Wartburg College will offer high school students and their parents insights into financial aid during Iowa Private College Week, Aug. 4-8.

Wartburg, which is consistently one of the most visited campuses of Iowa’s 26 private, nonprofit colleges during the annual tour, will provide advice on Pell Grants, Iowa Tuition Grants and financial assistance as part of 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. sessions.

High school students and their parents also can talk with professors, coaches and current students, learn about academic and social opportunities, and explore the campus.

Registration is at www.wartburg.edu/IPCW.

According to Gary Steineke, president of the Iowa Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, private colleges have more Pell Grant-eligible students than public universities.

“Only families who have real financial need qualify for federal Pell Grants. There are actually 4,000 more students receiving Pell Grants at Iowa’s independent colleges and universities than at the public universities,” Steinke said.

“This is real money for families,” he added. “The maximum Pell Grant for the upcoming year is $5,730. Many Iowa students who qualify for Pell Grants also have a good chance of qualifying for the state-funded Iowa Tuition Grant, which is a maximum of another $4,550.  That’s more than $10,000 in financial aid.”

Last year, nearly 15,000 Iowans received an Iowa Tuition Grant.

To qualify, a student must be an Iowa resident, attend an Iowa independent, nonprofit college or university and be financially needy based on U.S. Department of Education standards. The grant is provided directly to the student — not the institution — and must be matched by the institution.

Pell and Iowa Tuition grant funding is more than $100 million for students at the private colleges and universities, which provide other grants and scholarships totaling almost $450 million annually.