Disabled Veterans' Scholarships Fund

What is a Disabled Veterans' Scholarship?

If you’ve been injured or disabled in, or as a result of, military service, you could be funded to complete a full Open University qualification.

We offer 50 scholarships annually. All undergraduate and postgraduate modules and qualifications are eligible. You’ll have your fees waived for up to 120 credits per seasonal academic year, up to a maximum of 360 credits, which is equivalent to a full honours degree.

Specialist support

As a part of your scholarship, you’ll also be able to access specialist careers and disability support.

Careers support

Our Careers and Employability services can offer:

• individual careers consultation and support
• group forums and webinars
• links with employers and specialist organisations, including possible visits, internships (virtual and physical) and placements.

Disability support

If your application is successful, you can request specialist equipment and disability support to help with your studies. This is in addition to any support provided via a Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA).

Additional support could include:

• support and guidance on the DSA application process
• information and signposting about the support available during your studies
• alternative format module materials, such as audio or comb-bound versions of module books
• loaned equipment, such as digital voice recorders, magnifiers, and specialist software (e.g. text-to-speech).

Depending on your individual requirements, additional support will be looked at on a case-by-case basis.

Eligibility

To be eligible, you’ll need to meet all the following criteria:

• starting OU study as a new or returning student in academic year 2024/25
• ordinarily resident in the UK and eligible for a UK fee
• disabled as a result of, or in, military service.

The full eligibility criteria for academic year 2024/25 are listed in the scholarship terms and conditions.

What supporting evidence will I need?

You’ll need to provide evidence as a part of your application that confirms your disability arose during, or as a result of, military service. This could be a letter from your current GP or consultant or your confirmation of medical discharge.

How to apply

We’re now accepting applications for the 2024/25 academic year. You’ll need to download the full scholarship terms and conditions and the application form to apply.

Once completed, please email your application and supporting evidence to our Student Fees team. You’ll find their contact details on the first page of the application form.

Fulfilling the eligibility criteria doesn’t guarantee you success. To ensure fairness, if more applications are received than scholarships available, a random selection will take place to allocate the 50 scholarships. 

Applications close at midday on 10 July 2024. We’ll email you by 26 July 2024 to confirm if you're successful. We’ll also contact you to ensure you’re ready to study and, if needed, help you choose your course.

Need more information?

If you’ve got a question about the Disabled Veterans’ Scholarships Fund or need help completing your application, our advisers are here to help. Don’t hesitate to contact us on 0300 303 5303 or email us at general-enquiries@open.ac.uk.