Chronic Illness scholarships for disabilities are available to students who are interested in getting degrees through institutions of high learning but are also living with chronic diseases. The programs designed for this purpose are very often inspired under the hope that by providing some financial assistance students with chronic diseases will be able to better attend school with fewer worries on their minds. Students who have lived their entire lives with a disease, or some portion of a recurring and debilitating illness, have often struggled quite enough as it is. By relieving the financial burden of higher education costs their lives are in all hopes made a little easier.
Such illness scholarships are provided at many different levels – nationally in some instances by large non-profits and regionally by colleges or groups with more local mandates. Those students who have lived their lives with a chronic illness should consider these programs. However, interested students should know that not all programs are designed with all diseases in mind, and they should look over eligibility requirements to make sure that the chronic illness scholarship they are interested in does in fact apply to them.
Amongst the organizations which provide chronic illness scholarships, the Foundation for Science and Disability gives out multiple $1,000 awards every year. This particular illness scholarship is specifically offered to graduate students looking to continue their education. All applicants must be studying a STEM course (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and must also be citizens of the United States. Applicants should also be suffering from a disability for chronic illness which otherwise incapacitates them. The deadline for this program is December 1.
The Incight Education program provides a varying number of scholarships every year which range from $750 to $1,000. This program is limited to students who are suffering from a chronic condition which is debilitating. While the number of recipients varies, in 2010 over 80 different students received awards from the organization. There are very few eligibility requirements for this program outside of having a documented chronic disability and attending school full time. Deadlines for future academic cycles will be posted on the Incight website, so students should pay attention and stay tuned. Interesting to note about this program is the potential of going to a “matching” partner school. This illness scholarship allows students who are attending specific schools to have their award amount matched by the institution they are attending. Students interested in this option should review the schools which participate in the matching program.
Not all chronic illness scholarships for disabilities are available only through these nationally oriented programs. Many different universities provide their own illness scholarships which students should be interested in considering. Those students interested in finding chronic illness scholarships at their own academic institution should consider checking with their local office of Continuing Education or Department of Financial Aid. The Timothy Weise Memorial Scholarship is a good example of such a program available at San Francisco State University. The award amount given out by this program is $600. All applicants will need to have at least a 2.5 grade point average, have a financial need as shown by their FAFSA filing, and be registered with the school’s Office of Disability Resources. Students who are enrolled in a graduate program at San Francisco State University will be able to apply for this illness scholarship as well but must maintain a 3.0 grade point average.
Chronic illness scholarships largely focus around those conditions which cause debilitating effects in their victims. Not all programs are equal, but all provide something which a student will be able to use. Students who are suffering from exceptional disabilities should also consider making use of equipment scholarships which are also offered by many organizations or schools which help provide assistance for equipment an individual may need to make their student experience better in the long run. Students should find that organizations and schools offering illness scholarships are genuinely interested in providing them the support they need to have a successful run in their chosen college, and interested applicants should consider all available options at their disposal.