If you’re a high school or college student living with asthma, it is worth seeing if you qualify for an asthma scholarship, as it can help you pay for tuition and other costs of your higher education (such as living expenses and books).
Asthma Scholarship Programs
Various organizations offer asthma scholarships. It takes time and effort to find scholarships and to apply for them. But given that scholarships can offer hundreds or even thousands of dollars, the investment is often considered more than worthwhile.
You can look for asthma specific scholarships by browsing the websites of professional associations, advocacy groups, pharmaceutical companies, universities, and others who are working on improving the lives of people who have asthma, raising asthma awareness, and supporting future researchers.
The college you plan to enroll in may also offer an asthma-specific scholarship to incoming students.
Additionally, your asthma doctor or clinic may be aware of asthma scholarships. There may be a clinic or organization that offers scholarships to students in your local region or your state, so consider connecting with local researchers or companies that serve people with asthma.
This list is a good place to start when doing your application research.
The National Garage Door Atlanta Asthma and Allergy Scholarship offers one scholarship valued at $1000 to a university student with asthma or serious allergies based on grades and an essay application. The Texas Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology Society Memorial Foundation Asthma Scholarship Award has a March 1 deadline and offers five awards of $3,000 each to Texas high school seniors who have asthma. Christopher D. Redding Youth Asthma Foundation awards $2000 scholarships every year to graduating high school athletes with asthma who live in the Chicago area and who are going to college. The Colorado Allergy and Asthma Centers (CCAC) Founder’s Scholarship has a June 15 deadline and offers four awards for higher education (college or graduate school) of $1,000 each to current patients of CAAC.
These scholarships do not impose any limitations on the recipients’ area of study. Generally, scholarship money is directly paid to your college, but sometimes the funds are given to the student.
Keep in mind that some organizations might provide a scholarship annually, while others only do so in certain years. Some of the asthma scholarship programs select one student per application cycle, while some offer scholarships to more than one student in an academic year.
Scholarships for Students With Disabilities
You may also qualify for scholarships or programs that are available for students with disabilities even if they don’t specifically pertain to asthma. Depending on the guidelines of a given scholarship, your asthma diagnosis might make you a candidate. If you aren’t sure if you qualify, consider contacting the scholarship administrators to check their requirements.
Some national resources you can use to find financial assistance and other support for students with disabilities include:
The U. S. Department of Education has resources for students that include details about your rights as a student with a disability. The National Center for College Students With Disabilities (NCCSD) is a federally funded program where you can find resources and information about accommodations and programs that may be available for you.
Applying
As you put together your applications, be sure to check deadlines and to include all the required information so your scholarship application won’t be disqualified for being incomplete.
You might need to answer questions, provide a letter from a doctor that verifies that you have asthma, write an essay, or make a video to apply for a scholarship.
Keep in mind that you can ask your parents, high school counselors, and/or teachers to review your scholarship application if you want feedback.
A Word From Verywell
As a young person living with asthma, you work to overcome health obstacles on a regular basis. You can continue to achieve great things. A number of organizations want to honor this and help you on your path to achieving your dreams by granting scholarships to help with the financial aspects of your higher education.
Beyond weighing the costs of college, remember to also consider things like housing (could you request a private room so you can control trigger exposure?) and climate (chilly locations may be problematic as cold weather can exacerbate symptoms).
