APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN FROM FEBRUARY 10 - MARCH 21, 2025!
The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) is proud to support the educational and career aspirations of blind students.
Through the generosity of the Lulu J. Alonso Scholarship Fund, the AFB Scholars Program is designed to provide financial assistance, celebrate academic and personal achievements, and empower recipients to contribute meaningfully to their communities and the broader blindness community.
AFB aims to elevate students with exceptional potential, foster future leaders, and build a network of individuals dedicated to creating a more inclusive world. We believe in your ability to make a difference.
Eligibility Requirements
To be considered for an AFB scholarship, applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Legal Blindness: All applicants must be legally blind. Legal blindness is defined as an individual who cannot see better than 20/200 with correction or whose visual field in the best eye is 20 degrees or less at the widest diameter with correction. Applicants must provide official documentation verifying their legal blindness status, including but not limited to medical records, vocational rehabilitation documentation (on letterhead), NLS registration, etc.
- Academic Enrollment: Applicants must be enrolled or planning to enroll as full-time students in a degree-seeking program at an accredited institution for the Fall 2025 semester.
- U.S. Citizenship: Applicants must be citizens of the United States.
- Minimum GPA: Applicants must have a minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA.
Upon receipt of the scholarship, awardees must maintain the following activities:
- Mentorship Activities: Scholarship recipients must engage in mentorship activities with a blind or low vision AFB leader, completing one activity per quarter (or two activities per semester) during the academic year.
- Conference Participation: Scholarship recipients must attend one pre-approved conference with an AFB leader during the scholarship year, gaining professional and networking experience aligned with their career goals.
Available Scholarships
AFB offers a range of scholarships funded by the Alonso Trust tailored to support students pursuing various educational programs. Scholarship awards are determined based on the type of program the recipient is enrolled in:
- Community College Programs (2-Year): $8,000 per academic year
- Undergraduate Programs (4-Year): $20,000 per academic year
- Graduate Programs (Masters or Doctoral): $28,000 per academic year
Application Requirements
Your application will consist of the following:
- Demographic Information: Basic details about you, your educational background, and your plans for the upcoming academic year.
- Transcripts and Documentation:
- Most recent academic transcript
- Official documentation verifying legal blindness (ex. medical records, vocational rehabilitation documentation (on letterhead), NLS registration, etc.)
- Acceptance letter (if applicable)
- Written Responses: Thoughtful responses to questions about your educational and career goals, leadership experiences, challenges overcome, community service, and your ideas for the future. (Suggested response length is 250-500 words per question. Please note, there is a 5000 character limit per question on the online application.)
- What motivates you to pursue your planned / current field of study or career path?
- Describe your long-term goals and how receiving this scholarship would help you achieve them.
- Describe a community service project or volunteer activity you have participated in. What inspired you to get involved, and what impact did it have on you and the community?
- Describe a time when you took on a leadership role or worked collaboratively with a team. What did you learn from the experience?
- What has been your most significant accomplishment so far, and why is it meaningful to you?
- Describe a skill or area of knowledge you’re actively working to improve and how you’re going about it.
- Share a specific challenge you faced as a blind or low vision individual in your education, and how you overcame it.
- How do you plan to use your education and skills to contribute to the blindness community in the future?
- How do you approach working with others who may not understand the challenges faced by individuals who are blind or have low vision?
- How do you envision engaging with AFB’s mission and values during and after the scholarship?
Note: We recommend that you prepare your responses in advance to avoid the application session timing out during submission.
Selection Process
The selection committee will evaluate applications based on academic achievement, leadership potential, personal growth, and alignment with AFB’s mission. Shortlisted applications will be invited for a 1-hour interview with the committee to further discuss their aspirations and qualifications.
- Application Window: February 10 - March 21, 2025
- Notification of Shortlist: March 31 - April 9, 2025
- Interviews: April 10 - 25, 2025
- Final Award Announcements: May 5 - 16, 2025
Need Assistance
If you have any questions about the application process, you may contact us at inclusivefuture@afb.org.
