Living with hemophilia can bring many challenges, but affording school shouldn’t have to be one of them. Fortunately, there are scholarships and grants specifically for people with chronic blood disorders like hemophilia. These opportunities can make education more accessible, allowing you or your child to focus on learning and staying healthy. Additionally, various organizations offer extra support to help manage hemophilia while pursuing an education

Members of MyHemophiliaTeam can relate to the challenges of living with hemophilia while trying to attend school or work. A parent on MyHemophiliaTeam shared, “My daughter had a bad day and could only make it to one of her college classes.”

Another member said, “I’m still studying, and I find it so hard for me to walk all day in college if my ankle keeps hurting.”

Sometimes, covering both medical and educational costs gets too expensive. One member asked, “Do you guys know where I can apply for a grant or find a sponsor for my college while I am waiting for my eligibility for government aid?”

There are several different scholarship opportunities for people with hemophilia. They can help you or your child pay for tuition, books, and other costs related to getting a college education. Here are some scholarships that help pay for higher education for you or your child with hemophilia.

How To Find Scholarships for People Living With Hemophilia

If you want to find more scholarships for people with hemophilia than the ones listed below, do some research on the local level. If you’re part of a local hemophilia foundation or society, see if they offer any scholarships for people living with hemophilia in your area. You can also check at the specific college, university, or program you want to attend, to see if they might have scholarships for people with hemophilia or those with chronic conditions in general.

Another way to find scholarships is to look for those targeted toward the specific bleeding disorder you’ve been diagnosed with. A few of these are noted below, but there may be other scholarships for people living with hemophilia A, hemophilia B, von Willebrand’s disease, or other bleeding disorders.

General Scholarships for People With Hemophilia

There are several educational scholarships available for people with hemophilia. Read on to learn more about them. Make sure to apply on time so you can get the money you need to pay for your education.

1. The George D. McCoy/Bleeding Disorders Foundation of North Carolina Scholarship

The Bleeding Disorders Foundation of North Carolina offers this scholarship to students living both inside and outside of North Carolina who are pursuing continuing education.

• Description — This scholarship is largely merit-based and also considers financial needs.
• Benefits — The amount is $1,000.
• Eligibility — Anyone diagnosed with severe hemophilia A who is pursuing education at an accredited university or college, or a certified training program, is eligible.

Students are encouraged to apply if they qualify. The foundation usually accepts applications for this scholarship during the late spring, so keep an eye out for specific deadlines the year you want to apply. You can get up to four scholarships in four consecutive years, but you have to reapply each time. Find more tips for applying here.

2. The Beth Carew Memorial Scholarship Program

Offered by The Colburn-Keenan Foundation, Inc., this program honors Beth Carew, one of the few women diagnosed with hemophilia A. She died in 1994 of complications of hemophilia, and this hemophilia scholarship was created to keep her name alive.

• Description — This scholarship is for students at accredited two- or four-year colleges who are active in their communities, following the example set by Carew.
• Benefits — The amounts range from $500 to $6,000.
• Eligibility — Qualified applicants must have a bleeding disorder and must have volunteered time for an organization for which they did not receive pay or school credit.

Applications for this scholarship open in January of every year for the following school year. The foundation offers an eligibility quiz that interested students can take to determine whether they should apply. Click here to learn more about the scholarship.

3. HFA Eric Delson Memorial Scholarship

The Hemophilia Federation of America offers a scholarship for people living with hemophilia or von Willebrand disease. It’s named for Eric Delson, who pursued his goals despite living with a bleeding disorder.

• Description — This scholarship is for students who are pursuing degrees with a medical or health care focus.
• Benefits — There are six $2,000 scholarships available.
• Eligibility — Applicants must have hemophilia or von Willebrand disease and must be in a program with a health care or medical focus.

Applicants must be accepted to an institution and begin attending no later than the September following their receipt of the scholarship. Applications for this scholarship are usually accepted in the spring. Click here to apply or learn more.

4. The Kevin Child Scholarship

Kevin Child developed AIDS because of a transfusion he needed due to hemophilia and died a month short of his college graduation. His family wanted to honor him and acknowledge the ways that hemophilia can make getting a college degree hard, so they created this scholarship.

• Description — Students must be pursuing a degree or planning to pursue one at an accredited college or vocational school.
• Benefits — The scholarship amount is $1,000.
• Eligibility — Students must be diagnosed with hemophilia A or hemophilia.

The scholarship is currently only accepting applications by email, and the application deadline is usually early in the summer. Applicants should check the exact application dates for the year they wish to apply and email the provided address for detailed application instructions.

Other Grants and Scholarships for People Living With Hemophilia

Other types of funding are available for people with hemophilia. These may fit more specific needs or career paths, so read on to find out if one is right for you.

5. The Jason Fulton Memorial Leadership Fund

Jason Fulton lived with severe hemophilia A in the 1970s and 1980s, before some of the treatments that are available today. He still lived a full life until he died of complications related to HIV in 1995. His mother established the scholarship in his name to remember and honor him.

• Description — The scholarship awards young leaders with bleeding disorders a one-year paid internship with the National Bleeding Disorders Foundation.
• Benefits — The internship is worth $11,700.
• Eligibility — Applicants must have an inherited bleeding disorder and be pursuing a postsecondary education at an accredited institution.

This scholarship is a little different because it’s in the form of an internship instead of money for school. However, if you or your child is interested in working in the hemophilia community, it would be a good opportunity. Applications are usually accepted in the spring and early fall. More information available on the National Bleeding Disorders website.

6. The Nat Lathrop Music Scholarship

The Nat Lathrop Music Scholarship was launched in 2021 on Lathorp’s birthday, May 5. It’s aimed at helping children with hemophilia B learn, play, and enjoy music.

• Description — This scholarship is for those between the ages of 8 and 18 who already play music or who want to begin.
• Benefits — The number and amount of scholarships vary.
• Eligibility — Applicants must be able to prove that they have been diagnosed with hemophilia B.

It’s unusual to see a scholarship for people who aren’t attending college, but this one specifically focuses on helping kids get instruments and learn how to play them. It covers as many of the fees related to music instruction as possible, to break down the financial barriers to pursuing music education.

Applications are open from March 1 through July 15. Learn more and apply here.

Talk With Others Who Understand

MyHemophiliaTeam is the social network for people with hemophilia and their loved ones. On MyHemophiliaTeam, more than 6,600 members come together to ask questions, give advice, and share their stories with others who understand life with hemophilia.

Have you heard about any other scholarships or grants for students with hemophilia? Have you applied for or received any of these scholarships? Share your experience in the comments below, or start a conversation by posting on your Activities page.