Scholarships for Students with Learning Disabilities

We've written before about college scholarships intended for students with learning and related challenges. These posts have looked at general guidelines for seeking and getting scholarship aid, as well as a few specific scholarship opportunities. Scholarship opportunities change each year, and it is important to stay up to date about which organizations are offering scholarships and when the deadlines are for applying. Our colleagues at Advocates for Children of New York have shared a list of college scholarship opportunities that are intended for students with disabilities. These are:

The National Center for Learning Disabilities offers two Anne Ford and Allegra Ford Thomas Scholarships to students with learning disabilities and/or ADHD. The deadline to apply is November 12, 2018.  Wells Fargo offers scholarships to students with disabilities - not just learning or attention issues. There is a deadline of  December 6, 2018 to submit an application -- or when 700 applications are received, whichever comes first.  The RiSE Scholarship Foundation offers scholarships for students with learning disabilities and/or autism spectrum disorders. The deadline to submit an application is January 31, 2019.  Microsoft offers "disAbility"scholarships to students with disabilities who plan to study engineering, computer science, law, business, or a related field. The deadline to apply is March 15, 2019.  Another source for potential scholarship funds for students with learning disabilities is available online . Note that this site includes a couple of the programs listed above, as well as a number of scholarships with geographic limitations (just for students who reside in a specific state). Still, it is worth a look.  It is important to carefully look at any scholarship before applying. In addition to making sure you comply with deadlines and any specific eligibility requirements, you should check out the sponsoring organization to make sure it is legitimate before you share any of your personal information. And consider speaking to your high school guidance counselor to discuss both the programs listed here and to get any other suggestions he or she may have for funding.  We will look at the most important source of outside college funding -- FAFSA -- in an upcoming post. In the meantime, you should be aware that the FAFSA for aid for the 2019-20 school year is now available and you should be mindful of the several deadlines for submission.  Photo by Michael Longmire on Unsplash

Tips for National Scholarship Month

Happy National Scholarship Month! College costs are on the rise (a recent calculation from Bloomberg estimates tuition costs 1200% more than it did in 1978), but a college education is more important than ever. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, a young person with a bachelor’s degree can expect to earn about $20,000 more each year than a peer with only a high school diploma. Loans are one option, but we encourage young people to apply for as many scholarships as possible; it will cost only time, and students could end up earning substantial funds to put toward their school fees.

 courtesy pictures of money via flickr:cc

Here are some helpful tips for scholarship applications, culled from the National Scholarship Providers Association and our own research:

• Many scholarship providers send information to high school counselors. Students should visit their counselor’s office periodically to check for scholarship opportunities applicable to them.

• High school seniors should talk to representatives from the admissions or financial aid departments at their college (they may have to wait until they are accepted) to find out what kind of financial aid is available. Those who know what they’ll major In should communicate with that particular department as well; sometimes, departments will offer (or know of) scholarships available for students in certain fields of study. 

• Fill out the FAFSA as soon as it becomes available in early January (a very recent change permits using information from the prior year, allowing families to have the required information to submit earlier than in the past). Students should do this ASAP; there is evidence that those who complete the FAFSA early receive more scholarship money.

• Students should use resources like www.scholarships.com and www.fastweb.com. Local organizations like the Rotary Club, the Lions Club, community foundations, and private foundations are also good sources for scholarship information. Other websites that may be helpful are www.finaid.org and edvisors.com, for all things dealing with financial aid. 

• If a student knows what she will study or what line of work she will go into, she should look into organizations—both local and national—that may offer scholarship money to young people studying to enter particular fields. Insider tip: Local scholarships tend to award less money but a student’s odds of being awarded a local scholarship are much higher. Students should prioritize accordingly and be sure to apply for as many local or smaller scholarships as possible.

• Look into work-study opportunities, or consider a working part-time. Lots of time in college is unstructured and many students find they have time to take on a job. And studies show that students who work part-time tend to develop better time-management skills, often leading to better grades.

• Here’s another insider tip: After a student has been accepted, received his financial aid package, and been awarded any private scholarships, he should crunch some numbers to determine whether there is a large gap between amount of aid he has earned and the amount of tuition he and his family can afford to contribute. If he will not be able to afford college even with aid, he should ask his school about options for appeal. Many colleges have an appeal process that may yield more aid if a student’s campaign is successful. There is no guarantee, of course, and students should not take advantage of the system unless there is genuine need.

Finally, a cautionary note: DO NOT pay for scholarship or financial aid information. Frequently, these are scams, and even if some of these for-profit services are legitimate, there are too many free resources to make the cost worthwhile.

With thanks to our friends at Newsday's College Prep Talk, we want to share some lesser known but helpful sites for students applying to college. We hope that this year's seniors have their applications in and are waiting for news (and know that students applying early admission will have received their responses). But for high school juniors and sophomores and their parents, this is the time to start thinking ahead about how to select a college -- and how to pay for it.

If you missed the webinar on this topic, in which your blogger was joined by a college guidance counselor and an admissions officer, you can still view it on demand -- just click on the "To Register" button on the Newsday webinar website.

