Scholarships

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An important part of preparing for college is figuring out how to pay for it. Below you will find information about scholarships, including deadlines, award amounts, and eligibility. For more funding strategies for college, consult the DO-IT publication College Funding for Students with Disabilities.

Upcoming Scholarship Opportunities

The following scholarships are listed in order by deadline.

Faith Hope and Love Jesus, Inc. College Scholarship

Application Due: May 1, 2024
Description:
Faith Hope and Love Jesus, Inc. is excited to offer an annual $500 college scholarship. This will be the easiest 500 words or more essay to write in the world. Why? Because it can be on any topic or subject.

Eligibility:
Students with a medically-documented blood disorder or cancer diagnosed before the age of 18 are eligible
John Lepping Memorial Scholarship

Application Due: May 1, 2024
Description:
The Scholarship will be awarded to qualified youngsters seeking to further their education by attending college. The amount of the scholarship is up to $5,000. At least four scholarships will be awarded in 2017. John Lepping was extremely proud of disabled students who mustered the courage and determination to finish their college education despite their setbacks. This scholarship will help to deter the costs of college for disabled individuals who may not have the resources due to overwhelming medical costs.

Eligibility:
Students with a disability living in the Tri-State area (New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania) are eligible
Hemophilia of North Carolina Educational Scholarship Program

Application Due: May 15, 2024
Description:
Four scholarships will be awarded to post-secondary students with hemophilia or von Willebrand Disease, caregivers of a child or adult affected by a bleeding disorder; or immediate family members in the same household affected by a bleeding disorder. At least one of the scholarships is awarded to an applicant pursuing health-related education.

Eligibility:
Post-secondary students with a bleeding disorder, caregivers of someone with a bleeding disorder, or immediate family members of someone with a bleeding disorder.
Optum Infusion Pharmacy/Hemophilia of North Carolina Education Scholarships

Application Due: May 15, 2024
Description:
$20,000 to be distributed in awards of $500 to $3,000 to students who have been affected by a bleeding disorder. Applicants pursuing a career in the health field will be considered.

Eligibility:
Any student attending a post-secondary institution is eligible.
AbbVie Immunology Scholarship

Application Due: May 20, 2024
Description:
Scholarships of up to $15,000 each will be awarded, dependent upon type of degree pursued. Applicants must be legal residents of the U.S. and diagnosed by a healthcare professional with one of the following: ankylosing spondylitis (AS), Crohn's disease (CD), hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), psoriasis (Ps), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), ulcerative colitis (UC), or uveitis (UV). Qualified applicants must plan to enroll in undergraduate (associate's, bachelor's) or graduate (master's, MD, JD, doctorate) study at an accredited two- or four-year college, university or vocational-technical school in the U.S.

Eligibility:
Undergraduate or graduate students living in the U.S. with chronic inflammatory diseases.
180 Medical College Scholarship

Application Due: June 1, 2024
Description:
Three $1,000 awards will be will be given to students with spina bifida, transverse myelitis, or a spinal cord injury.

Eligibility:
Full-time U.S. college students with spina bifida, spinal cord injury, transverse myelitis, neurogenic bladder, or ostomy.
Hemophilia Federation of America Educational Scholarship

Application Due: June 1, 2024
Description:
Amount Varies. Applicant must be a person with an inherited bleeding disorder, and must be a patient of one of HFMD's affiliated Hemophilia Treatment Centers in Minnesota or South Dakota.

Eligibility:
3 letters of recommendation and transcript are required.
Ambient Edge Students Affected by Cancer Scholarship

Application Due: June 15, 2024
Description:
This scholarship of $1000 is open to students who have been diagnosed with cancer themselves, as well as those who have stood by a loved one. Survivors, current cancer patients, and the allies of patients and survivors are welcome to apply.

