National Federation of the Blind
2012 Scholarship Program
Our new and improved online application form for our 2012 scholarship program is now fully functional. The link is posted below.
2012 Deadline: All scholarship applications and documents
must be received by the scholarship program no later than March 31, 2012.
30 SCHOLARSHIPS
To recognize achievement by blind scholars, the National Federation of the Blind annually offers blind college students in the United States and Puerto Rico the opportunity to win one of thirty national scholarships worth from $3,000 to $12,000.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
All applicants for these scholarships:
- must be legally blind (PDF document) in both eyes, and
- must be residing in the United States, the District of Columbia, or Puerto Rico, and
- must be pursuing or planning to pursue a full-time, postsecondary course of study in a degree program at a United States institution in the 2012 scholastic year, except that one scholarship may be given to a person employed full-time while attending school part-time, and
- must participate in the entire NFB national convention and in all of its scheduled scholarship program activities.
In addition to a scholarship, each winner will receive assistance to attend the 2012 National Federation of the Blind Annual Convention in July, providing an excellent opportunity for high-level networking with active blind persons in many different professions and occupations.
PROGRAM TIMING
- November 1, 2011: The program for 2012 commences. The application is made available online and, upon request, in print.
- March 31, 2012: Deadline today for all applications and documents to be received by the NFB Scholarship Program and applicants must have requested an interview. The interview may take place after March 31 but before April 15.
- April 2012: Interview reports are required by mid-April. In late April, the NFB Scholarship Committee chooses the 30 winners for 2012.
- May 2012: After all 30 winners are personally notified that they are a scholarship winner this year, the complete list of winners for 2012 will be posted on www.nfb.org/scholarships. Applicants who are not listed here did not win an NFB scholarship.
- With the financial assistance of the NFB, all 30 winners attend the 2012 Annual NFB Convention, to be held at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas, Texas, from June 30 to July 5, 2012, departing for home on July 6.
- 2012: After convention the scholarship checks are sent directly to the winners in time for their 2012 fall semester.
2012 Deadline: All scholarship applications and documents
must be received by the scholarship program no later than March 31, 2012.
What kind of student wins an NFB scholarship? You may read about past NFB National Scholarship recipients in August-September "convention issues" of the Braille Monitor.
Each year, information on the NFB Scholarship Program is made available online, in print, and in a fall issue of the Braille Monitor (available in large print, in Braille, recorded, and online). Subscribe to a free e-mailed copy of the Braille Monitor (11 issues per year) to know when to apply for each year's contest and to read other news of interest to blind Americans.
TO APPLY FOR AN NFB SCHOLARSHIP:
-
Confirmation of Legal Blindness (PDF document). Are you eligible?
- Submissions Checklist. A complete application consists of one Scholarship Application Form (either online or print), one essay, other documents as detailed in this checklist, and one interview. Complete applications tend to have an advantage in the competition. The NFB Scholarship Committee takes no responsibility for notifying you if required information is missing from your application.
- Frequently Asked Questions (Scholarships FAQ). Answers include useful advice for any applicant.
- "The Secret to Winning a National Federation of the Blind Scholarship” by Scholarship Chairperson Patti S. Gregory-Chang, Esq.
- 2012 Scholarship Application Form, online edition. The application period is open from November through the following March. (Complete either the online edition or the print edition.)
-
2011 Scholarship Application Form, print edition -- available upon request. The application period is open from November through the following March. (Complete either the print edition or the online edition.)
-
2011 List of Scholarships, $12,000 to $3,000. Fill out only one application for the program to be in competition for all 30 scholarships. The NFB Scholarship Committee decides which scholarship each winner will receive.
All questions should be directed to the chairperson. E-mail is preferred.
Chairperson Patti Chang, Esq.
NFB Scholarship Program
NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
200 East Wells Street
at Jernigan Place
Baltimore, Maryland 21230
Office: (410) 659-9314, extension 2415
E-mail: scholarships@nfb.org
