College Grants for Recovering Addicts

Addiction can drain your financial resources. You may have spent all your savings chasing your addiction, and you may have sunk even more money into your recovery. Now that you are ready to build a healthy, sober life and want to move forward with your education, you may not have financial resources left to make it possible. Many grants and scholarship programs are available to pay for part or all of your education. Work with financial aid counselors to find additional opportunities, and reach out to advocacy programs to discover available funding.

Hope for Addiction

Recovering addicts who are willing to commit to not using drugs or alcohol for the rest of their lives may qualify for this scholarship program. At the time of publication, the Hope for Addiction program gives awards of $1,000 for students attending community college, four-year university, trade school or technical school. Awards are granted quarterly. Applicants must be 27 or younger, and they may be asked to take a drug test proving their sobriety at the time of application and during the academic year.

Texas Tech University

Students who are recovering addicts and who wish to attend Texas Tech University may qualify for the school's Scholarship Program for Recovering Students. Applicants must show strong leadership in their community, have one year free of their addiction and must enroll for 12 credit hours during the first semester. Students must complete those courses with a 3.0 GPA or better. At the time of publication, awards range from $500 to $2,000 per semester. Higher awards are given to students with stronger academic and leadership records.

The Sarah Shay and Michael Donta Memorial Scholarship for Hope and Healing

Kentucky offers two $1,500 scholarships to students who have been affected by prescription drug abuse, either because they are recovering addicts or are the children of addicts. Applicants must write personal essays about how they have been affected, and must have GPAs of at least 2.75. One male and one female recipient are chosen, and awards are granted on a one-time basis for study at any Kentucky college or trade school.

Tulsa Community College

Tulsa Community College in Oklahoma provides several resources for students who are recovering addicts, including support groups and recovery services. The school also offers a Recovery Scholarship to students who have been sober for at least six continuous months, who are active members of the student recovery group TACKLE, and who are enrolled in at least six credit hours. Students must also write an essay, get letters of recommendation, and meet minimum academic standards. Award amounts vary according to available funding, which is through private donation.

Technology Addiction Awareness Scholarship

Not all addicts have a problem with drugs or alcohol. Addiction to technology is a growing problem. Digital Responsibility sponsors the $1,000 Technology Addiction Awareness Scholarship. Any student of any age entering a college or graduate program can apply by submitting a 140-character statement about technology addiction. The statement changes each year. Ten finalists will be chosen and asked to write a longer essay about technology addiction.

PARfessionals Recovering Scholars Scholarship

Not all students want to attend a traditional college. The PARfessionals program provides full-tuition scholarships for recovering addicts who are interested in completing an online training course to become addiction recovery coaches. The Recovering Scholars program is specifically for recovering addicts, but the school offers a number of other scholarships covering tuition for the program. Training is 50 hours and is completed by self-directed study.