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Disabled Veterans' Scholarships Fund

Last year, The Open University supported around 28,000 disabled students. And, since the Disabled Veterans’ Scholarships Fund was established, more than 300 additional disabled students have been able to access higher education with us.

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

Applications for academic year 2024/25 are now closed. If you’re successful, we’ll email you by 26 July 2024 to confirm. We’ll also contact you soon afterwards to make sure you're ready to study and to 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.

 

Our donors

The Disabled Veterans’ Scholarships Fund wouldn’t be possible without the support of our generous donors. The scheme has been kindly supported by thousands of alumni, friends and OU supporters, including:

Robin Adcock, Lara Cournoyer, Gordon Dickenson, John Duncan, Eileen French, David Godson, Colin Hume, Doreen and Anthony Van West.

And:

  • Amazon Service UK Ltd
  • Amey plc
  • Antac Support Services
  • BAE Systems plc
  • Balfour Beatty plc
  • Boeing
  • Constance Travis Charitable Trust
  • Doris Field Charitable Trust
  • Dumbreck Charity
  • Fairfield Charitable Trust
  • GMC Trust
  • Gosling Foundation
  • John Scott Charitable Trust
  • Leidos UK
  • Lest We Forget Association
  • Michael Marsh Charitable Trust
  • Mrs J A Purssell BA (Hons)
  • Mrs Jane De Halpert's Charitable Trust
  • Mrs Lara Cournoyer BSc (Hons)
  • Saxham Trust
  • Simon Gibson Charitable Trust
  • Thales Charitable Trust
  • The Army Benevolent Fund (ABF)
  • The Aubrey Orchard-Lisle Charitable Trust
  • The Balney Trust
  • The Bergne-Coupland Charity
  • The Dalby Charitable Trust
  • The Hobson Charity Ltd
  • The Iron Bridge Trust
  • The James Wise Charitable Trust
  • The MacRobert Trust
  • The Reed Educational Trust
  • The Veterans' Foundation
  • The Worshipful Company of World Traders

If you would like to support the fund, please email us to discuss donating.