McBurney Center Scholarships
The McBurney Center general scholarships are available to current and incoming UW-Madison undergraduate, graduate, and professional students whose disabilities have been verified through the McBurney Disability Resource Center and who will be enrolled in the incoming Fall semester. For any questions or concerns, you can contact our Scholarship Coordinator at the link below.
Contact Our Scholarship Coordinator
Scholarship Application Process
The beginning and order of completing of the steps below may vary based on each student’s circumstances and status, but it generally starts with students signing in to the Wisconsin Scholarship Hub website (WiSH) beginning in early November. Consult the section below for a detailed explanation of each step.
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1. Starting the McBurney Center scholarship application:
- Sign into the Wisconsin Scholarship Hub website (WiSH) beginning in early November.
- Complete the General Application in WiSH.
- Answer “yes” to the question that asks if you would like to view scholarships for students with disabilities. This step will match you to the McBurney Disability Resource Center Application, which you will find by clicking on “Other Recommended Opportunities” under the “Opportunities” tab.
- You will be considered for all McBurney Center scholarships for which you are eligible via this one application.
2. Completing financial information:
- Domestic students complete the FREE Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for next year (2025-2026) by April 4, or financial need will be scored as zero.
- Financial Aid’s “A Better FAFSA” has more info on improvements to this year’s FAFSA and answers to common questions.
- If you have unusual financial expenses not captured by the FAFSA: consider submitting a statement of special circumstance to UW’s Financial Aid Office so this circumstance(s) can be considered in your general UW-Madison financial aid application. Complete this by the April 4 (extended) FAFSA priority deadline.
- International students are unable to complete the FAFSA but are still eligible to apply for scholarships.
3. Verifying disability status:
- If you’re not already affiliated with the McBurney Center, begin the process early to verify disability status with the McBurney Center by completing the steps listed at Applying for Accommodations and reviewing “Disability Categories on the McBurney Scholarship Application” for a listing of conditions that may qualify as a disability.
- Make sure to allow enough time, as this process must be completed this by the scholarship deadline, including meeting with your assigned Access Consultant.
4. Requesting two (2) letters of recommendation:
- Students need two recommendations, preferably one from a current or former instructor. Family, friends, and a student’s McBurney Center Access Consultant are not eligible to be recommenders.
- Students will enter recommenders’ names and email addresses on the McBurney Center scholarship application.
- Recommenders will get an email with a link to complete and upload the recommendation. Recommendations are due by the scholarship deadline. Students are responsible for monitoring recommendations and ensuring they are submitted on time.
- Only students whose recommendations are submitted on time will be considered for scholarships.
5. Uploading a transcript:
- If you are an incoming transfer or a graduate/professional school student who did not receive your last degree from UW-Madison, a transcript from the university where you received your last degree is needed to calculate your GPA, otherwise you will receive “0 pts” for your GPA score.
- If you are a new or current law school student, please upload an unofficial transcript that includes your law school GPA (available through the Law School’s Office of Career and Professional Development). Without this document, your GPA cannot be calculated, and you will receive “0 pts” for your GPA score.
- If you are a new or current medical school student, you will need to upload a transcript with a GPA from the university where you received your last degree because the medical school does not calculate a GPA. Without this document, your GPA cannot be calculated, and you will receive “0 pts” for your GPA score.
- If you are not an incoming transfer, incoming graduate/professional, law, or medical school student, you do not need to submit a transcript.
Important Dates and Deadlines
| Timeline or Deadline | Date | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|
| McBurney Center scholarship application opens in WiSH | Friday, November 1, 2024 | Start your application in Wisconsin Scholarship Hub website (WiSH) |
| Financial Information DUE | Friday, April 4, 2025 (deadline extended due to FAFSA changes) | Complete the FAFSA. International students are unable to complete the FAFSA but are still eligible to apply for scholarships.
(Optional: Submit a statement of special circumstance) |
| Completed Application DUE | Friday, April 4, 2025 (by 11:59pm central time) | McBurney Center scholarship application has been submitted via WiSH.
Disability status has been verified with the McBurney Center. Two (2) recommenders have submitted letters. Upload a transcript (if applicable). |
Disability Categories on McBurney Scholarship Application
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Disability Categories
AD/HD
- ADD/ADHD – Combined Type
- ADD/ADHD – Predominantly Hyperactive
- ADD/ADHD – Predominantly Inattentive
- ADD/ADHD – Not Otherwise Specified
- Other – ADD/ADHD
Autism Spectrum
- Autism Spectrum
- Other – Autism Spectrum
Brain Injury
- Head Injury-Medical
- Head Injury-Traumatic
- Post-Concussion Syndrome
- Other – Brain
Deaf or Hard of Hearing
- Deaf/Blindness
- Hearing Loss
Health-Related Disability
- AIDS/HIV Positive/ AIDS Related Complex
- Allergies
- Allergies – Food
- Celiac Disease
- Asthma
- Cancer (non-Leukemia)
- Cardiac Condition
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Chemical Sensitivity
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- Chronic Pain
- Connective Tissue Disorder
- Crohn’s Disease
- Cystic Fibrosis
- Diabetes
- Epilepsy
- Fibromyalgia
- Hemophilia
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- Kidney Disease/Dysfunction
- Leukemia
- Lupus Erythematosus
- Lyme’s Disease
- Migraines
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Parkinson’s disease
- POTS
- Respiratory Disease
- Skin Disorders
- Seizure Disorder (not epilepsy)
- Sleep Disorder
- Speech Impairment
- Other – Health
Learning Disability
- Expressive Language Disorder
- Learning Disorder NOS
- Mathematics Disorder
- Reading Disorder
- Written Expression Disorder
- Other – Learning
Mobility Disability
- Amputation
- Arthritis/Rheumatism
- Cerebral Palsy
- Muscular Dystrophy
- Osteoporosis
- Paraplegia
- Post-Polio
- Quadriplegia
- Recurrent Dislocations
- Spina Bifida
- Other – Mobility
Psychological Disability
- Adjustment Disorder
- Alcoholism
- Anxiety
- Bi-Polar
- Chemical Dependency
- Depression
- Developmental Disability
- Eating Disorder
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
- Personality Disorder
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Schizophrenia/Schizo-affective Disorder
- Selective Mutism
- Specific Phobia
- Other – Psychological
Visual Disability
- Cataract
- Eye Teaming, Tracking, Focusing, and/or Alignment
- Glaucoma
- Optic Nerve Disease
- Retinal Disease
- Traumatic injury to eye
- Traumatic brain injury leading to visual impairment
- Other – Visual
Other Scholarship and Campus Resources
- Other UW-Madison Scholarships
- UW-Madison Office of Student Financial Aid
- State of Wisconsin Financial Aid Programs – “Hearing/Visually Impaired Student Grant”
- Wisconsin Council of the Blind Scholarships
- Google Lime Scholarship Program – For computer science students with disabilities
- Bryon Riesch Paralysis Foundation Scholarships – For individuals with neurological disabilities, or the child of that person
- Louise Tumarkin Zazove Foundation – For students with significant hearing loss
- Mesothelioma.com Scholarship – For college students diagnosed with cancer or with loved ones receiving treatment