The new half-year Students First ESA application period closes Nov. 15. Approved students must attend an accredited Iowa private school and complete tuition payments by Jan. 14.
Iowa opened applications Thursday, Oct. 15, for a new $4,074 education savings account available to eligible students attending accredited private schools during the spring 2027 semester.
The half-year application period for Iowa’s Students First Education Savings Account (ESA) program opened at 8 a.m. and closes at 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 15, 2026. Applications are available in English and Spanish.
The $4,074 award is intended for the second half of the 2026-27 school year. It is separate from the $8,148 full-year ESA offered through an application period that closed in June. Students who already received a full-year ESA for 2026-27 cannot receive an additional half-year award.
There is no household income limit. Eligibility depends on Iowa residency, school attendance, application approval and completion of tuition and fee payments by the state deadline.
Iowa students in grades K-12 may qualify regardless of family income
The Students First ESA program is available to Iowa residents in kindergarten through 12th grade who enroll full time at an accredited nonpublic school located in Iowa. Students must attend at least 75% of a full-time school schedule.
Students attending public schools are not eligible for ESA funding for those schools. Homeschool students may qualify if they enroll full time at an accredited nonpublic school in Iowa. Preschool tuition is not covered.
Families whose full-year ESA application was denied or left incomplete may apply during the new half-year window, provided they meet the program’s eligibility requirements.
The new application period does not create a second award for students who already received full-year ESA funding. A full-year participant’s spring allocation is part of the original $8,148 award, not an additional benefit.
School admission and ESA approval are separate processes. Selecting a school in the ESA portal does not automatically enroll a child or guarantee admission. Iowa’s 2026-27 nonpublic school directory provides a starting point for identifying schools, while accreditation and admission arrangements must be confirmed.
Applications close Nov. 15 and require government-issued identification
Parents or guardians submit applications through the Students First ESA application portal, administered by Odyssey.
First-time applicants create an account using their name, email address and a password, then begin the application. Returning users who did not submit a full-year application for 2026-27 may use their existing account. Those who submitted a full-year application must create a new portal account to apply for the half-year program.
Only one application is required per family, and multiple eligible children may be included.
The application requests parent or guardian contact information, residential address and identification information, along with each student’s legal name, date of birth and address. For married applicants, both spouses’ Social Security numbers or Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs) are required.
Beginning with this fall’s application period, families must also upload valid government-issued identification. Iowa uses information from the parent’s or guardian’s 2025 state tax return to help verify residency, not to determine income eligibility.
Applicants who cannot be verified through the automatic process may need additional documents, such as an Iowa driver’s license or other proof of residence. Families that did not file a 2025 Iowa state tax return may still apply but must provide the documentation required to establish residency.
The $4,074 becomes available Dec. 1 or after approval
Half-year ESA funds become available beginning Dec. 1, 2026, or 30 days after an application is verified and approved, whichever is later.
The money is deposited into a restricted education savings account, not paid directly to families as cash. Tuition and school fees must be paid first through the ESA portal.
After those charges are covered, any remaining funds may be used for eligible education expenses through the Odyssey Marketplace. Iowa’s eligible and ineligible expenses list includes certain textbooks, educational software, technology and qualifying educational services, sometimes subject to additional verification.
Backpacks, uniforms, personal notebooks, pens, pencils, transportation and before- or after-school child care are not eligible purchases under the state’s published expense rules. Purchases made outside the Odyssey Marketplace are not reimbursed.
Enrollment and tuition payments must be completed by Jan. 14, 2027
Approval alone is not enough to receive and retain the half-year award. By 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 14, 2027, the student must be attending an accredited nonpublic school in Iowa, and tuition and fees must be paid through the ESA portal.
Half-year participants who do not complete those requirements will be determined ineligible for the 2026-27 school year. The state will finalize those determinations on Jan. 15.
The Jan. 14 payment deadline also applies to spring tuition and fees for full-year participants, although the state specifies that missing the spring payment deadline does not affect their underlying program eligibility.
Application and portal assistance is available at 515-368-9564. General Students First ESA program questions may be directed to 515-954-5652.
The half-year application window closes Nov. 15, 2026, at 11:59 p.m.
Related: Iowa ESA deadline is Sept. 30: approved families have days left to keep $8,148
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