Student Support

While all of our funds impact students in very impactful ways, there are certain needs that arise each year that can have a profound impact on our students day-to-day experience. Your gift of any size to these areas can ensure that each student has an equitable and unique experience just like their peers.

Let's Talk Mental Health GA

Mental health needs are on the rise in colleges and universities across the United States. UNI is working to become a leader in the integrated and holistic mental health care for our students.  As a result, UNI is working to make the Let’s Talk program a permanent and successful fixture for students.

The Let's Talk program through the UNI Counseling Center started in August 2021. The program provides peer mental health support to students in various locations on campus. Students may anonymously stop by a Let's Talk station to talk with a peer who is a graduate assistant in training to become a mental health therapist. Students may talk about life problems, stressors, concerns and learn about resources available on campus for support and guidance.

By funding this project, the Counseling Center will be able to provide more support for students' mental health needs while providing relevant professional experience to the graduate assistant that can be applied toward their licensure as a professional practitioner.

Library Fund for Excellence

The Rod Library is more than a repository of books and periodicals at the University of Northern Iowa. It is an essential element of the campus learning community. The Library is both a gateway to historical and contemporary resources and a place where students, scholars and others come to imagine their future.

Our library provides a wealth of resources that support teaching, learning, and research across all departments. Thank you for your interest in supporting University of Northern Iowa Library! Your gift to the Library Fund for Excellence will strengthen the UNI Library by supporting programming, employee recognition, and other non collections needs.

Panther Completion Grant

What if $500 could be the difference between a student graduating from college or dropping out entirely?

That's the reality for some college students today. Each semester, students at UNI pay their university (u-bill) in order to register for next semester's classes. However, many students with unmet financial need struggle to cover the combination of tuition, fees, and life expenses - rent, transportation, and other financial responsibilities - and aren't able to pay their u-bill on time. This delayed tuition payment prevents students from registering for classes and persisting to graduation. Disproportionately, these students come from groups traditionally underserved in higher education, including low-income, first generation, and underrepresented minority students.

The Panther Completion Grant provides one-time tuition assistance that keep students facing these financial barriers on the path to graduation. UNI staff in the Office of Student Success & Retention and the Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships work closely to identify students in need of this assistance, providing them the modest support needed to persist and graduate. With your help, we can increase completion rates for all UNI students.

Panther Pantry

The pantry is a recognized student organization that is operated by students for students. Its operation is run out of the Office of Student Involvement in Maucker Union and is funded through donations.

High food security means that a person has no limitations gaining access to the food they need. Very low food security means there are multiple reasons why a person is unable to access the food they need, resulting in inconsistent eating patterns and reducing the amount of food they eat.

The purpose of the Panther Pantry is to ensure that UNI students are able to get their basic food and necessity needs met. We recognize that in order to succeed in the classroom, and here at UNI, students need to have access to food. You can make a gift to support the ongoing needs of the Panther Pantry and the many students they support.

Student Emergency Fund

Students at UNI engage in high-quality and high-impact learning experiences every day. Support and consistency might not stand out when looking back on your own education but when those pillars are disrupted, it can have a profound impact on a students ability to perform at their best. For those unplanned and unexpected situations, the Student Emergency Fund provides meaningful aid for UNI students. 

The Student Emergency Fund assists UNI students by providing limited emergency financial assistance to currently enrolled students who are unable to meet immediate, essential expenses due to an unexpected emergency. These situations include accidents, illness, death of a family member, fire damage, or the need for temporary housing. UNI students are not immune to these emergencies, in fact over the last three years 132 students have received over $61,000 in emergency funds. These crucial funds allow students to maintain the level of education and support they deserve and should expect from UNI.

The Student Emergency Fund is made possible by the UNI community. Gifts made today will ensure that every UNI student can have the same opportunity to succeed without the burdens of an unexpected financial hardship weighing them down. You can have a direct impact on UNI Students by making a gift to the Student Emergency Fund.

Students First Scholarship

The Students First Scholarship is an unrestricted scholarship fund awarded by Financial Aid that affects many students each year at UNI. This fall 39 scholarships were awarded for $60,360 from the Students First Scholarship fund. Support academic excellence by making a gift to this fund.