Hixson Opportunity Awards

• Mission Statement: The Hixson Opportunity Awards Program provides holistic support, community building, leadership development, and mentorship to empower Scholars to do extraordinary things.
• Vision Statement: The Hixson Opportunity Awards Program will provide unmatched learning opportunities that inspire students to overcome barriers in their pursuit of higher education and graduate leaders who give back to their communities. The Program will be a national leader among scholarship programs serving first-generation and low-income students.

These awards are designed to demonstrate Iowa State University's commitment to the student potential that exists in various ways beyond the measures of class rank or standardized test scores.

This scholarship is currently available to high school seniors graduating in 2023 who will be entering as a first-year student at Iowa State University in Fall 2023. This program will provide 100 undergraduates with half-tuition scholarships (estimated value of more than $18,000 over eight semesters). Selection is based on the student's county, eligibility and potential as demonstrated through the application, letter of recommendation, and financial need analysis. Students may major in any curriculum and must maintain a 2.00 cumulative grade point average for renewal. Recipients will be notified by May 1st.

Hixson Opportunity Awards grants one award per county. The county corresponds to the student's residence at the time of high school completion, which may be different from the county in which the high school is located. If a county has no suitable applicants, an award will not be made for that county.