Eligibility:
Current or incoming US undergraduate/graduate students with a minimum 3.0 GPA; either a current/former cancer patient, or have stood by a loved one who was diagnosed with cancer.
Mandy Wagner Foundation Scholarship

Application Due: July 1, 2024
Description:
The Mandy Wagner Foundation awards scholarships of $500 and $1000 to senior high school students or college students living with cystic fibrosis.

Eligibility:
Senior high school students or college students with a minimum 3.0 GPA, 1030 SAT score, or 22 ACT score.
ABC Law Centers Disability Advocacy Scholarship

Application Due: July 31, 2024
Description:
ABC Law Centers is proud to offer our Disability Advocacy Scholarship! Our firm will award one annual scholarship in the amount of $1,000 to an undergraduate, graduate, or law student planning to pursue a law or public policy career focused on disability advocacy.

Eligibility:
An undergraduate, graduate, or law student planning to pursue a law or public policy career focused on disability advocacy.
Auger & Auger Disabled Scholar Award

Application Due: July 31, 2024
Description:
Auger & Auger is sponsoring a $1,000 scholarship, given twice a year, to assist with tuition and expenses at a qualifying undergraduate institution. Applicants will be judged on their academic merits as well as the content of the application and essay they provide.

Eligibility:
Current graduating high school seniors with acceptance to an accredited school or current undergraduate at an accredited institution in the US with at least a 2.8 GPA.
Silver Cross Ability Achievement Scholarship

Application Due: December 15, 2024
Description:
One applicant each from the United States and Canada will be selected, who uses a manual or power wheelchair, or a mobility scooter, to be awarded a $1,500 scholarship.

Eligibility:
Full-time U.S. undergraduate/graduate students who use mobility equipment, such as power wheelchairs, manual wheelchairs or mobility scooters.
Able Flight Scholarship

Application Due: December 31, 2024
Description:
Designed for people who wish to earn a Sport Pilot license. Applicants must be able to provide proof of disability from their attending physician, be at least 17 years of age, a U.S. citizen, have a valid driver’s license, and be able to operate the controls of the training aircraft. Special controls will be available for Able Flight Scholars as needed. Scholarship applications are accepted at any time and reviewed on a continuing basis. Training takes place from mid-May to early July of each year.

Eligibility:
Must be able to provide proof of disability from their attending physician, be at least 17 years of age, a U.S. citizen, have a valid driver’s license.

Rolling Deadline Scholarship Opportunities

The following scholarships accept applications all year-round.

Academy of Special Dreams Scholarships for Students with Disabilities

Description:
Targeted to the traditional college-aged student with a disability who is pursuing either a full or part-time course of study in any medium of Art. These cash awards are determined on a competitive basis and require the submission by e-mail of an art portfolio and artist’s statement.

Eligibility:
18 or older, traditional college-aged student with a disability pursuing course of study in any medium of Art
Ben's Fund Autism Grant

Description:
This $1,000 grant can be applied to services and equipment specifically related to their child or young adult's autism spectrum disorder treatments.

Eligibility:
For children or young adults under the age of 25, Washington resident, on the autism spectrum, with demonstrated financial need.
Diabetes Incorporated

Description:
To be considered for a scholarship however, membership dues must be paid prior to the scholarship deadline of April 15. Membership dues are $10 and can be included with your scholarship application or paid online through our donations page.

Scholarship Amounts: $1,000

Eligibility:
Applicants must either have diabetes or have an immediate family member who has diabetes and a family member must be a current Diabetes, Incorporated member.
Hydrocephalus Association Scholarships

Description:
This $500 award is intended for students with hydrocephalus.

Eligibility:
Any student pursuing a post-secondary education is eligible.
James “Rhio” O’Connor Memorial Scholarship

Description:
$1,000 scholarships are available. Applicants must write an essay of 700-1,500 words. To receive a scholarship application which will include the rules and deadlines please send an email to: aelliott@cancermonthly.com. Please put the word “Scholarship” in the subject line.

