Editor’s note: The University of Iowa discontinued the Legacy Scholarship in 2016 and it is no longer among the scholarships offered to incoming students. For a list of current scholarships offered to incoming students, see the Office of Admissions scholarships page

Students whose parents or grandparents graduated from the University of Iowa will be eligible for up to $12,000 in new scholarships starting in 2015.

These and other new investments in scholarships are key elements in the university’s plan to attract more high-achieving students and boost enrollment across the board.

“These new scholarships honor both Hawkeye families and some of our most promising students,” says UI President Sally Mason. “They also support our promise to keep a University of Iowa education affordable.”

The Iowa Heritage Award will be available to all incoming first-year and transfer students with a parent, stepparent, legal guardian, or grandparent who received an undergraduate, graduate, or professional degree from the UI. The award is worth $6,000, or $1,500 per year for up to four years.

In addition, the new President’s Heritage Award will go to as many as 20 students selected from a pool who meet the same legacy criteria and apply for the Presidential Scholarship, the university’s top scholarship for first-year students. The President’s Heritage Award is worth $6,000 or $1,500 per year for up to four years.

Jeff Kueter, president and CEO of the UI Alumni Association, echoes the message to alumni and families.

“Some of our most loyal alumni come from families where UI ties go back generations,” he says. “We want to do our part to help them keep the tradition alive.”

The legacy scholarships are part of an expanded scholarship package that includes more funding for top scholars.

“In addition to our new legacy scholarships, we’ve enhanced programs that recognize academic merit,” says P. Barry Butler, UI executive vice president and provost. “Increasing our scholarship awards will make a UI education more accessible to more students.”

Additional changes for 2015 include:

Increasing Old Gold Scholarship awards to $5,000 per year: Renewable for up to four years, the Old Gold Scholarship (previously $3,000 per year) is awarded automatically upon admission to students with at least a 30 ACT and 3.8 grade-point average (GPA).

Increasing Iowa Scholars Awards: Also awarded automatically and renewable for four years, Iowa Scholars Awards provide $3,500 (formerly $2,000) per year to Iowa residents with at least a 27 ACT and 3.8 GPA (or a 30 ACT and 3.7 GPA) and $2,000 (formerly $1,000) per year to Iowa residents with a 25 ACT and 3.2 GPA

Introducing the Iowa Boost Award: This new program provides $1,000 per year to Iowa residents who receive Federal Pell Grants and are enrolled full time.

Introducing the Iowa Abroad Scholarship: Developed by UI International Programs, this new initiative awards $1,000 to Iowa residents who enroll in an approved study abroad program.

With these changes, an Iowa resident with a 30 ACT/3.8 GPA who’s eligible for the new legacy scholarships could receive $11,500 per year, up from $5,000 today. Iowa residents who present comparable academic records, but are the first in their families to attend the UI, would receive $8,500 per year.

A nonresident legacy with similar academic records could receive $12,910 per year, factoring in the UI National Scholars Award available to all first-year nonresidents with a 26 ACT and 3.60 GPA. Comparable nonresidents who aren’t legacies could receive $9,910 per year.

Many students—particularly those with strong academic records—also receive privately funded scholarships or scholarships awarded through the colleges of Engineering, Business, or Liberal Arts and Sciences.

In 2013, the university also introduced the Summer Hawk Tuition Grant for all new first-year students, covering tuition for up to 12 hours of summer credit for residents ($3,339 value) or the difference between resident and nonresident tuition for students from other states ($9,665 value).

Find more information about scholarships on the UI admissions website.