Scholarships for higher education

We believe that nothing should stop people who are blind or visually impaired from pursuing higher education—especially the cost. To help, we offer merit-based scholarships for students with vision loss who are newly transitioning to college or graduate education.

Each year, we offer up to 20 scholarships for outstanding high school students who are legally blind from across the United States. We also provide an annual scholarship to at least one qualifying graduate student. The award is unrestricted, so it can be used as needed: for tuition, room and board, books, supplies, or travel.

If you have a record of strong academic accomplishment and merit, apply for a Lighthouse Guild scholarship and take another step toward the advanced education you deserve. The deadline to apply is March 31st.

We offer scholarships for:

• College education: for current high school students who will be incoming college freshmen
• Graduate education (Master’s degree, PhD, MD, JD, or other post-baccalaureate degree): for college students already attending, or planning to attend, graduate school.
• As of 2023, among each year’s undergraduate and graduate student scholarship recipients, one student will be awarded the Dr. Neil S. Patel Memorial Scholarship for embodying Dr. Patel’s legacy of hard work, honor, and dedication to supporting under-served populations.

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Your chosen college must be accredited by a body recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. All college admissions policies must be non-denominational and open to applicants of all religions, faiths, and beliefs. For the application, you must:

• Provide proof of legal blindness. Verification should be in the form of a statement from a state rehabilitation agency, an ophthalmologist, or an optometrist.
• Provide proof of U.S. citizenship or legal residency. Verification should be in the form of a passport, birth certificate, naturalization papers, or proof of legal residency.- Provide documentation of academic achievement via copies of school transcripts.
• Include three letters of recommendation. Two letters should attest to your academic skills. Each letter must include the name, address, and telephone number of the person writing the reference.
• Write a personal statement of 500 words or fewer. For both the college and graduate school scholarships, include an essay that describes your educational and personal goals.