Daily Iowan Scholarship Opportunities

The Daily Iowan has awarded more than $1.2 million in scholarships since 1987. The program was started to help bring outstanding high school journalists to the University of Iowa and to work in the DI newsroom.

Steve Batterson Memorial Scholarship

Steve Batterson was a dedicated supporter, strong advocate and loyal alumnus of The Daily Iowan. He proudly served on the Student Publications, Inc., Board of Trustees for 19 years, from 2004 to 2023. Steve was sports editor and reporter for the DI from 1980-85 and then enjoyed a prolific 38-year professional career at the Quad-City Times. He died in 2023 following a sudden illness. The scholarship is awarded annually to a DI sports journalist.

Bill Mertens Memorial Daily Iowan Scholarship

Bill Mertens, a former DI staffer and long-time SPI Board member, was editor and publisher of The (Burlington) Hawk Eye from 1984 to 2004. He died in 2004 and left a legacy of journalistic achievement over three decades. The DI continues to honor Bill through this scholarship, which has jumpstarted the careers of many exceptional student journalists.

Daily Iowan Newsroom Diversity Scholarship

The Daily Iowan is committed to increasing the diversity of our newsroom. We believe it is critical to fill our newsroom with people from a broad range of backgrounds and perspectives, and this scholarship is part of our ongoing efforts to recruit and retain people from underrepresented communities.

Both scholarships are for $2,000 per academic year with the potential to earn a scholarship renewal on a semester-by-semester basis, provided satisfactory progress has been made in the newsroom and with academic work.

Information and application process
2025 scholarship information
Why work for The Daily Iowan?

Scholarship application portal
Click here to apply

Deadline: January 31, 2025

For more information, contact Publisher Jason Brummond at [email protected].