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Top Mental Health Scholarships in 2022
According to the National Institute for Mental Health, nearly 30% of young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 have a mental, behavioral, or emotional mental health condition. Many of those diagnosed are seeking and enrolling in higher education. This can be a stressful time for all students. Paying for college is definitely a stressor, but will be less so if you win a few mental health scholarships. For that, you landed in the right place!
Jump ahead to:
- Top mental health scholarships
- Mental health resources
- Frequently asked questions about mental health scholarships
- Explore these related scholarship categories
In addition to broader overall mental health scholarships, our listing includes more diagnosis specific scholarships. This includes scholarships for Anxiety, Depression, Bipolar, and Schizophrenia.
We also included a few that apply to those who have been impacted by the mental health struggles of those around them. Finally, we included a few scholarships for college students who are studying and/or working to raise awareness about mental health.
Top mental health scholarships in 2022
$4,300 Ethel Hayes Destigmatization of Mental Health Scholarship
- Eligibility: Students at every level of education who write a short essay about mental health
- Amount: $4,300 (2 awards)
- Deadline: June 14, 2022
$1,300 Cade Reddington Be the Light Scholarship
- Eligibility: High school students who have been personally been impacted by substance abuse, addiction, and mental health struggles
- Amount: $1,300
- Deadline: October 22, 2022
$500 Elevate Mental Health Awareness Scholarship
- Eligibility: Students at every level of education who have/had challenges with mental health or who have had loved ones who have struggled with mental health
- Amount: $500
- Deadline: May 31, 2022
Lime Connect Pathways Scholarship
- Eligibility: High school seniors in the US or Canada who have, or consider themselves to have a visible or invisible disability, who are enrolling in a 4-year college or university
- Amount: $1,000
- Deadline: May 30, 2022
Addiction Awareness Scholarship
- Eligibility: Students currently enrolled in either high school, university, or college full-time
- Amount: $1,500
- Deadline: Open January 13th – May 31st and July 1st – November 30th
Mental health resources
Many colleges and universities offer mental health resources for enrolled students. If you need guidance, that is a great place to start. Because the counseling center at your college has experience with students your age, they should be able to steer you in the right direction. If you want or need to do research on your own, the following websites are a few of the most credible you can find.
Anxiety and Depression Association of America
Check out the varied list of resources offered by the ADAA that focus specifically on the needs of college students.
National Alliance on Mental Health
The National Alliance for Mental Health, or NAMI, as it is often referred, is the largest organization dedicated to helping Americans with mental illness build better lives. With 600 state organizations, NAMI offers free help and education. For college students, this “Starting the Conversation” guide and video is an excellent resource.
ULifeline
ULifeline is an anonymous online resource center especially for college students. Students can comfortably search for information regarding emotional and mental health. ULifeline is a project of The Jed Foundation, one of the USA’s leading organizations regarding the mental health of college students.
Frequently asked questions about mental health scholarships
Do I need to have a diagnosis to apply for a mental health scholarship?
Some mental health scholarships require that you have been diagnosed by a doctor, but others do not. For example, the Ethel Hayes Destigamitzation of Mental Health Scholarship only requires that you write a short essay about the importance of mental health. Whether or not you have a mental health diagnosis, you can find mental health scholarships which you qualify for.
Can you get a scholarship for anxiety?
Yes, you can. Anxiety is a recognized mental health condition, and so you will qualify for many mental health scholarships. For example, the Elevate Mental Health Awareness scholarship could be a great fit. You can also check out the Quell Foundation Fighter scholarship. To be matched with a huge variety of vetted scholarships, you can also try our free scholarship search tool.
Am I at a disadvantage applying for scholarships if I struggle with mental health?
Struggling with mental health is a difficult process in and of itself, and for this reason, you will have a natural disadvantage in that you will have to overcome those issues. However, scholarship providers will not think less of you for having mental health struggles. You should not feel a pressure to hide your mental health issues on your applications. If you find that they are relevant to what you are discussing in your essays, you can feel free to bring them up to give the provider a full picture of yourself.
Remember, you get to choose what details to include. You can decide only to include information that you are comfortable with, or to include no information at all. But you should not feel as though you have to hide any of your mental health struggles in your applications. They might help explain fluctuations in academic performance or other factors in your application.
Upcoming mental health scholarships
Baer Reintegration Scholarship
- Eligibility: Students eighteen years or older diagnosed with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or schizoaffective disorder. Applicants will either plan or are enrolled in high school equivalency programs, trade or vocational schools, certificate programs, or associate’s, bachelor’s, or graduate degree college/university programs
- Amount: Varies based on each winner’s financial needs and educational goals
Jared Monroe Foundation Scholarship
- Eligibility: Students in their last year of high school or enrolled as a freshman, sophomore, or junior in college/university. Applicants must have a dx of Bipolar Disorder and currently receiving treatment
- Amount: $500 to $2300 (multiple scholarships awarded)
JC Runyon Foundation Scholarship
- Eligibility: Students who successfully completed an inpatient program in a facility, wing or unit dedicated to behavioral health. Applicants must have already been accepted into an undergraduate program to a college, university, or trade school
- Amount: Varies (To get an idea, the Foundation has awarded over $600k in scholarship funding to 37 students nationwide)
JED’s Student Voice of Mental Health Award
- Eligibility: JED’s Student Voice of Mental Health Award award undergraduate college students who are raising awareness about mental health issues
- Amount: $3,000
John Lepping Memorial Scholarship: Disabled Students
- Eligibility: Permanent residents of New York, New Jersey, or Pennsylvania who have physical conditions (spinal cord injury, loss of limb, birth defects, etc.) and/or psychological conditions (autism, post- traumatic stress etc.). Scholarship recipients must be able to provide proof of disability with letter of confirmation by a physician
- Amount: $5,000
Prochnow Foundation Annual Scholarship
- Eligibility: College-bound students who have a diagnosed mental illness. Must have a 3.5 or above high school GPA and also submit an essay
- Amount: $1,000
- Opens: January 2023
Quell Foundation Fighter Scholarship
- Eligibility: High school seniors and current undergraduate/graduate students with a 3.2 or above GPA being treated for diagnosed mental health conditions
- Amount: Varies
