One piece of advice that I always tell students in relation to the process of searching and applying for scholarships, is to break down and identify each and every thing that defines who you are as a student and as a person in general so you can search strategically and maximize your potential sources for financial aid.
If you're a student with a disability, know that there are lots of great disability grants and scholarships out there that you may be eligible to apply for to help you pay for college.
Disability scholarships can stem from a wide variety of sources. First up we have the colleges and universities themselves. Whether you're still in high school or currently enrolled in college, you can certainly reach out to your future or current institution's financial aid office to inquire about scholarships that are specific to you.
Second, students with disabilities can also look into the US Department of Education's TRIO Program, which aims to assist individuals with disadvantages (disabilities, low-income, first-generation) with the resources that they need to obtain a higher education degree.
In addition to leveraging those school-specific disability scholarships and the TRIO Program, you can find these types of scholarships for students being offered through large corporations, government organizations, disability groups, and non-profit organizations.
Since there are so many disability scholarship opportunities being offered in the latter category (non-college or university scholarships), in this post, I will focus more on those! Read on to learn about 25 great scholarship opportunities for disabled students.
There are annual scholarship awards of all kinds available for students with disabilities.
Each and every scholarship is unique in terms of the specific disability that applicants must have in order to be eligible. Some are for students with autism, others for students who are deaf, and others are for students living with mental illness.
Amount: $5,000 - $15,000
Deadline: early January
Eligibility:
-For students with AS, CD, HS, JIA, Ps, PsA, RA, UC, or UV who are seeking an associates degree, undergraduate degree, graduate degree or Doctorate from an accredited United States (US) university/college
-Must be a US citizen or a legal and permanent resident of the US
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: January 28
Eligibility:
-Open to individuals who have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder
-Open to high school seniors, undergraduate, and graduate school students
Amount: Varies
Deadline: January 31
Eligibility:
-Open to individuals who have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or schizoaffective disorder
-Must be a U.S. citizen or legal resident who is 18 or older and planning to attend a school in the United States
Amount: $2,000 - $7,500
Deadline: February 15
Eligibility:
-Open to high school seniors, undergraduate, and graduate school students
-Must show involvement in your local/surrounding community
-Minimum 3.0 GPA
-Must be legally blind
Amount: $15,000
Deadline: February 15
Eligibility:
-Open to undergraduate, graduate, and law school students
-Must demonstrate committed interest in pursuing a career in intellectual property law
Amount: $5,000 - $10,000
Deadline: February 21
Eligibility:
-Must be a current undergraduate or graduate student at a 4-year college or university in the US or Canada
-Pursuing a degree in business/commerce, computer science, engineering, math, physics, statistics, or a related discipline
-Students with all types of disabilities are encouraged to apply
Amount: $3,000
Deadline: March 1
Eligibility:
-Must be an undergraduate student
Amount: $20,000
Deadline: March 1
Eligibility:
-Must be a current high school senior living with a disability of any kind
-Planning to attend a 2 or 4-year undergraduate program to study in one of the following areas: engineering, computer science, computer information systems, law, business, or a related field (e.g. paralegal, pre-law, finance, business administration, or marketing)
-Must have financial need
-Minimum 3.0 GPA
Amount: $3,000
Deadline: March 9
Eligibility:
-Must be a US resident pursuing undergraduate or graduate studies who have been diagnosed with or treated for a cancer or chronic disease (see application page for more details)
-Must be 25 years old or younger
-Must be pursuing at least an Associate's degree
Amount: $5,000
Deadline: March 15
Eligibility:
-Open to undergraduate juniors and seniors, as well as graduate school students studying at institutions in the state of Washington
-Must have a demonstrated interest and history in the field of intellectual or other developmental disabilities - do not need to have a disability to be eligible
Amount: up to $2,500
Deadline: March 17
Eligibility:
-Open to high school and undergraduate students pursuing degrees in STEM majors/areas of study
-Can be studying at a community college, trade/technical school, or four-year university
-Must have a documented learning disability
Amount: up to $10,000
Deadline: March 25
Eligibility:
-Open to students with physical challenges pursuing academic study or vocational training which leads to independent living
-Must be currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program in the New York Metropolitan Area
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: March 30
Eligibility:
-Open to students who are pursuing four-year undergraduate degrees
-Must be a high school senior or current college student
-Minimum GPA 3.2/4.0
-Must have a minimum 40dB bilateral hearing loss, as evidenced on audiogram by an SRT & PTA of 40dB or greater in both ears
-Only US citizens can apply
Amount: up to $3,500
Deadline: April 1 (this year application was extended to May 1)
Eligibility:
-Open to high school seniors planning on enrolling at a California community college
-Must be a US citizen and California resident
-Must have documentation of a specific learning disability - note: ADHD alone does not qualify
Amount: $5,625
Deadline: May 20
Eligibility:
-Must be a high school senior, undergraduate, or graduate student in the US (citizenship not required!)
-Be interested in pursuing a career in communications, media, or entertainment (all majors are welcome to apply)
-Must self-identify as a person with any type of disability
Amount: $3,000
Deadline: May (date TBD)
Eligibility:
-Must have an established autism diagnosis
-Eligible individuals need to be enrolled on a full-time basis (minimum 6 credits) or be working toward certification or accreditation in a particular field
-Open to high school seniors, college, and graduate school students
Amount: $5,000
Deadline: June 1
Eligibility:
-Open to students who were diagnosed with cancer and whose disease and related treatments placed a significant financial burden on them and their families
-Must be a US citizen
Amount: $1,000 each
Deadline: June 12
Eligibility:
-Open to full-time undergraduate students
-Must be living with a congenital limb difference or an acquired amputation
Amount: N/A
Deadline: June 15
Eligibility:
-Must be a full-time undergraduate student attending an accredited four-year institution in the US
-Can have a documented disability of any type
Amount: $4,000
Deadline: July 28
Eligibility:
-Must have a significant disability of any kind – for example, physical, visual, developmental, cognitive, hearing, learning, emotional, or other;
-Planning to attend, or be in the first two years of, a 2- or 4-year college, university, or a trade school program, and
-Must live in Washtenaw, Livingston, or Monroe County, Michigan
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: July 31
Eligibility:
-Open to high school seniors, undergraduate, and graduate school students
-Must have cerebral palsy
-Minimum 3.0 GPA
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: July 31
Eligibility:
-Must be a high school senior living in Canada
-Should plan on pursuing a degree (at a Canadian university) in one of the following areas: healthcare, criminal justice, or community and social services
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: August 15
Eligibility:
-Open to high school seniors and college students
-Must have a documented disability of any kind
-Must be planning to attend a 2 or 4-year college or university
Amount: $2,500
Deadline: November 28
Eligibility:
-Open to high school seniors and current undergraduate students
-Minimum 2.5 GPA
Amount: $1,500
Deadline: November 30
Eligibility:
-Must be currently enrolled at or planning to attend a 2-4 year university, community college, or graduate school program located in the United States
-Minimum 2.5 GPA
-Must have a medically recognized physical or mental disability
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: December 1
Eligibility:
-Open to undergraduate seniors and graduate students
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: December 1
Eligibility:
-Open to students who are working to better the lives of our customers, students who are pursuing a degree in the medical field
-Must be a high school senior or currently enrolled undergraduate student
Amount: up to $6,000
Deadline: December 31
Eligibility:
-Open to Learning Ally high school senior members with learning disabilities, who plan to continue their education after graduation