Students with disabilities

Scholarships designated for students with disabilities are limited. You are urged to pursue scholarships available for criteria other than disability, in addition to contacting any organization that offers scholarships for your disability. Check the Disabilities Services Web site.

Several financial aid opportunities administered cooperatively by the University's Office of Disability Services and Office of Student Finance are availlable to assist you in meeting your educational costs. They are described below:

Cost adjustment accommodation
If you have additional educational costs due to your disability, such as assistive technology or costly assessment testing, your cost of attendance figures may be adjusted to better reflect your actual expenses and increase your financial aid eligibility. Contact your Disabilities Services educational specialist to begin this process.

Less than full-time accommodation
You may request an accommodation if you are enrolled in an eligible certificate or degree program and your disability prevents full-time enrollment. The accommodation allows you to receive the full amount of your awards from financial aid programs reserved for full-time students (undergraduates must enroll for a minimum of 6 credits and graduates must enroll for 3 credits or more). Contact your Disability Services educational specialist who will complete an accommodation form on your behalf. Federal Pell Grant and Minnesota State Grant are excluded from this policy.

Vocational Rehabilitation
You may be eligible for vocational rehabilitation (VR) if you have a physical or mental disability that makes it difficult for you to find or keep a job. VR services help you prepare for, secure, retain, or regain employment. For more information, go online to the Minnesota Workforce Center at http://www.deed.state.mn.us/rehab/index.htm or call the Minnesota Division of Rehabilitation Services by phone at 651-296-5616, toll-free 1-800-328-9095, or TTY (for hearing impaired only) 651-296-3900, toll-free 1-800-657-3973, or for relay service for hearing impaired without TTY, toll-free 1-800-627-3529.

Tuition waiver or assistance
You are eligible for a full tuition waiver if you are a legally-blind Minnesota resident or for partial assistance if you are a currently-enrolled deaf student. To apply for either of these tuition assistance programs, complete the Tuition Waiver/Assistance for Blind or Deaf Students form. Your physician must complete a section of the form to document your disability.

Blindness
To receive a full tuition waiver as a blind student, you are not required to be in a certificate or degree program, a common criteria in other financial aid programs. You are eligible for a full tuition waiver if you are a legally-blind Minnesota resident. Your vision must be no better than 20/200 or 20 degrees of visual field in the better eye for a full tuition waiver. Periodic exams will be required if blindness is temporary. Submit a Tuition Waiver/Assistance for Blind or Deaf Students form to a One Stop Student Services Center (contact information). Your physician, ophthalmologist, or Disability Services specialist is required to complete a section of the form to document your disability. After approval, a waiver for the full amount of your tuition will be credited to your student account.

In addition to the above assistance, State Services for the Blind assists with vocational and personal independence by persons of all ages who are blind or visually impaired. For more information, go to the Minnesota Workforce Center online.

Deafness
To receive assistance for the cost of tuition and fees based on deafness, you must be Minnesota resident attending the University of Minnesota in an undergraduate degree or eligible certificate program, and receive either a Federal Pell Grant or Minnesota State Grant for each term the assistance is awarded, including summer. You must also have a hearing loss of such severity that you are primarily dependent on visual communication, such as writing, lip reading, manual communication, and gestures. Tuition and fee assistance will be for any tuition and fees amount that remains after grants (federal, state, or other public or private grants) made to you for educational purposes are deducted from tuition and fees charges. For that reason, you must submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) that applies to the enrollment period of the tuition assistance and receive either a Federal Pell Grant or Minnesota State Grant for the term. You must also complete and submit a form, Tuition Waiver/Assistance for Blind or Deaf Students, to a One Stop Student Services Center (contact information). Your physician, or Disability Services educational specialist is required to complete a section of the form to document your disability. Tuition assistance is granted by the individual campus.