The fall enrollment and payment deadline has passed for full-year ESA participants. A separate $4,074 half-year application period runs through Nov. 15, while spring tuition payments are due Jan. 14.
By Hola Iowa
Updated Oct. 15, 2026.
DES MOINES, Iowa — The Sept. 30 deadline has passed for Iowa families with an approved full-year Students First Education Savings Account (ESA). Students were required to attend an accredited Iowa nonpublic school and complete their fall tuition and fee payments through the ESA portal to retain their $8,148 in education funding for 2026-27.
Iowa finalized full-year eligibility beginning Oct. 1. Students who did not meet both requirements by Sept. 30 became ineligible to receive and retain their full-year ESA funds for the current school year.
The full-year application period closed June 30. However, Iowa opened a separate half-year application period on Oct. 15 for eligible students seeking $4,074 in funding for the spring 2027 semester. Those applications close Nov. 15.
The new half-year application period does not provide an additional award to students who already received a full-year ESA.
The 2026-27 Iowa ESA provides $8,148 per full-year participant
Each eligible full-year participant can receive $8,148 for the 2026-27 school year through Iowa’s Students First ESA program.
Families do not receive the money as cash. Instead, the program places the funds in an education savings account. Families use the ESA portal to pay tuition, required school fees and other eligible education expenses.
The program provides half of the annual funding for the fall semester. Beginning Dec. 1, eligible full-year participants receive access to the remaining half for spring.
Families must pay tuition and required school fees first. After those expenses, active participants can use any remaining balance for eligible purchases available through the program marketplace.
Full-year participants had to complete two requirements by Sept. 30
An approved application alone did not guarantee ESA eligibility for the entire school year.
By Sept. 30, each approved full-year participant had to be attending an accredited nonpublic school in Iowa. Students were also required to enroll full time and attend at least 75% of a full-time school schedule.
In addition, a parent or guardian had to complete the fall tuition and fee payment through the ESA portal before the deadline.
School enrollment was a separate process. Selecting a school in the ESA portal did not automatically enroll a student at that school or guarantee admission.
Missing the Sept. 30 deadline ended full-year ESA eligibility
Iowa began finalizing full-year eligibility on Oct. 1.
Students who were not attending an accredited Iowa nonpublic school by Sept. 30, or whose families did not complete the required fall tuition and fee payment through the ESA portal, became ineligible to receive and retain full-year ESA funds for 2026-27.
The deadline applied to students who had already received approval for a full-year ESA. Iowa accepted those applications from April 16 through June 30, 2026.
Families must submit a new ESA application each school year, including those whose children participated in previous years.
The state now offers a separate half-year application opportunity for students who meet its eligibility requirements. Families who were not approved for a full-year ESA may submit a half-year application by Nov. 15. Approval is not automatic, and students must satisfy the separate enrollment and payment requirements.
Related: Iowa opens $4,074 school funding applications Oct. 15: Who qualifies and how to apply
Related: Iowa is now paying for more than 27,000 students to attend private schools. Here’s why
Spring ESA funds become available Dec. 1, with payments due Jan. 14
Students who retained full-year eligibility after the fall deadline will receive access to the spring portion of their ESA funding beginning Dec. 1, 2026.
The spring tuition and fee payment deadline is Jan. 14, 2027, at 11:59 p.m. Parents or guardians must complete those payments through the ESA portal.
For full-year participants, the Iowa Department of Education specifies that missing the spring payment deadline does not affect their overall program eligibility.
The consequences are different for students participating in the new half-year ESA program. Those students must be attending an accredited Iowa nonpublic school and complete their tuition and fee payments through the portal by Jan. 14 to receive and retain their $4,074 half-year award. Failure to meet those requirements makes them ineligible for the half-year ESA.
Half-year eligibility determinations will be finalized Jan. 15, 2027.
Unused ESA funds may remain in a student’s account for a future year if the student continues participating in the program. Families cannot transfer the balance to another child’s ESA.
The $4,074 half-year ESA application closes Nov. 15
The half-year Students First ESA application period opened Oct. 15, 2026, for eligible Iowa students attending accredited nonpublic schools during the spring 2027 semester.
There is no household income limit. Families who were not approved for a full-year ESA may submit a new half-year application through the Students First ESA application portal.
The half-year award is $4,074 per eligible student. It is not an additional payment for students who already received the $8,148 full-year award.
The Iowa Department of Education’s Students First ESA program provides current eligibility requirements, deadlines and application information.
For questions about an ESA application or the portal, families can call 515-368-9564. For general program questions, the contact number is 515-954-5652.
The half-year application window closes Nov. 15, 2026, at 11:59 p.m.
Correction, Oct. 15, 2026: An earlier version of this article stated that ESA applications would not reopen for the 2026-27 school year and listed Feb. 1, 2027, as the next tuition payment deadline. Iowa opened a separate half-year application period on Oct. 15, and the spring tuition and fee payment deadline is Jan. 14, 2027. The Sept. 30 deadline for full-year participants remains unchanged.
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