In the meantime, check out the following sites, all of which are free but which require registration:

Fastweb - offers information on scholarships and matching students with available scholarships. 

Cappex - matches students with colleges and recommends scholarship sources. 

Zinch - another matching services for both colleges and scholarships. Here, the information is provided to college representatives, who may then reach out to students.

College Prowler - a discussion board for a variety of college questions that also features a tool to assess your chances of being admitted to a particular school.

This might also be a good time for sophomores and juniors with learning disabilities and ADHD to pick up a copy of the award winning book Life After High School: A Guide for Students with Disabilities and Their Families, which includes numerous resources, including helpful websites.

Scholarships for Students with ADHD

We are often asked about college scholarships for students with learning or attention issues, and find it frustrating when we have to answer that such scholarships are rare indeed. So, with the deadline approaching for one such program, and several others coming up, we thought it would be a good time to take a look at this topic.

The Anne Ford Scholarship and Allegra Ford Thomas Scholarship both have an application deadline of December 31, 2012. These scholarships were established by Anne Ford, former Chairman of the Board of the National Center for Learning Disabilities and her daughter, Allegra, whose challenges with learning and related issues were chronicled in the book Laughing Allegra. The Anne Ford scholarship is an annual $2,500 award for each of  four years for a student with a documented learning disability who will be pursuing a full-time bachelor's degree. The Allegra Ford Thomas scholarship provides a one-time $2,500 award for a student who will be enrolled in a two-year community college, a vocational or technical training program, or a specialized program for students with learning disabilities.

Shire, a pharmaceutical company that manufactures medications for ADHD, will offer a $2,000 scholarship and a year of coaching to fifty students who will be attending a college, university, technical school, or vocational school. Applications are due by March 27, 2013.

Learning Ally (formerly Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic) offers the Marion Huber Learning Through Listening (LTL) awards, which provide six scholarships for students with specific learning disabilities. Applicants must be a member of Learning Ally. The awards for the three top winners are $6,000 each and three special honors winners receive $2,000 each. The deadline for the next awards is March 15, 2013.

A helpful resource for scholarships and other financial aspects of college is available on the website of the College Board. Students and parents should also become familiar with FAFSA, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

Photo: CC by Tax Credits

Preparing to Face College Tuition: The Net Price Calculator

Everyone knows college is getting more and more expensive. Each year, it seems, institutions across the country hike up tuition a little more. However, are rate hikes as steep a they seem? A recent analysis by NPR's financial blog Planet Money found that just as college sticker prices have risen, available scholarship and grant money is on the rise too. The upswing in tuition and grants almost matches, meaning that the net cost of attending college may actually not have risen as much as is popularly believed.

This sounds like great news, but what can students realistically expect to pay? To help families grapple with this question as they prepare to confront the cost of sending their children to universities, colleges are now required to post a very useful net price calculator on their websites. Planet Money explains that the calculator poses questions about the student's performance and his/her family's financial situation, then calculates what the likely tuition will be. For many students, the cost is considerably lower than the advertised sticker price once applicable scholarships and grants are figured in. The National Center for Education Statistics has a  useful page containing more information about the calculator; it's worth a visit for anyone who plans to pay for higher education in the near future.

Photo: ImagesofMoney/Flickr Creative Commons

Awards for Smart Kids with Learning Challenges

Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities, a nonprofit organization based in Connecticut, has announced its 2012 Youth Achievement Award Contest, a nationwide program providing an award of $1,000 to a student 19 or younger who demonstrates initiative, talent and determination resulting in a notable accomplishment in any field -- including art, music, science, math, athletics or community service. There will also be Honorable Mention awards. The application for the 2012 Award is due February 28, 2012.

Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities has a helpful website with information for parents about learning and attention difficulties, including the legal aspects of special education and age-specific concerns. The website and their newsletters feature articles by well-regarded names in the fields of learning and advocacy. The current Honorary Chair of Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities is Henry Winkler, the actor, director, and producer, who is also the co-author of the Hank Zipzer book series for children, which is based upon Winkler's own struggles with dyslexia.

Other awards and scholarships specifically for students with learning differences include the Anne Ford Scholarship, which provides $10,000 over four years for students enrolling in a full time four-year college program in the fall of 2012, and the newer Allegra Ford Scholarship, offering a one-time $2,500 award to a student who will be attending a two-year college, a vocational program, or a specialized program for students with learning challenges. Both are organized by the National Center for Learning Disabilities. The deadlines for both scholarships are coming up soon -- December 31, 2011. Anne Ford wrote about her daughter Allegra's learning issues in a moving book, Laughing Allegra.


Marion Huber Learning Through Listening awards are presented to members of Learning Ally (formerly Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic) which supplies audio books to qualified students. This award is presented to high school seniors with learning disabilities, in recognition of academic excellence, outstanding leadership, and service to others. the awards are given to six students who are chosen by a selection committee. Learning Ally presents the three top winners $6,000 each and three special honors winners $2,000 each. The application deadline for the next awards is March 15, 2012.