Congratulations! You've decided to go to college. Believe it or not, you need to begin preparing for your college experience now. If you're a freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior in high school, this guide will tell you about some important steps you need to take to get ready for college. It also will tell you how to apply for financial aid and scholarships.
Get Set...
Here is a checklist of what you should do during high school.
High school freshmen and sophomores:
- Contact the Admissions office of the colleges you are interested in. You will get general information about the colleges programs and costs. Ask to have your name put on the colleges mailing list so that you can get information on a regular basis.
High school juniors:
- Contact your local Chamber of Commerce about private scholarships you may be eligible for:
- Go to your local library and look for information about college scholarships. Many libraries have a number of books in the reference section that describe how to apply for financial aid, grants, and loans.
- Contact local clubs, like the Lions or the Rotary, to learn about their scholarships.
High school seniors:
- Pay attention to "priority deadlines" (time limits) to apply for financial aid! Priority deadlines typically are in March. DO NOT WAIT until you have been accepted at a college before applying for financial aid.
- Meet with a vocational rehabilitation counselor who works with deaf or hard of hearing clients in your community. Talking with that counselor about your personal, educational, and career goals will help determine if you are eligible for services.
- Apply for any scholarships that you think you qualify for. See the listing at the end of this brochure for some possibilities. Remember the list of scholarships that you developed in your junior year!
- Use today's technology! The World Wide Web (WWW) can help you find scholarships and financial aid awards. Use the keywords "scholarships" and "financial aid" to connect to Internet locations that can give you detailed information about scholarships and financial aid awards. See the chart in this brochure for help in getting on the "Web."
- Apply for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability (SSD) through your local Social Security Office.
- Get the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), the only application that can be used to apply for federal financial aid. These applications are available in December from your local college's Financial Aid Office or your high school guidance office.
- Some schools may ask you to complete another form in addition to the FAFSA to determine your eligibility for institutional aid. This may be their own institutional form or the College Scholarship Service PROFILE form. You must pay for the PROFILE form.
In March or April of your senior year, you will receive financial aid awards from the colleges that accept you for admission.
The aid offered may include anticipated vocational rehabilitation
support, federal or state aid, and institutional aid. The award should
include the total cost of education, which is tuition and fees, room
and board, books, personal expenses, and transportation.
Remember that thed difference between the cost of education and
the aid offered is what you and your family are expected to contribute.
Go!
When you have heard from all the colleges to which you have applied, sit down with your family, teachers, and high school guidance counselor and talk about your options so that you can make the best decision possible about where to go to college.
Congratulations on your hard work and get ready to enjoy college life!
Scholarships...
for undergraduate and graduate students
A variety of scholarships and fellowships are available each year to qualified deaf and hard of hearing students. In addition to those listed below, remember to follow up on other scholarship opportunities that you may have learned about through your local library, chamber of commerce, civic organizations or on the WWW.
Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf Scholarship
The Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf offers a college scholarship to provide financial assistance for postsecondary education to students who are profoundly deaf or hard of hearing.
Application Process:
-
Applications are accepted on November 1 of each year. Only the first
500 requests will be accepted. Requests must be made in writing.
-
Applicants must have a 60 dB or greater hearing loss in the better ear in the speech frequencies of 500, 1,000, and 2,000 Hz.
- Applicants must be oral deaf students who were born with a profound hearing impairment, or incurred loss before language was acquired.
- Applicants must use speech and residual hearing and/or speechreading as their mode of communication.
- Applicants must be accepted by or already enrolled in a regular full-time college or university program for students with normal hearing.
-
All applications and materials must be postmarked by March 15.
Contact:
-
Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf, Inc.
3417 Volta Place, N.W.
Washington, DC 20007
(202) 337-5220 (V/TTY)
Alan B., '32 and Florence B., '35 Crammattee Fellowship
To provide financial assistance to deaf graduate students who wish to pursue graduate study in a field related to business at universities for people who hear normally.
Eligibility:
-
Applicants must be hearing impaired graduates of Gallaudet University or other accredited colleges or universities who have been accepted to graduate study in a business-related field at colleges or universities for people who hear normally.
- Preference is given to applicants who possess a master s degree or equivalent and are seeking the doctorate.
Contact:
-
Gallaudet University Alumni Association
Peikoff Alumni House, Kendall Green
Gallaudet University
800 Florida Avenue, N.E.
Washington, DC 20002-3695
(202) 651-5060 (Voice)
(202) 651-5061 (TTY)
Gallaudet University Scholarships
Gallaudet University offers a variety of scholarships to provide financial assistance to deaf graduate students who wish to pursue graduate study at universities for people who hear normally.
