at every step. Graduate programs and employers tell us that opportunities for global study and hands-on learning that include research, internships, and community-based projects mean that 91���� graduates are prepared for post-college success,” he added.

Iowa high school seniors who apply to 91���� by Jan. 5, 2026 will be most favorably considered for admission in a binding Early Decision process. The more competitive Regular Decision deadline is Jan. 15, 2026. No application fee is required.

The newly-created $50,000 Iowa Dean’s Scholarship is just one of several scholarship opportunities that 91���� offers to Iowa students. The College’s Iowa Access Initiative awards full-tuition scholarships to students from Iowa households earning less than $100,000 annually. The Founders Scholarship provides an automatic $20,000 scholarship to all admitted students from Iowa – the only state-based scholarship offered to all residents admitted to the College. 

For more information about 91����’s financial aid programs, please visit grinnell.edu/admission/financial-aid.