Sponsored by the Platelet Disorder Support Association

The Platelet Disorder Support Association (PDSA) strives to provide patient information and support through various avenues including its website, many publications, and annual and regional conferences. PDSA realizes that many ITP patients and their families struggle with the financial difficulty of living with a chronic disorder as well as the burden of medical bills and the cost of treatments. The scholarship program was established in 2008 to aid ITP patients who are pursuing higher education and has awarded $40,000 to deserving students over the years.

Scholarship Funds

1. Grand prize: $6,000 awarded in equal increments over the remaining years of one student’s two-to-four-year education and two (2) complimentary 2025 ITP Conference registrations
2. Second prize: $1,500 one-time award for one student
3. Third prize: $1,000 one-time award for one student
4. Fourth prize: $750 one-time award for one student
5. Fifth prize: $500 one-time honorable mention award for two students

Winning an Award:

Winners are selected by an impartial panel of judges chosen by PDSA. Winners will be notified by May 30, 2025, and asked to provide a recent photo for publication in a winner announcement in the PDSA quarterly newsletter, The Platelet News. In addition, the grand prize winner will receive two complimentary registrations to the 2025 ITP Conference in Philadelphia, PA, July 27-29, 2025, where the winners will be announced. Once you have won an award, it is your responsibility to provide proof of enrollment in your chosen institution to PDSA. Please note that grand prize funds are distributed differently than the other one-time awards. Scholarship funds will be awarded in yearly increments (grand prize) or as a one-time payment (second through fifth place prizes) during the academic year(s). Payments will be made directly to the educational institution prior to the start of the fall semester, contingent upon proof of enrollment. If you have further questions about how an award may be distributed, please email pdsa@pdsa.org with the subject line “2025 College Scholarship.”

Eligibility:

Awards are restricted to graduating senior high school students, current college students, or adults interested in continuing education who have immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), or another confirmed low platelet disorder.* The Scholarship award is intended to assist full-time undergraduate or graduate students entering or attending an accredited technical school, two- or four-year college, university, or graduate school in either the United States or Canada only. The Applicant must be a U.S. or Canadian Citizen. There is no GPA requirement, however, the Applicant must have acceptance to the college of their choice and provide proof of enrollment to receive awards. Former Scholarship recipients are not permitted to reapply (those who have won $250 school fee/book awards prior to 2025 are still eligible). The following persons are also considered ineligible to apply: Family members of ITP patients, PDSA staff (current or former) and their family members, PDSA board members (current or former) and their family members, the scholarship selection committee judges (current and former) and their family members. PDSA reserves the right to change eligibility criteria and award amounts for each new program year.

*If you have any questions about a low-platelet condition that may or may not be accepted for application, please email pdsa@pdsa.org

Application Process:

It is recommended that you read all the instructions before beginning your application. Once you begin your application online, you will not be able to save it to complete at a later date. The checklist provided below includes a list of all the necessary submission materials to ensure that you will be able to complete your application.

When beginning your application, you will be asked to fill out the required form fields for your contact information, followed by uploading the additional required materials and information as specified below. Before submitting your application online, you will be asked to type your name and the application date to serve as your digital signature. For those under 18 years of age on the date of submission, please refer to the additional requirement in the checklist below for parent/legal guardian consent.

Submission Requirements:

A Completed Application includes all required personal and contact information, digital signature/consent, personal essay, and two letters of recommendation. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered. Winners will be notified by May 30, 2025, and asked to supply a recent photo for a winner announcement. Scholarship award winners will be announced in our quarterly newsletter, The Platelet News, and at our annual conference, which will be held in Philadelphia, PA this year. Winners are encouraged to attend, if possible! Completed Applications will be reviewed and judged by an impartial panel selected by PDSA. PDSA reserves the right to reject applications that do not meet the eligibility or submission requirements as detailed.

A Personal Essay of 700 to 1,000 words is required. This essay should tell us how your platelet disorder has resulted in your growth as a person; what you learned about your own strengths and weaknesses. If you feel it’s changed you, whether emotionally or physically, describe how it changed your approach to life and relationships. Summarize how having an illness might have affected your life’s accomplishments and helped you set goals. If you feel that having a chronic illness has helped you choose a career path, illustrate how, and explain why you feel this way and what you have done to meet these educational goals. Describe how achieving your educational aspirations will positively impact your future plans, in light of the struggles that you face from your platelet disorder. Note: Do not include your name anywhere in the essay.

Two (2) Letters of Recommendation written by adults who are not related to you must also be provided, along with the first/last name and email address of each recommender. Please note that reference letters should make no mention of your name. Applicants, instruct your referrers to use general terms – for example, “the applicant” and pronouns such as “they/them/theirs” – in place of your name. The scholarship selection committee judges should not be able to identify any applicants by name. Please direct any questions to pdsa@pdsa.org with the subject line “2025 College Scholarship.”

Application Checklist:

• Your 700- to 1,000-word Essay (Accepted File Formats: .pdf, .doc, .docx, .txt, .rtf, .html, .odt)
• Two Letters of Recommendation (Accepted File Formats: .pdf, .doc, .docx, .txt, .rtf, .html, .odt)
• Contact Information for Both Referrers (name & email address)
• Your Contact Information, including...
  • Legal Name
  • Physical Address
  • Birthdate*
  • Email Address
  • Phone Number
  • Name of Diagnosed Low Platelet Disorder
  • Name of School(s) Currently Attending & Planning to Attend
  • Digital Signature for Consent to Apply *

*If under 18 years of age on the date of submission: You will also need to provide the name, email address, and phone number of a parent/legal guardian to provide consent for entry. Please note that consent for those under 18 years of age is required for your application to be considered complete, and therefore must be received before the submission deadline April 11, 2025 by midnight EST. If you are under 18 years of age, you will need to submit your application in enough time to receive consent or have the parent/legal guardian you name on your application provide written consent to apply ahead of time by sending to pdsa@pdsa.org. If the applicant is 18 years of age or older on or before the application date, no additional consent is needed.

Parental Consent Template/Instructions:

Parent/Guardian – Please copy/paste the text below into an email*, fill in your name, child’s/ward’s name, and the date completed, and send to pdsa@pdsa.org, with “2025 College Scholarship Consent” in the subject line.

*If necessary, consent may be written and mailed to PDSA College Scholarship 2025, 8751 Brecksville Rd, Ste 150, Brecksville, OH 44141, but please note that it must be received by the application deadline of April 11, 2025.

I, (first & last name of parent/legal guardian), hereby certify that I have read and understand all eligibility and submission requirements for the PDSA College Scholarship Program 2025. I affirm that my child/ward, (first and last name of child/ward), meets these requirements and has my consent to apply for the program. Date: (mm)/(dd)/2025