Diabetes scholarships

About scholarships for diabetes

In today's society, college can be an expensive investment in one's future. With an average cost of $35,331 per year, families can no longer afford to send their children to college without seeking help from student loans, and high school seniors on the verge of becoming incoming freshmen must concern themselves with the high cost of a college education. Student debt can prove difficult or impossible to pay off, especially for students who have other financial challenges, for instance, students who are part of the diabetes community and must pay for insulin.

Fortunately, whether you are a high school senior or are at the end of your four year university journey, there are sure to be diabetes scholarships that you can apply for.

What is a diabetes scholarship?

A diabetes scholarship is a financial aid package given to someone with diabetes in order to help them pay for their education. Diabetes can be a difficult disease to live with, especially while maintaining long-term commitments such as going to school. 

Additionally, living with a disease like diabetes can mean paying for insulin on a regular basis, or requiring other expensive medical treatments. Although scholarship money is not meant to be used for medical payments, winning scholarship money can make going to school more affordable for people on costly medical treatment plans. 

Can you get a scholarship for diabetes?

Yes, there are many opportunities for students diagnosed with diabetes to find scholarships for diabetes. Scholarships for diabetes typically receive a lower volume of applicants because they are only open to students that have already been diagnosed. As a result, diabetes scholars may have a higher chance of winning money when they apply to diabetes scholarships than when they apply to general scholarships. 

Any students that have diabetes can try applying for a scholarship for diabetes. Some of these scholarships will have additional requirements, like a minimum GPA needed to apply. There are also scholarships that are only available to students who intend to study a particular field or to go to a particular accredited college. If a diabetes scholarship has other requirements, students should make sure they also meet those other requirements as well before applying. 

Students of all ages and grade levels should be able to find diabetes scholarships they can apply to. High school seniors, college students, and graduate students will all be able to find diabetes scholarships they can apply to. Even high school underclassmen may be able to find a few opportunities for them. 

Some diabetes scholars intend to pursue higher education, like graduate school. However, even students that want to attend a trade school may be able to find diabetes scholarships for them. 

How to apply for diabetes scholarships

To apply for a diabetes scholarship, simply fill out a short form or questionnaire to provide basic information about yourself. This form will be linked on the website where you found the scholarship you’re interested in.

Next, many scholarships will ask diabetes scholars to write a personal statement about themselves. This essay should answer the prompt or question the scholarship poses. For diabetes scholarships, many of these specific opportunities will ask students about their experiences with diabetes. 

The application process across different scholarships will vary, so be sure to closely read the application requirements in the scholarship description.

How to get a diabetes scholarship

In order to get a scholarship for diabetes, students must be diagnosed with diabetes. Some scholarships will stipulate that only students with type 1 diabetes can apply, or only students with type 2. Many scholarships will allow students with either type 1 or type 2 to apply. 

Other requirements may demand that an applicant be a high school senior with exemplary academic performance, or have worked with the Diabetes Scholars Foundation. The requirements can vary, but you must fulfill them in order to apply.

Best diabetes scholarships

In addition to scholarships without diabetes requirements or other health requirements, students with diabetes can take advantage of exclusive scholarships with limited application pools.

Diabetes scholarships for high school students

High school students can start applying early to take advantage of the years before college. The earlier you begin, the more time you'll have to find funding before college.

1. Health & Wellness Scholarship 
2. "Science for Life" Biology and Health Sciences No-Essay Scholarship

Diabetes scholarships for college students

College students can continue applying for scholarships throughout their entire degrees. Both undergraduate students and graduate students are eligible to apply for exclusive scholarships for students with diabetes.

1. Amber Lott’s Health Heroes Scholarship
2. Healthy Living Scholarship  

Frequently asked questions about diabetes scholarships

When can I start applying?

There’s no right or wrong time to start applying for scholarships. Many high school students choose to begin applying the summer before they become high school seniors. This is because when a student is a high school senior, they will generally start planning out how to pay for college. 

However, high school underclassmen can apply as well. Some scholarships are exclusively available to high school seniors, but many scholarships are open to students of any grade level, as long as applicants are at least fourteen years old. 

Additionally, diabetes scholars can continue to apply for scholarships throughout their college years as well. Whether attending a trade school or pursuing higher education at an accredited college, college students will be able to find many scholarships open to them. Undergraduate college students, as well as graduate students, can apply for scholarships. 

What do I have to do to apply?

The application process is fairly simple, especially if students choose to apply through a scholarship platform like Bold.org. By making a free profile, students can quickly match with college scholarships that fit their preferences and needs. 

The hardest part of applying for scholarships is typically writing a personal statement. Some scholarships do not require students to write an essay, but for those that do require it, the essay is a deciding factor in your application.

Fortunately, the essay question is usually a few paragraphs at most, so it should not take too much time to write. Personal statements are an opportunity for the applicant to showcase their personality and talents to the donor.

Students should make sure to answer the question thoroughly and completely. Depending on what the question is, students with diabetes might discuss significant parts of their educational journey, such as their decision to attend trade school instead of an accredited four-year university, or how juvenile diabetes affected their early education. The best answers are genuine, truthful, and heartfelt.