Available Scholarships:
- Waldo T. 49 and Jean Kelsch 51 Cordano Fellowship
- Old Dominion Foundation Scholarship
- Graduate Fellowship Fund
- Regina Olson Hughes '18 Fellowship
- Doris B. Orman, '25, Fellowship
- James N. Orman, '23, Fellowship
- David Peikoff, '29, Fellowship
- Henry Syle Memorial Fellowship for Seminar Studies
- John A. Trundle, 1885, Fellowship
- Boyce R. Williams, '32, Fellowship
Eligibility:
- Must be hearing impaired graduates of Gallaudet University or other accredited colleges or universities where people hear normally.
- Preference is given to applicants who possess a master s degree or equivalent and are seeking the doctorate.
Contact:
-
Gallaudet University Alumni Association
Peikoff Alumni House, Kendall Green
Gallaudet University
800 Florida Avenue, N.E.
Washington, DC 20002-3695
(202) 651-5060 (Voice)
(202) 651-5061 (TTY)
IADES Fellowship Award
To provide financial assistance to deaf women pursuing a doctoral degree. The award will be sent to the recipient's university/college to pay tuition costs for the next academic year.
Eligibility:
- Deaf women pursuing a doctoral degree, who are nots alumnae of the Delta Epsilon Sorority of Gallaudet University.
- Applicants must have attained 12 or more credits, and have a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
Contact:
-
International Alumnae of Delta Epsilon Sorority
Virginia Borggaard
2453 Bear Den Rd.
Frederick, MD 21701
IADES Betty G. Miller Fellowship Award
To provide financial assistance to deaf women pursuing a doctoral degree.
Eligibility:
- Deaf women who are alumnae of the Delta Epsilon Sorority of Gallaudet University.
- Must have attained 12 or more credits and have a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
Contact:
National Fraternal Society of the Deaf All Minnie Pearl Scholarship recipients are exceptional students.
They have achieved academic excellence, are class leaders, and are
aspiring to even higher levels after high school. Even more remarkable,
these students have been able to reach such high goals in spite of
being deaf/ hard of hearing.
This year, the EAR Foundation will award 14 $2,000 scholarships to
deaf/hard of hearing students who will be attending prestigious colleges
across the United States. Eligibility: Deadline: February 15.
Application Process: Eligibility:
Deadline: May 2.
Eligibility:
Deadline: March 15.
Other search engines that you can try are listed below:
fastWEB is one of the best websites to find scholarships/grants.
There, you can create a profile on yourself, and they will attempt
to match your needs with potential scholarships, grants, loans, etc.
and add the information to your mailbox on a daily basis (you have
to create a mailbox at the website first). Educaid is another
especially good website.
Back to Publications
Table of Contents
Virginia Borggaard
2453 Bear Den Rd.
Frederick, MD 21701
National Fraternal Society of the Deaf Scholarships
To provide financial assitance for postsecondary education to members
of the society. The Society presents 10 $1,000 scholarships each year.
Eligibility:
Deaf, hard of hearing, or hearing persons who are en-rolled in or
accepted to a postsecondary educational institution are eligible to
apply, if they have been members of the National Fraternal Society
of the Deaf for at least one year prior to application.
Deadline: July 1.
Contact:
1118 S. 6th Street
Springfield, IL 62703
(217) 789-7429 (Voice)
(217) 789-7438 (TTY)
(217) 789-7489 (Fax)
Minnie Pearl Scholarship Program
Contact:
The EAR Foundation
2000 Church Street, Box 111
Nashville, TN 37236
1-800-545-HEAR (Voice/TTY)
or
Minnie Pearl Scholarship
1817 Patterson Street
Nashville, TN 37203
(615) 329-7807(Voice/TTY)
Sertoma International Scholarships
Sertoma International is now accepting applications for scholarships
for all deaf and hard of hearing college students pursuing four-year
degrees. This organization will provide 13 awards of $1,000 each to
students attending universities in the United States or Canada. This
scholarship program has been made possible through a donation by Oticon,
Inc. and Phonic Ear Inc. Both companies are well known for the hearing
instruments they create and produce.
Send a self-addressed, stamped envelope with request.
Contact:
Sertoma International
1912 East Meyer Boulevard
Kansas City, MO 64132
(816) 333-8300 (Voice/TTY)
(816) 333-4320 (Fax)
William C. Stokoe Scholarship
To increase the number of deaf social scientists who are actively involved
in research on sign language or the deaf community by providing financial
aid to a deaf graduate student.
Any deaf student who is pursuing part-time or full-time graduate studies
in a field related to sign language or the deaf community, or who
is developing a special project on one of those topics.
Contact:
National Association of the Deaf
Stokoe Scholarship Secretary
814 Thayer Avenue
Silver Spring, MD 20910
(301) 587-1788 (Voice)
(301) 587-1789 (TTY)
(301) 587-1791 (Fax)
FINDING POSSIBLE SCHOLARSHIPS USING THE WORLD WIDE WEB
With Netscape Navigator, Microsoft Internet Explorer, or a capable
browser:
Or you can enter the following Internet location for a general,
easy search job: