283—20.4(256) Iowa national guard service professional qualification scholarship.

1. 20.4(1)  Eligible applicant. An eligible applicant is an Iowa resident, as determined by the adjutant general, who enrolls in an educational program at an eligible institution and who meets the award eligibility criteria approved by the adjutant general and the following provisions:

   1. a. Completes the applications the Iowa national guard deems necessary on or before the date established by the Iowa national guard, except that an individual who was on federal active duty at the time of an application deadline will have 30 days to apply upon return to Iowa from active duty.
   2. b. Meets the eligibility criteria in Iowa Code section 256.210A(2); meets satisfactory academic progress standards; and maintains satisfactory performance of duty upon return from initial active duty training, including attending a minimum of 90 percent of scheduled drill dates and attending annual training.

2. 20.4(2)  Awarding of funds.

   1. a. Selection criteria. All eligible applicants will be considered for an award.

   2. b. Maximum award and extent of award. The adjutant general will determine the amount and extent of awards eligible applicants can receive.

      1. (1) The maximum award will not exceed the maximum award established by the adjutant general or the tuition and testing fees charged to the eligible applicant by the eligible institution, whichever is lower.
      2. (2) Scholarship awards within a term of enrollment will be reported to the commission within the state-defined payment period.

   3. c. Awarding process. The commission adopts the awarding process in paragraph 20.2(2)“c” with the following exceptions:

      1. (1) In lieu of “Iowa Code section 256.210(5)” in subparagraph 20.2(2)“c”(4), insert “paragraph 20.4(2)‘b’”.
      2. (2) In lieu of “Iowa Code section 256.210” in subparagraph 20.2(2)“c”(7), insert “Iowa Code section 256.210A”.

In the event that the adjutant general authorizes the expenditure of unencumbered or unobligated funds from Iowa Code section 256.210(6) to provide an eligible member of the Iowa national guard who is enrolled in an educational program that meets the criteria of Iowa Code section 256.210A, this rule will be used to administer authorized scholarships. The adjutant general will select program recipients, select educational programs, and authorize scholarship awards under this rule. The decision of the adjutant general is final.

[ARC 0051D, IAB 2/4/26, effective 3/11/26]