Passed in 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act has required schools to accommodate the needs of their disabled students, breaking down many barriers that prevented students from accessing educational resources, and enabling more people to enjoy the full benefits of a college education. Recruitment efforts and financial aid opportunities aimed at disabled students now exist at a number of schools. Additionally, many private organizations award scholarship money to ensure that students with disabilities are able to achieve their college goals, despite potential setbacks such as learning issues, environmental challenges, or medical conflicts.

Who Qualifies?

Disability scholarships exist to provide college funding for students who possess numerous cognitive, behavioral, and emotional impediments that would make it difficult to attain a college degree. These scholarship opportunities help deserving students stay in school and out of debt, allowing them to more easily achieve their educational and career goals.

Disability scholarships are funded by a variety of scholarship providers with different requirements. They can be intended to help students with a specific disability pay for school, or they can be aimed at a wider range of students who have physical or mental issues. Disability scholarship providers may choose to narrow their awards towards students who have completed a specific program or who will attend a particular college or university. Some scholarship awards are aimed at groups that face multiple barriers to education; such as low-income, minority, or females with disabilities. Certain local scholarships might also be earmarked for disabled students.
 

Disability Scholarship Opportunities

With many disability scholarships out there, regardless of their requirements, all you have to know is where to begin searching. Below are some examples of disability scholarships from our database of over 2.7 million college scholarships. To find out if you qualify for these and other awards, simply fill out a profile on Scholarships.com, and conduct a free scholarship search. You’ll receive a list of disability scholarships and other relevant scholarship awards. From there, just read the information provided and begin to apply for scholarships. Below are a few examples of scholarships available to those with various physical challenges and/or other disabilities.

AbbVie Cystic Fibrosis Scholarship

• Application Deadline: 5/27/2020
• Amount: $24,000
• The AbbVie CF Scholarship provides financial assistance toward higher education for exceptional students living with cystic fibrosis (CF). Forty AbbVie CF Scholars will be selected to receive $3,000 for use during the upcoming academic year based on their outstanding academic record, extracurricular activities, and creativity. Each scholar will also be given the opportunity to compete for one of [...] More

ACF Robby Baker Memorial Scholarship

• Application Deadline: 4/2/2020
• Amount: $1,000
• The Robby Baker Scholarship Fund was established by Robby's family in 2003. Robby loved to ski and found that skiing helped his self-confidence as he dealt with the challenges of dyslexia. One scholarship is awarded annually to a graduating senior at La Cueva High School, who has a language learning or other reading disability. For more information, or to apply, please visit the scholarship [...] More

AG Bell College Scholarship Awards

• Application Deadline: 3/8/2020
• Amount: $5,000
• The Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (AG Bell) offers several scholarships for full-time students who are deaf and hard of hearing and use Listening and Spoken Language, and who are pursuing a four-year undergraduate degree or a graduate degree at an accredited mainstream college or university. This is a merit-based scholarship program with award selection being [...] More

American Council of the Blind Scholarship

• Application Deadline: 2/15/2021
• Amount: $7,500
• The American Council of the Blind’s (ACB) Scholarship Program was established in 1982. The Scholarship program awards students with scholarships which will help with post-secondary education financial needs such as tuition, fees, room and board and other additional costs associated with adaptive technology. To be eligible for a scholarship, you need to be legally blind, maintain a 3.3 GPA, be a [...] More

Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program

• Application Deadline: Varies
• Amount: $5,000
• Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program is a grant program that enables students of limited financial means to study or intern abroad, thereby gaining skills critical to our national security and economic competitiveness.
  The Gilman Scholarship Program is open to U.S. citizen undergraduate students who are receiving Federal Pell Grant funding at a two-year or four-year college or [...] More

Candice's Sickle Cell Disease Scholarship

• Application Deadline: 4/14/2020
• Amount: $1,500
• Candice's Sickle Cell Fund, Inc. has been established to raise awareness among the public concerning sickle cell disease. Our goal is to help alleviate the financial pressures of college-bound students in the Tri-State Area (NY/NJ/CT)with sickle cell disease by providing three scholarships annually in the amount of $1500 ($750 presented in September, and $750 presented in January).

• Cheryl D. Conkling Memorial Scholarship

• Application Deadline: Varies
• Amount: $12,000
• Despite Cheryl’s physical hardships of gamma globulin anemia and hearing loss, she loved and excelled in education and music. Cheryl was a brilliant student and graduated Summa Cum Laude from college. This scholarship is named in her honor. This scholarship supports students with hearing or other physical hardships who have demonstrated a love for education. This scholarship is only open to [...] More

• Cystic Fibrosis Standard Scholarship

• Application Deadline: 3/27/2020
• Amount: $1,000
• CFSF Scholarships are available to those who will be enrolled in an undergraduate program or vocational school in the fall of 2020. Scholarships will be awarded based on a combination of financial need, academic achievement, and leadership. Students must be enrolled in a minimum of 9 credit hours per semester. Approximately 60% of the students who have applied in the past have been awarded [...] More

• Edward T. Conroy Memorial Scholarship Program

• Application Deadline: 7/15/2020
• Amount: Varies
• To be eligible for the Edward T. Conroy Memorial Scholarship Program, you must be a Maryland resident at the time of application and enroll at a two-year or four-year Maryland college/university, as a full-time or part-time, degree-seeking undergraduate or graduate student or attend a private career school. You must be: the son, daughter, stepchild, or the surviving spouse (who has not [...] More

• ENF Emergency Educational Grants

• Application Deadline: 10/31/2020
• Amount: $5,000
• The ENF Emergency Educational Grant program provides financial assistance to children of deceased or totally disabled Elks, who wish to obtain or further their college education. In order to apply, the Elk parent or stepparent must have been a member in good standing for at least one year at the time of his or her death or the Elk parent or stepparent must have been a member in good standing for [...] More

• Faith Hope and Love Jesus, Inc. College Scholarship

• Application Deadline: 5/1/2020
• Amount: $500
• Faith Hope and Love Jesus, Inc. is excited to offer an annual college scholarship. This will be the easiest 500 words or more essay to write in the world. It can be on any topic or subject. Please submit a letter from your doctor documenting a history of a blood disorder or cancer diagnosed before the age of 18 along with your essay. For more information or to apply, please visit the scholarship [...] More

• First Responders Children's Foundation - Victoria Ovis Memorial Scholarship

• Application Deadline: 7/1/2020
• Amount: $2,000
• The First Responders Children's Foundation - Victoria Ovis Memorial Scholarship will honor an outstanding student each year in Victoria’s memory with an award in the amount of $2000 for a single academic year. This scholarship is awarded annually to a child of a law enforcement officer who was killed or permanently disabled in the line of duty. Awards are based on financial need, academic merit [...] More

• First Responders Children's Foundation General Scholarship

• Application Deadline: 4/15/2020
• Amount: $6,250
• The First Responders Children’s Foundation awards scholarships to children of first responders annually. Awards are based on financial need as well as academic merit and other achievements, such as a demonstrated leadership, outstanding performance in the arts or sports, and/or volunteer activities benefiting the community. This scholarship may be renewed annually (for up to a maximum of four [...] More

• Herb Schlaughenhoupt, Jr. Memorial Scholarship

• Application Deadline: Varies
• Amount: $500
• This scholarship fund was established by the family of Herb Schlaughenhoupt, Jr., one of the founders of the Kentucky Hemophilia Foundation, in honor of his memory. The Herb Schlaughenhoupt, Jr. Memorial Scholarship is awarded twice each year to individuals with hemophilia or a similar bleeding disorder or individuals with an immediate family member with a bleeding disorder. Deadlines in mid [...] More

• Incight Scholarship

• Application Deadline: 4/1/2020
• Amount: $2,500
• Our Incight Scholarship Program is a long-term commitment to students with disabilities entering and attending college. It functions to help reduce the barriers of education advancement and completion by providing the necessary skills for youth with disabilities. We believe that this will enable young people to become self-supporting participants in their communities. Scholarship recipients are [...] More

• Jay Cutler Athletic Scholarship

• Application Deadline: 4/15/2020
• Amount: $5,000
• The mission of Diabetes Scholars Foundation is to support activities related to education for and about children with diabetes. This includes, but is not limited to, funding scholarships for diabetes education conferences and higher education.
  Sponsored by the Diabetes Scholars Foundation, the Jay Cutler Athletic Scholarship awards five (5) $5,000 scholarships to incoming freshmen with Type 1 [...] More

• JCS Newhoff Scholarship for a Jewish Student with a Diagnosed Learning Disability

• Application Deadline: 3/16/2020
• Amount: Varies
• JCS offers several scholarships for Jewish high school seniors from the Baltimore Metro Area planning to attend an accredited U.S. college or university. There is a scholarship available for a student with a documented diagnosed learning disability. The scholarships are competitive. Recipients are chosen based upon several criteria, including academic performance, financial need, community and [...] More

• JCS Scholarship for Jewish Students from Single-Parent Homes

• Application Deadline: 3/16/2020
• Amount: Varies
• JCS offers several scholarships for Jewish high school seniors from the Baltimore Metro Area planning to attend an accredited U.S. college or university. There is a scholarship available for a student with a documented diagnosed learning disability and several scholarships available for students from single-parent homes. The scholarships are competitive. Recipients are chosen based on several [...] More

• Jennifer Leigh Soper Cystic Fibrosis Scholarship

• Application Deadline: 3/4/2020
• Amount: $500
• Thanks to our generous donors, Blue Grass Community Foundation is pleased to offer a variety of scholarships to area students seeking educational opportunities beyond high school. The Jennifer Leigh Soper Scholarship was established by Lee Soper, in memory of his daughter. The scholarship will award at least $500 to a college-bound student with cystic fibrosis.
  For more information or to apply, [...] More

• Jill M. Balboni Memorial Scholarship

• Application Deadline: 3/23/2020
• Amount: $5,000
• High school seniors who complete the high school senior application and meet the following criteria may apply for this scholarship. Applicants must have a 3.2 GPA or better high school GPA and show dedication to giving back to their community (volunteer work, speaking engagements, club, and organization participation, etc.). Students will be required to attend school on a full-time basis and [...] More

• Marianjoy Scholarship Program

• Application Deadline: 3/27/2020
• Amount: $2,500
• Each year, Marianjoy proudly awards scholarships to students with disabilities to help them to further their education, pursue opportunities for growth, explore new possibilities, and achieve their dreams. Scholarship recipients are selected without regard to race, color, creed, religion, gender, age, or national origin, and have a permanent physical disability or functional impairment. For more [...] More

• Massachusetts Public Service Grant Program

• Application Deadline: 5/1/2020
• Amount: $2,500
• The Massachusetts Public Service Grant Program was established in recognition of the hardship that a family experiences upon the loss of a parent and or spouse who is killed or missing in the line of public service duty in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. This grant program was established to provide educational opportunity to the remaining family members. The Public Service Grant Program is [...] More

• Matrix Health Group Memorial Scholarship Program

• Application Deadline: 8/1/2020
• Amount: $2,000
• At Matrix Health Group our Mission is to provide individualized, focused services to people with bleeding disorders nationwide. Our Vision is to enhance the lives of those we are privileged to serve by providing the best pharmacy and support services possible. Matrix Health Group companies offer nine educational scholarship opportunities to students diagnosed with hemophilia, von Willebrand [...] More

• Maximum Independence Scholarship

• Application Deadline: 3/30/2020
• Amount: $1,000
• Recognizing the ever-increasing need for financial assistance to help defray the cost of higher education, Goodwill Industries of Southwest Oklahoma and North Texas, Inc. (GoodwillSONT) will be awarding five scholarships in the amount of $1,000 each in the spring to high school seniors. Our mission is to help people with disabilities and disadvantages achieve maximum independence; it is our hope [...] More

• Mayor Ruben Pineta Community Scholarship

• Application Deadline: 4/15/2020
• Amount: $2,500
• The mission of Diabetes Scholars Foundation is to support activities related to education for and about children with diabetes. This includes but is not limited to funding scholarships for diabetes education conferences and higher education.

  Mayor Ruben Pineta Community Scholarship awards one $2,500 scholarship to a high school junior or senior with Type 1 Diabetes who is attending West [...] More

• Microsoft Scholarship Program

• Application Deadline: Varies
• Amount: Varies
• We strongly encourage underrepresented groups to pursue STEM fields of study. Because we greatly value a broad range of perspectives and contributions, a large majority of our scholarships will be awarded to female students, underrepresented minority students (African-American, Hispanic or Native American etc.) or students with disabilities. Applicants must be enrolled full-time in a bachelor's [...] More

• Missouri Public Service Survivor Grant Program

• Application Deadline: Varies
• Amount: Varies
• The Public Service Officer or Employee's Child Survivor Grant Program provides tuition grants to dependent children and spouses of public safety officers or Missouri Department of Transportation employees engaged in the construction or maintenance of the state's highways, roads, and bridges who were killed or permanently and totally disabled in the line of duty. If you are a dependent child, you [...] More

• Novo Nordisk Scholarship

• Application Deadline: 4/15/2020
• Amount: $5,000
• The mission of Diabetes Scholars Foundation is to support activities related to education for and about children with diabetes. This includes but is not limited to funding scholarships for diabetes education conferences and higher education. Sponsored by the Diabetes Scholars Foundation, the Novo Nordisk Scholarship awards four (4) $5,000 scholarships to students that will be incoming freshmen [...] More

• Pine Cone Foundation Scholarship

• Application Deadline: 4/1/2020
• Amount: $3,500
• The Pine Cone Foundation supports LD students who wish to attend a California community college. The PCF scholarship is an academic support program that can total up to $3,500 distributed over a 3 year period. Students seeking associate, bachelor, technical and vocational degrees at one of 113 California-based community colleges can apply if they have documented learning disabilities, are a [...] More

• Powering Education Scholarship

• Application Deadline: 4/1/2020
• Amount: $2,000
• This annual scholarship was established by Alpha One to assist people with disabilities who wish to pursue post-secondary education. The scholarship will provide up to per candidate who is accepted into post-secondary school education (e.g., after high school), including undergraduate college education as well as graduate programs. Applicants must have a documented disability, be [...] More

• Rheumatoid Patient Foundation Scholarship Program

• Application Deadline: 6/30/2020
• Amount: $1,000
• Eligible applicants must be U.S. residents applying to a post-secondary/vocational institution or already enrolled at a college or vocational school. Applicant has a confirmed diagnosis of RA or JRA/JIA, or has a parent with such a diagnosis and will be required to submit an application form and a written paper in response to an essay prompt. Previous RPF Scholarship winners are not eligible. For [...] More

• Richland County Foundation Mansfield Noon Lions Club Scholarship Fund

• Application Deadline: 4/1/2020
• Amount: Varies
• The Mansfield Noon Lions Club Scholarship Fund provides scholarships and or educational assistance for the visually handicapped pursuing their education either part or full-time, giving priority to those students graduating from the visually impaired program at Mansfield City Schools, and whose visual handicap, which means an impairment which, even with correction, adversely affects a child's [...] More

• Roadway Worker Memorial Scholarship

• Application Deadline: 2/15/2021
• Amount: $10,000
• Eligible applicants for the Roadway Worker Memorial Scholarship must be dependents of roadway workers killed or permanently disabled in work zone construction or maintenance activities within the work zone, including mobile operations and the installation of roadside safety features. Spouses of fallen workers and parents with custody or legal guardianship of surviving children are also eligible. [...] More

• Sertoma Hard of Hearing or Deaf Scholarship

• Application Deadline: 5/1/2020
• Amount: $1,000
• Sertoma's Scholarship for the hard of hearing or deaf, is the leading funder of scholarships for hard of hearing or deaf students since the program's inception in 1994. Students with a clinically-significant bilateral hearing loss, graduating from high school, or undergraduate students pursuing four-year college degrees in any discipline are eligible for the scholarship.
  Applicants must have a [...] More

• Soozie Courter Hemophilia Scholarship Program

• Application Deadline: 5/3/2020
• Amount: $4,000
• Scholarships will be awarded to applicants with hemophilia A or hemophilia B who present the best combination of a creative and persuasive essay, excellent recommendations, and superior academic standing.
  Applicants must have been diagnosed with hemophilia A or hemophilia B, must be a U.S. resident attending a school in the U.S. and be a high school senior or graduate, have completed high [...] More

• The Ability Center of Greater Toledo Scholarships

• Application Deadline: 3/31/2020
• Amount: $2,000
• Ensuring that people with disabilities have opportunities to achieve higher education and the accompanying rewards is important to The Ability Center. Therefore, the Center provides college scholarships to area students with disabilities. Last year, The Ability Center and its Auxiliary collaborated to give out several scholarships totaling $20,000.
  Applicants must be an individual with a [...] More

• The Anne Ford Scholarship

• Application Deadline: 11/12/2020
• Amount: $10,000
• The Anne Ford Scholarship is a $10,000 scholarship ($2,500/year over four years) granted to a graduating high school senior with a documented learning disability who will be enrolled in a full-time bachelor's degree program in the fall. Applicants must be a graduating high school senior who will be attending a four-year bachelor's degree program in the fall; have an overall 3.0 GPA, demonstrate [...] More

• The Armando J. de Moya Scholarship

• Application Deadline: 3/1/2020
• Amount: $5,000
• The Armando J. de Moya Scholarship will be awarded to an undergraduate student pursuing a bachelor's degree in civil Engineering at the University of Florida, Gainesville, who shows financial need, has completed a minimum of 59 credit hours, and needs financial support to complete their studies. Applicants must maintain a 3.0 GPA at the University of Florida (UF), be a Florida resident, be [...] More

• The de Moya Foundation Tutoring Support Scholarships

• Application Deadline: 5/20/2020
• Amount: $2,500
• The Foundation provides scholarships for students who are interested in the engineering, construction, and transportation industries, who need financial support, tutoring, or employment support to succeed in preparing for competitive employment. Two tutoring scholarships will be awarded, one to a high school student and one to a college student who wishes to pursue a bachelor's degree in a [...] More

• The Joseph Mahoney Memorial Scholarship

• Application Deadline: 4/15/2020
• Amount: $2,500
• The mission of Diabetes Scholars Foundation is to support activities related to education for and about children with diabetes. This includes but is not limited to funding scholarships for diabetes education conferences and higher education.
  The Joseph Mahoney Memorial Scholarship awards one (1) $2,500 scholarship to a high school junior or senior with Type 1 diabetes who is attending West [...] More

• The Josh Smith Memorial Scholarship

• Application Deadline: 4/15/2020
• Amount: $1,000
• The mission of Diabetes Scholars Foundation is to support activities related to education for and about children with diabetes. This includes but is not limited to funding scholarships for diabetes education conferences and higher education.
  The Josh Smith Memorial Scholarship awards one (1) $1,000 scholarship to an incoming freshman with Type 1 diabetes and residing in Ohio. For more [...] More

• The Pinnacol Foundation College Scholarship Program

• Application Deadline: 2/15/2021
• Amount: $4,500
• The Pinnacol Foundation College Scholarship Program ensures that the children of seriously injured and killed Colorado workers have the opportunity to pursue their dreams by continuing their education. Applicants must be the natural child, adopted child, stepchild or full dependent of a worker who was injured or killed in a compensable work-related accident during the course and scope of [...] More

• The R.L. Gillette Scholarship

• Application Deadline: 4/1/2020
• Amount: $1,000
• The American Foundation for the Blind removes barriers, creates solutions, and expands possibilities so people with vision loss can achieve their full potential.

  All applicants must be U.S. citizens or naturalized citizens. All applications must include the following items, without exception:
  -Completed online application including all sections of the essay
  -Official transcripts
  -Two [...] More

• Tommy Tranchin Award

• Application Deadline: 3/13/2020
• Amount: $1,500
• The Tommy Tranchin Award was established at The Dallas Foundation to support students with physical, emotional or intellectual disabilities who have shown promise or passion in a chosen field of interest. To be eligible: you are a student in North Texas in grade level 8 - 12; you have a physical, emotional or intellectual disability; you want to participate in an activity that will help [...] More

• UCB Family Epilepsy Scholarship

• Application Deadline: 2/5/2021
• Amount: $5,000
• 30 scholarships of up to $5,000 each will be awarded to outstanding applicants who demonstrate academic and personal achievement. In addition, two Epilepsy Leader Scholarships of $10,000 each will be awarded to outstanding applicants who demonstrate academic and personal achievement as well as a passion for advocacy, serving the epilepsy community and a persevering spirit. Applicants must be a [...] More

• Virginia Military Survivors & Dependents Education Program

• Application Deadline: Varies
• Amount: Varies
• The purpose of VMSDEP is to provide undergraduate or other postsecondary education to eligible participants by providing a waiver of tuition and all required fees associated with tuition at any public institution of higher education or other public accredited postsecondary institution granting a degree, diploma, or certificate in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Benefits are available for up to 36 [...] More

• VSA Emerging Young Artists Program

• Application Deadline: 6/9/2020
• Amount: $20,000
• The VSA Emerging Young Artists Program, a Jean Kennedy Smith Arts and Disability Program, recognizes and showcases the work of emerging young artists with disabilities, ages 16-25, living in the United States. Fifteen artists will be selected by a jury. Grand Prize is $20,000, First Prize is $10,000, Second Prize is $6,000, and the remaining Awards of Excellence are $2,000 each. Selected winning [...] More

• Wings Over America Scholarships

• Application Deadline: 3/1/2020
• Amount: Varies
• The Wings Over America Scholarship Foundation is sponsoring scholarships to further the post-secondary education of deserving students. Scholarships are to be used only for tuition and tuition-based fees charged by the college for A.A, A.S., B.A, B.S. or technical certification. This is for undergraduate work only. Applicants must be dependents of active duty members or former members (retired, [...] More

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