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Scholarships for Students With Disabled Parents

Many circumstances can make paying for a college education difficult. One such circumstance is having a disabled parent. If one or both of your parents are disabled, you may qualify for scholarships for students with disabled parents.

Scholarships are a form of student aid you don’t need to repay. This makes them a terrific starting point when looking for ways to cover college expenses.

5 scholarships for students with disabled parents

The scholarships below are available to students with disabled parents.

ScholarshipValue
Appily$1,000
PVA$1,000 – $2,500
BVA$1,000 – $2,000
PreJax Foundation$1,000
Mesothelioma.com$4,000

Appily Easy Money Scholarship

  • Value: $1,000
  • Must create an Appily account to apply

The Appily Easy Money Scholarship is available to all students enrolled in high school or college or those who plan to enroll in the next 12 months. This is not a disabled parent scholarship, but those with a disabled parent are eligible. Appily doesn’t have an essay or minimum GPA requirement to apply.

Other requirements
  • Must be a U.S. resident
  • Must provide your mailing address
  • Must enroll at an accredited college or university located in the United States
  • Your application grants Appily permission to post your name on Appily.com or in other marketing communications if awarded the scholarship
  • Must submit a current photo and publicity release granting Appily permission to use your photo on Appily.com and in other marketing communications

Paralyzed Veterans of America Scholarship

  • Value: Up to $2,500
  • Essay required
  • Must be accepted and enrolled as a full-time or part-time student in an accredited U.S. college or university

Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) is offering $2,500 to full-time students and $1,000 to part-time students for PVA members and their immediate families through its Educational Scholarship Program. To become a member, you must be a U.S. citizen, a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces, and have a spinal cord injury or disease.

The scholarship doesn’t have GPA requirements, and the essay to apply is a personal statement of up to 750 words.

Other requirements
  • Applicant must be a PVA member, the spouse of a PVA member, or an unmarried child (under 24 years of age) who is dependent on the member for principal support
  • Must be a U.S. citizen
  • Verification of enrollment
  • Academic transcript
  • 2 letters of recommendation

Blinded Veterans Association Scholarship

  • Value: Up to $2,000
  • Essay required
  • No GPA requirements

The Blinded Veterans Association (BVA) is a national nonprofit that has provided service to blinded veterans for over 74 years. To become a member, the veteran must be legally blind. Blindness doesn’t need to be connected to service. The nonprofit awards six scholarships for $2,000 and for $1,000 to dependent children, grandchildren, or spouses.

You’ll submit a 300-word essay on your post-education and lifetime career goals, and you must be accepted for admission or enrolled as a full-time student in an accredited institution of higher education or a business, secretarial, or vocational training school.

Other requirements
  • High school or college transcripts
  • 3 letters of reference

The PreJax Foundation Scholarship

  • Value: $1,000
  • Essay required
  • No GPA requirements

The PreJax Foundation is a nonprofit providing college tuition assistance in the form of $1,000 scholarships to students who have a parent with multiple sclerosis (MS) or who themselves have been diagnosed with MS.

You must be a current high school senior, high school graduate, or current undergraduate student of any age. You’ll submit a 500-word personal statement along with your application.

Other requirements
  • Must be a U.S. citizen or legal resident living in the U.S., Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, or other U.S. territory
  • Enroll in at least 12 credit hours per semester in coursework leading to a first-time degree, license, or certificate
  • High school transcript, college transcript, or GED
  • 2 letters of reference (can’t be immediate family)
  • Signed letter from a medical doctor

Mesothelioma.com Scholarship

  • Value: $4,000
  • Essay required
  • 3.0 or higher GPA

The Mesothelioma.com scholarship is a $4,000 award to one student whose life has been affected by cancer. If you’ve battled a form of cancer yourself, or have witnessed a family member receiving treatment for cancer, you are eligible to apply.

You must be enrolled full-time at an accredited two-year or four-year university, community college or junior college, or a graduate degree program, and submit a 500- to 1,500-word essay when you apply.

Other requirements
  • Must have battled a form of cancer or have an immediate family member or close friend that has or is fighting cancer
  • Must be a U.S. citizen
  • Unofficial academic transcript
  • Proof of enrollment
  • 2 letters of recommendation
  • Information about any honors you’ve earned as well as any volunteer work

Recap of scholarships for students with disabled parents

ScholarshipValue
Appily$1,000
PVA$1,000 – $2,500
BVA$1,000 – $2,000
PreJax Foundation$1,000
Mesothelioma.com$4,000

Next steps

If you aren’t eligible for the disabled parent scholarships above or would like to view more options, check out the guides below: