Scholarships and Awards

The Craig H. Neilsen Scholarship is now OPEN for applications, for further information on how to apply please refer to this document (click here).

Applications Due: Sunday, February 16th, 2025 @ 11:59PM

Highlights: Funding for tuition support (100% for in-state students, 125% of in-state cost for out-of-state or international students), supplemental support funds (up to $16,000/year), and personal care assistance support (up to $15,000/year). 

Eligibility: 

  1. University of Michigan undergraduate or master’s (including MBA) students at any campus; Ann Arbor, Dearborn, Flint
    1. Advanced degrees (MD, PhD, and JD) are not eligible
  2. The Neilsen Scholarship Program defines the eligible types of spinal cord injuries students may have to only individuals with neurological and functional impairment due to traumatic SCI, degenerative disease primary to the spinal cord (i.e., transverse myelitis) or damage to the spinal cord due to tumors and surgery. Individuals with spinal dysfunction, paralysis, or pain syndromes caused by other disorders are not eligible (e.g., Multiple Sclerosis, ALS, Chiari Malformation, primary orthopedic disorders, and peripheral nerve injury).
  3. Scholarship recipients must meet the admissions standards at the institution. They must maintain satisfactory progress toward their degree program, including the minimum grade point average required by the institution or department, to remain in good academic standing.

For further information about the Craig H. Neilsen Scholarship please contact Erik Robeznieks at [email protected]


The Student Accessibility & Accommodation Services Fall 2024 Scholarships Application Period is now closed. We will begin reaching out to selected students in early November and aim for funds to be dispersed by early December. Jesse Ridley scholarships will be awarded in late Fall 2024 semester or early Winter 2025 semester.

The Winter 2025 Scholarship Application Period will open during early winter 2025 semester.


Steps for Application for Scholarships: 

1. During the open application period please submit the application for the scholarship or funding from the list below that you are interested in. You must fill out one survey for each scholarship or funding you wish to apply for.  

*Please note: scholarship application links will not be available outside of the application window; if you don't see a certain scholarship listed here, it's because its window is closed.

Please see the Scholarship Guide for more information about each of our scholarships as well as timeframes for when they are awarded.

2. Attach any essays or documentation requested to application; entries will not be considered unless all requested information has been provided. Please note that not all applications require essays. 

3. You must be connected with your disabilities office and have completed an initial meeting with a disability services coordinator to apply.


Steps for Application for Disability Funding: (Open application period is January-December, pausing every fourth month) 

1. Submit Disability Funding Application *for students with mobility/physical disabilities

2. Submit Disability Funding Application-for Adaptive Devices *for students with any types of disabilities CURRENTLY CLOSED, funds exhausted

3. NEW Submit Wolens Speech & Language Disfluency Funding Application *for students with speech disfluency, commonly known as stuttering or stammering 

4. Attach any supporting documentation/essay to application (entries will not be considered unless all requested information has been provided)

5. You must be connected with your disabilities office and have completed an initial meeting with a disability services coordinator to apply.

6. Please see our funding guide for more information on what types of things Disability Funding does NOT fund


Our scholarships are only available for disabled students at the University of Michigan (all 3 campuses) who are connected with their disability services office.

Most of our scholarships are awarded based upon the greatest financial need of the student who has applied; we obtain this information directly from the Financial Aid office. Certain scholarships or funding require the submission of an additional essay or statement; in these cases, the donor or review committee has requested the additional information to aid them in the selection process.

We don't guarantee availability or amount of funds in any given year, as many of our funds are expendable. And while we delight in stewarding the funds available to our students, at times we may determine a need to pause the process of stewarding based on the internal needs of our unit. 

Disability Funding requests are January-December, pausing every fourth month. You must have a disability to be eligible for Disability Funding.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to Anya Cobler, SAAS Stewardship Program Coordinator, directly: [email protected]  


Scholarships Guide