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Students with disabilities

Funding designated for students with disabilities are limited. You are urged to pursue scholarships available for criteria other than disability. Use the , 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

If you have a disability and are registered for fewer than 12 but at least six undergraduate credits or fewer than six but at least three graduate credits, you may be considered full-time for some types of financial aid that are usually reserved for full-time students. Please note: your cost of attendance must be adjusted to reflect actual tuition and fees. The amount of your awards could change as a result of reduced costs.

Funds included in this policy are:

  • U Promise
  • University of Minnesota grants, scholarships and loans
  • Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (SEOG)
  • Federal Perkins Loan
  • Scholarships, if approved by the donor

The following funds are disbursed according to actual enrollment:

  • Minnesota State Grant
  • Federal Pell Grant
  • Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant

Scholarship programs have various eligibility criteria. Eligibility must be discussed with donors. For questions, contact the financial aid liaison at 612-625-9578.

To begin the process, you and your Disability Specialist discuss the need to register for less than a full-time course load.

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. The waiver/assistance plans do not apply to study abroad courses.

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.