Eligibility:
College students are eligible.
Paul G. Hearne Leadership Award

Description:
Two individuals will each receive $2,500 in recognition of their outstanding contributions and $7,500 to further a new or existing initiative that increases the political and economic power of people with disabilities.

Eligibility:
An individual with a disability who displays strong leadership capabilities will be considered.
The Alex and Suzanne Rosenkrantz Scholarship Fund

Description:
This scholarship funds blind, deaf, and deaf-blind undergraduate or graduate students in becoming self-sufficient through higher education, vocational training, or other schooling. Applications are accepted year-round, with those post-marked by July 15 reviewed in August, and with priority given to Grays Harbor residents; then residents of Pacific, Thurston and Mason Counties; then residents of other counties in Washington State.

Eligibility:
Blind youth, deaf youth and deaf-blind youth are eligible for this scholarship.
The TPA Scholarship Trust for the Hearing Impaired

Description:
The TPA Scholarship is need-based and is intended for children and adults with hearing impairments.

Eligibility:
Any age group and student status with a hearing impairment.

Additional Scholarship Opportunities

These scholarships are not currently accepting applications, but may be in the near future.

California Association for Postsecondary Education and Disability (CAPED) Scholarship Program

Application Due (check back on): May 1, 2024
Description:
CAPED Scholarships awards 11 scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $1,500 to students with disabilities in post secondary education.

Eligibility:
California undergraduate/graduate students with a disability and a minimum GPA of 2.5 or 3.0, respectively.
Ford Foundation Dissertation and Postdoctoral Fellowship Program

Application Due (check back on): May 1, 2024
Description:
Through its Fellowship Programs, the Ford Foundation seeks to increase the diversity of the nation’s college and university faculties by increasing their ethnic and racial diversity, to maximize the educational benefits of diversity, and to increase the number of professors who can and will use diversity as a resource for enriching the education of all students.

Eligibility:
Current graduate student studying in eligible field of study researching and enrolled in an eligible research-based (dissertation-required) leading to Ph.D./Sc.D. degree at a not for profit US institute for higher education
Mary P. Oenslager Scholastic Achievement Award

Application Due (check back on): May 1, 2024
Description:
Awards ranging from $1,000 to $6,000 will be given to qualifying students who are blind or visually impaired.

Eligibility:
Undergraduate, graduate, and doctorate students are eligible.
WSGC Scholarships for Community College Transfers to the University of Washington

Application Due (check back on): May 1, 2024
Description:
Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics students may receive between $1,000 and $5,000 from the Washington NASA Space Grant Consortium.
- Scholarship application for first-year UW students
  - Priority deadline: March 4
  - Final deadline: Rolling until April 1
- Scholarship application for community college transfers to the UW
  - Priority deadline: April 1
  - Final deadline: Rolling until April 29
- Astronaut Scholar Foundation application
  - Deadline March 4
- Summer Undergraduate Research Program application
  - Priority deadline: March 4
  - Final deadline: April 1
- Graduate Fellowship for enrolled UW students
  - Priority deadline: April 1
  - Final deadline: April 29
Eligibility:
Community college students who have transferred to the University of Washington are eligible.
Foundation for Science and Disability Student Award Program

Application Due (check back on): July 1, 2024
Description:
The Foundation for Science and Disability will give awards of $1000 to fourth-year undergraduate (who have been accepted to graduate/professional school) and graduate students who have a disability and who are involved in research projects in mathematics, science, medicine, engineering, or computer science.

Eligibility:
Fourth year undergraduate (who have been accepted to a graduate/professional school) and graduate students who have a disability; must be US citizens.
ASA Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant

Application Due (check back on): August 1, 2024
Description:
The ASA Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants (ASA DDRIG) program supports theoretically grounded empirical investigations to advance understanding of fundamental social processes. Up to 25 awards of a maximum of $16,000 will be given each year. Topics can include, but will not be limited to, organizations and organizational behavior, health and medicine, crime and deviance, inequality and stratification, population dynamics, social movements, social groups, labor force participation, stratification and mobility, family, social networks, socialization, gender, race, ethnicity, and the sociology of science and technology.

Eligibility:
Doctoral students attending PhD-granting institutions of higher education accredited in, and having a campus located in, the United States, are eligible to apply.
NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing

Application Due (check back on): August 1, 2024
Description:
This award is intended for young women who demonstrate leadership and promise in computing fields.

Eligibility:
High-school young women who are interested in pursuing computing fields are eligible. Must have attended a school in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, or on a U.S. overseas military base.
WSAJ Past Presidents' Scholarship

Application Due (check back on): August 1, 2024
Description:
First awarded in 1991, the WSAJ President's Scholarship was established to support and encourage the efforts of high school students who have overcome obstacles to achieve academically and socially. As part of WSAJ’s commitment to foster an awareness and understanding of the important role that the civil justice system plays in our society, the Washington State Association for Justice sponsors two scholarship programs for high school seniors in Washington state.

Eligibility:
Graduating high school seniors from Washington state are eligible
ALS Family Scholarship

Application Due (check back on): September 1, 2024
Description:
This scholarship seeks to support families of those afflicted by ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) so they can pursue their career goals in the face of this difficult disease. To apply, tell us how ALS has affected your life and how this scholarship will affect your career path.

Eligibility:
Any student who is pursuing career enhancement through education and is the child or spouse of someone who has ALS or someone who has died from it may apply for this scholarship.
Dyslexia/Auditory Processing Disorder Scholarship

Application Due (check back on): September 1, 2024
Description:
A $1,000 scholarship for undergraduate students with dyslexia and/or auditory processing disorder in the US or Canada; awarded based off applicant's essay on either "Living with Dyslexia" or "Living with Auditory Processing Disorder."

Eligibility:
Currently enrolled undergraduate students with dyslexia and/or auditory processing disorder.
Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship Program

Application Due (check back on): September 1, 2024
Description:
Up to $8,000 in academic assistance and a full-time summer internship.

Eligibility:
Undergraduate students interested in atmospheric and oceanic sciences are eligible.
Diverse Abilities Scholarship

Application Due (check back on): October 1, 2024
Description:
The Diverse Abilities Scholarship aims to address the challenges faced by students with disabilities by providing financial support. To apply, submit a 400-600 word essay describing your dream job, what qualities matter to you in a job, and how these values will affect your career search.

Eligibility:
Any high school senior, undergraduate, or graduate student who has a disability and is a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident may apply for this scholarship.
Jobtest.org Diverse Abilities Quarterly Scholarship

Application Due (check back on): October 1, 2024
Description:
The Diverse Abilities Scholarship aims to address these challenges by providing financial support to students with disabilities—anything from a physical disability like muscular dystrophy to a learning disability such as dyslexia. We hope this scholarship will allow them to focus on their studies and seek out a suitable career without financial constraints.

Eligibility:
High school senior, undergraduate student, graduate student. Current U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident
Stantec Equity & Diversity Scholarship

Application Due (check back on): October 1, 2024
Description:
To be eligible for this award, applicants must be enrolled in a college, university, or post-secondary institution in the academic year following the announcement of scholarship winners and be in pursuit of a bachelor's degree; pursue a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) major; and belong to a historically underrepresented population/group such as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), members of the LGBTQ2+ community, people with disabilities, veterans, and first-generation college students. Stantec will be awarding $200,000 in scholarships for the 2024-25 academic year, with individual award amounts ranging from $1,500 to $10,000 each. Additionally, there will be 10 paid internships (locations to be confirmed annually) available to applicants.

Eligibility:
VSA International Young Soloists Award Program

Application Due (check back on): October 1, 2024
Description:
Each year outstanding young musicians with disabilities from around the world are selected to receive the VSA International Young Soloists Award of $2,000 and the chance to participate in professional development and performance opportunities provided by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. This program is open to soloists and ensembles of any instrument/genre including classical, jazz, Hip Hop, rock and more!

Eligibility:
Soloists and ensembles ages 14-25 with disabilities.
American Council of the Blind Scholarship

Application Due (check back on): November 1, 2024
Description:
The American Council of the Blind is offering scholarships for the 2023 school year. Applications will be accepted from November 1 through February 14.

Eligibility:
Legally blind undergraduate and graduate students.
Baer Reintegration Scholarship

Application Due (check back on): November 1, 2024
Description:
The scholarships cover a part or all of an education ranging from G.E.D. to Ph.D. The Sidney R. Baer, Jr. Foundation supports the efforts of organizations working to stimulate education, research and direct care in the mental health field. A businessman and consultant, Mr. Baer personally faced mental health challenges during his lifetime and sought to alleviate the suffering of those living with mental illness. Though he attended Yale University, he was unable to complete his studies, so he returned to his hometown of St. Louis where he worked in the family business, the department store Stix, Baer & Fuller. Through his hard work, he was able to increase the family fortune and upon his death left it in trust to be distributed to programs that serve the mission of reintegration.

-Scholarship is open now-

Eligibility:
Be diagnosed with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, and currently receiving medical treatment for the disease. Be a U.S. citizen or legal resident and plan to attend a school in the US.
Google Lime Scholarship for Students with Disabilities

Application Due (check back on): November 1, 2024
Description:
This $10,000 award is intended for students with disabilities.

Eligibility:
Undergraduate students studying computer science or computer engineering are eligible.
Queen-Nellie Evans Scholarship

Application Due (check back on): November 1, 2024
Description:
The APF Queen-Nellie Evans scholarship funds a scholarship to a graduate student from underrepresented groups who has a demonstrated financial need and is committed to improving the disparities in societal structures and issues that negatively impact communities of color, particularly communities of African descent. APF encourages applicants from diverse backgrounds with respect to age, race, color, religion, creed, nationality, ability, sexual orientation, gender, and geography. To apply, submit all required materials along with a personal statement and financial need verification documents.

Eligibility:
Applicants must be minority graduate students enrolled in accredited master’s or doctoral programs.
The Diversity Advancement Scholarship

Application Due (check back on): November 1, 2024
Description:
The AIA/AAF Diversity Advancement Scholarship provides financial assistance between $4,000 and $20,000. to minority and/or financially disadvantaged students who intend to pursue a professional degree in architecture.

Eligibility:
Undergraduate college students who are minorities studying in an NAAB Accredited Architecture program are eligible.
Marion Huber Learning Through Listening Awards

Application Due (check back on): January 1, 2025
Description:
Learning Ally awards the top winners $6,000 each and special honors winners $2,000 each. All scholarship awardees must be capable and willing to publicly share their personal story and represent Learning Ally as a spokesperson and advocate at various local, virtual and national events. Costs associated with these events will be covered by Learning Ally.

Eligibility:
Learning Ally members who are high school seniors with learning disabilities.
Peter J. Musto Memorial Scholarship

Application Due (check back on): January 1, 2025
Description:
This scholarship seeks to honor the life of Peter J. Musto by supporting students from Pennsylvania who have been affected by cancer, either through their own diagnosis or the diagnosis of a family member. To apply, submit a 400-600 word essay or a 2-3 minute video describing yourself and how your life has been impacted by cancer.

Eligibility:
Any high school senior or undergraduate from the state of Pennsylvania who has at least a 3.0 GPA and has been affected by cancer may apply.
The Marion Huber Learning Through Listening Awards

Application Due (check back on): January 1, 2025
Description:
Three $6,000 awards and three $2,000 awards will be given to qualifying learning-disabled students.

Eligibility:
High school senior members with learning disabilities, who plan to continue their education after graduation, in recognition of their academic achievement, outstanding leadership, and service to others.