To qualify, students must meet the following criteria:

• Residency. Student must reside in the surrounding rural communities served by the Lincoln Corridor. The Lincoln Corridor is defined as the following communities in the State of Iowa: Adaza, Angus, Bagley, Bayard, Beaver, Berkley, Boone, Bouton, Boxholm, Carroll, Churdan, Coon Rapids, Cooper, Dana, Dawson, Dedham, Farnhamville, Fraser, Glidden, Gowrie, Grand Junction, Green Brier, Harcourt, Jamaica, Jefferson, Lake City, Lanesboro, Lanyon, Lidderdale, Lohrville, Ogden, Paton, Perry, Pilot Mound, Ralston, Rippey, Scranton, Willey and Winkelmans.

• Program: Student must be enrolled in Computer Languages Diploma  at DMACC.

• GPA: Students most recent cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) must be at least a 3.0.
  Please Note: Applicants with no recorded grade within the last 10 years will be exempt from this requirement.
  The scholarship will pay up to $7,500 per year for tuition, books, and online fees. The scholarship is paid to the student’s account at Des Moines Area Community College.

The scholarship may be renewed for the student’s second year as long as the student remains in good academic standing and has a minimum GPA at Des Moines Area Community College of 3.0.

Scholarships are non-refundable to the student; any unused or refunded portion is returned to the Rural Forge Scholarship at the Des Moines Area Community College Foundation.

• Preference is to award 50% of scholarships to female students.
• Preference is to award 15% of scholarships to applicants of historically underrepresented groups including racial and ethnic groups (e.g., Black/African Americans, Alaskan Natives, American Indians, Hispanics/Latinos, and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders).