Scholarships for Students With Disabilities
Explore scholarships for students with disabilities to make college more affordable.
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Updated on January 26, 2026
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As college gets more expensive, it’s important to explore all your options to lower the cost of school. As a student with a disability, you can qualify for dozens of private scholarships that you don’t have to pay back.
To maximize the amount of financial aid you can get for college, BestColleges compiled scholarships for those with disabilities like deafness, visual impairment, or developmental disabilities.
Scholarships for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students
Below, you’ll find some scholarships specifically for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Sertoma Hard of Hearing or Deaf Scholarship
- Who Is Eligible: High school seniors or undergraduate students attending a four-year college full-time with 40dB bilateral hearing loss
- Application Deadline: March 31
- Scholarship Amount: $1,000
Cochlear Academic or Vocational Scholarship
- Who Is Eligible: U.S. citizens who are Cochlear Nucleus, Baha, or Osia recipients and are graduating high school seniors, undergraduates, or graduate students
- Application Deadline: September 30
- Scholarship Amount: $2,000 annually for up to four years
Help America Hear Scholarship
- Who Is Eligible: High school seniors with hearing loss that requires the use of hearing aids or cochlear implants in their daily life
- Application Deadline: March 29
- Scholarship Amount: $2,000 and two Resound prescription hearing aids
George H. Nofer Scholarship for Law
- Who Is Eligible: Law school students with moderate to severe pre-lingual bilateral hearing loss who use listening and speaking skills as their primary mode of communication
- Application Deadline: March 9
- Scholarship Amount: Up to $5,000
Gallaudet’s Merit-Based Scholarship Awards
- Who Is Eligible: Gallaudet University, a private university catering to deaf and hard of hearing students, offers merit-based scholarships to students with outstanding academic and personal achievements. Students are automatically considered for scholarships once admitted.
- Application Deadline: Considered in your application
- Scholarship Amount: Varies
Scholarships for Students With Visual Impairments
Find some scholarships that help students with visual impairments pay for college.
Team See Possibilities Scholarship
- Who Is Eligible: High school seniors, undergraduates, graduate students, or trade school students who are legally blind
- Application Deadline: April 30
- Scholarship Amount: $5,000
Lighthouse Guild Scholarships
- Who Is Eligible: Incoming college first-year students, current college students, or students planning to attend graduate school who are legally blind
- Application Deadline: February 28
- Scholarship Amount: Varies
Mary P. Oenslager Scholastic Achievement Awards
- Who Is Eligible: Students pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree who are blind or visually impaired, have an active Learning Ally subscription, and have added at least one book in the past 12 months
- Application Deadline: December 31
- Scholarship Amount: $2,000 or $6,000
American Council of the Blind’s Scholarship Program
- Who Is Eligible: Technical school, undergraduate, or graduate students who are legally blind
- Application Deadline: February 14
- Scholarship Amount: $2,000 to $7,500
National Federation of the Blind’s Scholarship Program
- Who Is Eligible: Students who are legally blind in both eyes, residing in the U.S., and pursuing or planning to pursue a full-time, post-secondary course of study in a degree program at a United States institution in the fall
- Application Deadline: March 31
- Scholarship Amount: $10,000
Scholarships for Students With Developmental Disabilities
If you have a developmental disability, here are some scholarships you might be eligible for.
Ruby’s Rainbow College Scholarship
- Who Is Eligible: Students with Down syndrome who are at least 18 years old or will turn 18 by August 1 of the application year
- Application Deadline: April 21
- Scholarship Amount: $1,000-$10,000
Adults With Autism Scholarship
- Who Is Eligible: Autism Delaware offers this scholarship to adults in the state seeking a college degree or postsecondary certification; applicants must provide a cover letter discussing career plans, a resume, letters of recommendation, and evidence of an Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Application Deadline: TBD
- Scholarship Amount: $1,000
Kerry Magro Scholarship Program
- Who Is Eligible: Autistic students enrolled in college in the 2026-27 year
- Application Deadline: April 28
- Scholarship Amount: $500
ABC Law Centers Cerebral Palsy Scholarship
- Who Is Eligible: College students with cerebral palsy and a minimum 3.0 GPA
- Application Deadline: July 31
- Scholarship Amount: $1,000
Synchrony Scholarship for Autistic Students of Color
- Who Is Eligible: Autistic students from an underrepresented racial/ethnic group attending postsecondary undergraduate institutions, including trade schools
- Application Deadline: April 20
- Scholarship Amount: $3,000
Scholarships for Students With Psychiatric Disabilities
Here are some scholarships for students with psychiatric disabilities, such as anxiety and bipolar disorder.
Jared Monroe Foundation Scholarship
- Who Is Eligible: Undergraduate or graduate students with a bipolar diagnosis who are currently receiving treatment
- Application Deadline: May 1
- Scholarship Amount: $250-$2,300
The Center for Reintegration Scholarship Program
- Who Is Eligible: High school-equivalent, trade school, associate, bachelor’s, graduate, or postbaccalaureate students diagnosed with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or schizoaffective disorder receiving treatment and actively involved in rehabilitative or reintegration efforts
- Application Deadline: January 31
- Scholarship Amount: Varies
Bryent Smothermon PTSD Awareness Scholarship
- Who Is Eligible: Military veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder from service — as well as their children and spouses — who are currently enrolled in school
- Application Deadline: May 14
- Scholarship Amount: $1,000
Other Scholarships for Students With Disabilities
The following are more scholarships for students with disabilities. You may also be able to find additional scholarship resources through your employer, private foundations, or civic organizations.
180 Medical Scholarship Program
- Who Is Eligible: Full-time students in a two-year, four-year, or graduate program with spinal cord injury, spina bifida, transverse myelitis, bladder exstrophy, neurogenic bladder, or an ostomy
- Application Deadline: June 1
- Scholarship Amount: $1,000
Lime Connect Pathways Scholarship for High School Seniors
- Who Is Eligible: Current high school students with a visible or invisible disability who plan to attend a four-year university in the U.S. or Canada
- Application Deadline: TBD
- Scholarship Amount: $1,000
BMO Capital Markets Equity Through Education Scholarship
- Who Is Eligible: Current undergraduate and graduate students with a visible or invisible disability in the U.S. or Canada pursuing a degree in business/commerce, computer science, engineering, math, physics, statistics, or a related discipline
- Application Deadline: April 7
- Scholarship Amount: $10,000 for U.S. students and $5,000 for Canadian students
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