Do You Have a Health Condition?
Look for Scholarship Programs to Finance College Expenses
When it comes to trying to finance a college education, it is fairly understood that the financial burden can be ominous for most students.
Factor in a major medical problem and the goal becomes even more insurmountable.
Students either trying to pursue college after dealing with a serious medical condition or disease, or those who are interrupted in the midst of a degree program all face a variety of challenges not the typical territory of the everyday, healthy student.
Students with Cancer and Other Life Threatening Diseases
Consider the student battling any type of cancer. Not only can such a disease jar one's physical vitality, but the emotional and psychological barriers that develop due to a major life-threatening disease often put any goal of a college education at serious risk, along with other dreams and lifelong aspirations. An individual fighting cancer may often lose hope, lose sight of any kind of future that most individuals take for granted. Everyday tasks become difficult, especially when debilitating treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation become necessary.
Organizations devoted to the overall health of the cancer patient or survivor often have educational funds that serve any number of purposes and situations. There are those cancer patients who may never have pursued an education, versus those that might have been interrupted in the midst of an undergraduate or graduate program. Money is often available to those that may only be able to attend college on a less than part time basis or in semester-size chunks. Scholarships such as these are extremely valuable to ill students, especially since mainstream scholarships typically require a full-time, uninterrupted commitment to a scholastic schedule.
Families under normal circumstances must scrimp and save for college, but imagine the spiritual, emotional, and financial challenges that the family with multiple college age children must face while trying to support one in battling cancer. Finances of course become prioritized on medical bills. Organizations such as SuperSibs! respects the fact that siblings of cancer patients suffer also. These adjunct populations affected by disease often require monetary assistance with education as well as their afflicted kin.
The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America awards a half-dozen scholarships each year to applicants that can best articulate the nuances of multiple sclerosis. The scholarship is not exclusive to those suffering with the disease, but students who are challenged by MS might have the best insight into the disease as well as its impact on their lives or the lives of loved ones. Contact them at this address:
706 Haddonfield Road
Cherry Hill NJ 08002 .
We have a section on these types of cancer-related scholarships if you want more resources.
Asthma and Allergies
Students with Asthma or who suffer from allergic reactions have options from merit to essay-based scholarships.
Diabetes
Students with Diabetes should take their shot at funding from a few organizations and inquire about disability status with the college of attendance.
Students with Physical and Learning Disabilities
The University of Delaware is just one example of a post-secondary institution that specializes in providing a college experience to even those students struggling with physical disabilities or learning disabilities (LDs), as well as other medical conditions. Students with sight, hearing or mobility problems, or those who are challenged academically by dyslexia or ADHD, may be eligible for scholarship assistance with the university. The program emphasizes the inclusion of all types of students even those most disadvantaged and often under-served by more traditional assistance programs.
Students with ADD, ADHD, dyslexia and other learning disabilities have traditionally faced difficult, even uncomfortable, educational situations. The prospect of college is daunting and scholarships and grants for such specialized situations are not easy to come by. Students may look for a copy of the book, Colleges for Students with Learning Disabilities, which may be a valuable resource in the search for scholarship funds.
A prominent scholarship program offered to LD students is the Anne Ford Scholarship for College-Bound Students with Learning Disabilities. Administered by the National Association for Learning Disabilities, this program provides up to $10,000 to a deserving LD student enrolled in any field of study.
More serious problems such as autism require even more digging to turn up scholarship monies. You might start by exploring vocational and career-oriented college programs that provide a much more nuclear focus, including career and lifestyle development components. The Autism Society of America administers a number of notable scholarships to organizations and schools that offer exemplary programs to individuals or students with autism. Also, their Eden Services Charles Hoens, Jr., Scholars Program provides a monetary award to a student with autism who is pursuing an undergraduate, graduate or vocational/technical program.
For more options, go to our disability scholarship page.
Contributions of Pharmaceutical Companies
Epilepsy can affect the lives of individuals in many different ways. Seizures may be unpredictable at various times throughout a person's life and some epileptics suffer more chronically than others. Regardless of frequency or severity, all report serious disruptions in a normal daily life, which may imperil work, family and educational goals. Pfizer, a leading pharmaceutical company, has not only continued to be a pioneer in the development of viable medications in the treatment of epilepsy, but their scholarship program continues to help fund the college dreams of many students challenged by epilepsy.
The Lilly Moving Lives Forward Reintegration Scholarship is aimed at providing college funding for students who have had their academic lives disrupted by mental illness, such as bipolar disorder and depression.
Medical Conditions Scholarships Versus Mainstream Scholarships
Scholarships for students with medical conditions are often a bit different from others. Of note are those that allow students to enroll in part-time or less than part-time degree programs without penalty. In contrast, most mainstream scholarships require a full-time commitment.
In many cases, the criteria that remain the same are those of academic drive and excellence.
