Advantage Iowa Awards are awarded to first-year students who are U.S. citizens or permanenet residents whose enrollment will contribute to a diverse learning environment. This page details those services available to Advantage Iowa scholars that are in addition to the financial award.

Details of the Advantage Iowa Award are available here.

Services from the Opportunity at Iowa Office

The Advantage Iowa scholars program is intended to support students beyond just financial assistance. Becoming an Advantage Iowa scholar brings a student into a campus community where they will find support from faculty, staff, and other students in navigating the challenges and opportunities of a University of Iowa college experience.

Community - Community is the center of the Avantage Iowa scholar experience, and the Opportunity at Iowa staff work to bring the Advantage Iowa scholars together for workshops, discussions, presentations, etc. on a regular basis.

Retention - The primary goal of this extended support for Advantage Iowa scholars is to help students navigate challenges so that they realize their academic potential and reach their educational and career goals.

Supplemental Instruction - Advantage Iowa scholars may undertake supplemental course work in key areas of the sciences.

Monthly Workshops - Each month during the academic year, a workshop is held for all Advantage Iowa scholars. The intent of these gatherings is both to share important information and to help keep connected the community of Advantage Iowa scholars.

Mentoring - OI Scholars are afforded the opportunity to be mentored by faculty, staff and older students, as well as the opportunity to become mentors themselves.

Special Opportunities - By becoming part of the Advantage Iowa scholars community, students are exposed to a wide range of experiences and opportunties not otherwise readily available to undergraduate students. As specific opportunties become available, OI Staff make sure that this information is passed on to those Advantage Iowa scholars whose interests fit the opportunity.

Other services available to Advantage Iowa scholars

In addition to the services provided by the OI office, Advantage Iowa scholars have available to them services from other areas and units on campus, including the following:

Support Services Programs - Support Service Programs promotes educational opportunities for underserved students from diverse backgrounds to increase their skills to achieve academic excellence at The University of Iowa

Writing and Reading Lab - The Writing and Reading Lab is part of the University Writing Center which provides assistance to any University of Iowa student with almost any stage of the writing process. Assistance with reading comprehension is also available.

Speaking Lab - The Speaking Lab offers individualized instruction to rhetoric students interested in improving their facility with public speaking.  Students enrolled in the Speaking Center are paired up with instructors for a one-half hour slot per week. 

Math Lab - The Mathematics Tutorial Laboratory is a resource offered by the department of mathematics to support students efforts by providing an environment where they may receive one-on-one help from a tutor who is ready to answer their questions.

Summer Research Opportunties Program - SROP gives undergraduate students first-hand exposure to the graduate school experience and faculty life by placing them with faculty whose work is closely related to their academic interests and career goals. Students work under faculty mentorship either on an individual basis or as part of a research team.

More Resources for Students - The University of Iowa offers many more resources for students, almost all of which are available to Advantage Iowa scholars.

If you have questions about these services, or if you are an Advantage Iowa or OI scholar and you need assistance not covered on this page, please contact us. We might be able to help, and we'd like to try.