Many students are faced with the question of how to fund their college education. This dilemma may be even greater for students with disabilities who may have greater expenses depending on any auxiliary services they may need (i.e. personal assistants, tutors, equipment, medical treatment, etc.).
There are several resources for financial aid for students with disabilities.
- Texas A&M University Scholarships
- State Agencies: Texas Workforce Commission and Health & Human Services Commission
- Federal Financial Aid
- General Information about potential funding sources (DO-IT)
- Web Resources
Texas A&M University Scholarships
All students at Texas A&M are encouraged to apply for scholarships that are administered by the university. The deadline for most of the scholarships is March 1st. Information and online applications for the following TAMU scholarships are available on the Student Financial Aid web page (http://financialaid.tamu.edu/):
- Academic Excellence Award
- Academic Incentive Award
- Opportunity Award
- Two Year College Transfer Scholarship
- TAMU Scholarships for Students with Disabilities
State Agencies: Texas Workforce Commission and Health & Human Services Commission
Note: As of September 1, 2016, programs and services previously administered or delivered by the former Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services (DARS) have been transferred by the Texas Legislature to the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) or the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC).
Students with disabilities should contact their local TWC or HHSC office to determine if they are eligible for services and/or financial assistance. The primary goal of these agencies is to help people become employed. Services that may be provided include: help with tuition expenses, books and supplies, tutoring expenses, technology aids, etc.
Tuition and Fee Exemptions
If you are a Texas state resident who is legally blind or legally deaf attending a public university in the State of Texas, you may be eligible for a tuition and fee exemption. If you qualify, your exemption can be used at any Texas state institution. For more information read more details at the College for All Texans web page on exemptions.
Certificates of Blindness and Certificates of Deafness should be sent directly to the Student Business Services office via their exemption and waiver guidelines in order for the exemption to be applied to the student’s account (by mail, fax, email or in person):
Student Business Services
6001 TAMU
College Station, TX 77843-6001
FAX to 979-845-9406
Email to sbs@tamu.edu
In person to General Services Complex, Suite 2801
Be sure to include full name and UIN #
Federal Financial Aid
Applications for the following financial aid programs are available at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/
- Stafford Loans
- PLUS Loans
- Direct Loans
- Pell Grants
- Perkins Loans
- Work-Study
The above programs are federally administered loans and grants, many of which require repayment.
Web Resources
The following websites may be helpful in finding information about scholarships for students with disabilities:
Scholarship Searches
- TAMU Scholarships – https://scholarships.tamu.edu
- http://www.scholarships.com
- https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/scholarship-search
- http://www.scholarshipsandgrants.us
- https://www.fastweb.com
- http://www.tstc.edu/financialaid/addscholarship
- http://www.college-scholarships.com
- http://www.smartscholar.com/
- https://www.nitrocollege.com/scholarships/disabilities
ADHD/ADD
Deaf/Hard of Hearing
Epilepsy
- Epilepsy Foundation
https://www.epilepsy.com/learn/age-groups/youth/work-and-college/scholarship
Health Related Disabilities
- Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Scholarship
http://www.cff.org/LivingWithCF/Scholarships/ - Eric Marder Scholarship Program of The Immune Deficiency Foundation
http://www.ericsfund.org/scholarships.html - Matt Stauffer Memorial Scholarship
- http://ulmanfund.org/scholarships/
- National Hemophilia Foundation Scholarships
http://www.hemophilia.org/NHFWeb/MainPgs/MainNHF.aspx?menuid=53&contentid=36 - National MS Society’s scholarship program
http://www.nationalmssociety.org/Resources-Support/Insurance-and-Financial-Information/Financial-Resources/Scholarship-Program - Ross Maxwell Memorial Scholarship (childhood cancer)
http://www.accooncampus.org/tamu/scholarship/
Internships
- Entrypoint
http://www.entrypoint.org - The Washington Center
http://www.twc.edu - American Association of People with Disabilities
http://www.aapd.com/
Learning Disabilities
- FinAid
http://www.finaid.org/otheraid/ld.phtml - P. Buckley Moss Society Scholarship & Anne Ford and Allegra Ford Thomas Scholarships
http://www.ncld.org/scholarships-and-awards
Physical Disabilities
- 1800Wheelchair Scholarship
https://www.1800wheelchair.com/scholarship/ - Avacare Medical Scholarship
https://avacaremedical.com/scholarship - Foundation for Science and Disability, Inc.
http://www.cfnc.org/Gateway?command=GetBasedProgramDetail¬e=no&type=9&vocType=-1&vocational=no&id=108 (Must contact Rebecca Smith of S&D for information.) - Karman Healthcare Scholarship Fund
http://www.karmanhealthcare.com/scholarships/ - Kristofer Robinson Scholarship
https://cftexas.academicworks.com/opportunities/1440 - May’s Mission for the Handicapped
http://www.maysmission.org/programs.html - Medical Scrubs Collection Scholarship
https://medicalscrubscollection.com/scholarship-program - Murse World Scholarship
https://www.murseworld.com/scholarship - National Amputation Scholarships
http://nationalamputation.org/scholar1.html - SpinLife Scholarship
https://www.spinlife.com/scholarship
Schizophrenia
- Lilly Reintegration Scholarship
http://www.reintegration.com/scholarship-program/
Spina Bifida
- Spina Bifida Association of America
http://spinabifidaassociation.org/scholarships/
Unspecified
- disABLEDperson, Inc.
https://www.disabledperson.com/scholarships/26 - Yes I Can! Foundation for Exceptional Children
http://www.cec.sped.org/About-Us/CEC-Award-Programs/CEC-Student-Awards - Horatio Alger Association Scholarship Program
http://www.horatioalger.com - Google Lime Scholarship
https://www.limeconnect.com/programs/page/scholarships - For those looking to attend Law School:
http://surgicalwatch.com/scholarship-award/ - Vitality Medical Scholarship:
http://www.vitalitymedical.com/scholarship - The Springboard Foundation
https://springboardfoundation.org - Flora Marie Jenkins Memorial Disability Scholarship
http://www.disabilitydenials.com/disability-scholarship - Scooter ‘N Chairs Scholarship
https://www.scootersnchairs.com/pages/2019-student-scholarship
Visually Impaired
- National Federation of the Blind
https://nfb.org/scholarships - National Federation of the Blind of Texas
https://www.nfbtx.org/scholarships.php - American Foundation for the Blind
http://www.afb.org/Section.asp?Documentid=2962 - Christian Record Services for the Blind
https://christianrecord.org/member-services/scholarship/ - Blind Veterans Association
http://www.bva.org/services.html - American Council of the Blind of Texas, Inc.
http://www.acbtexas.org - Learning Ally National Achievement Awards
http://www.learningally.org/NAA - Emma Freeman College Scholarship Fund
https://www.salighthouse.org/programs/emma-freeman-scholarship