People often think that disabled students’ biggest challenges in college are receiving accommodations or managing their health along with coursework. However, the real struggles begin long before students step onto campus. It starts in quiet moments when families try to understand financial aid letters that do not reflect the realities of disability. The numbers may look the same for everyone, but the lives behind those numbers are very different.
For disabled students, the cost of college includes expenses that do not show up in the official “cost of attendance.” The price of staying healthy enough to learn—such as appointments, medications, therapies, equipment, and transportation for medical care—does not go away when a student enrolls. These costs are constant, yet financial aid formulas ignore them.
Students often rule out schools because the nearest medical specialist is too far away. Sometimes, they need expensive medications. In other cases, the campus transportation cannot reliably get them to class.
Even after enrolling, the financial pressure continues. For disabled people, repaying student loans is often harder than taking them out. According to a report published by The Pew Charitable Trusts, borrowers who reported a disability were much more likely to default (50%) than those who did not report a disability, (33%).
The reasons for this gap are clear. Data shows that disabled borrowers typically earn lower salaries and face higher unemployment rates, which makes repayment more difficult. Disabled people are also twice as likely to live in poverty compared to their nondisabled peers. While some disabilities allow borrowers to automatically discharge their loans, many people have conditions that are undocumented, misunderstood, or challenging to navigate within the discharge process. Others simply do not receive the help they need to access the aid for which they qualify.
The disparities continue. Research from Old Dominion University shows that Black disabled students carry much heavier debt burdens than White disabled students—averaging more than six thousand dollars more in federal student loans. Students at private for-profit universities face an even bigger debt, owing over thirteen thousand dollars more than their peers at public institutions. These differences are not just numbers; they affect the entire path of a student’s life, influencing career choices, financial stability, and long-term well-being.
This creates a situation where disabled students must handle not only the academic demands of college but also a financial system that was never designed for them. Some students find out by chance that they can report medical expenses on the CSS Profile or request a special circumstances review under the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). Others never learn about these options. The system rewards those who uncover hidden rules while quietly penalizing those who do not. At the same time, rising healthcare costs, changing Medicaid rules, and inconsistent state support make it even harder for disabled students to cope.
This part of the story is rarely told. Colleges talk about inclusion and accessibility, but those promises fall short when students must choose between paying for medication and paying for textbooks. The financial realities of disability determine who can attend college, who can stay, and who can graduate. Until institutions recognize the full costs of being a disabled student, access will remain conditional and uneven, and the students who need support the most will continue to bear the burden of a system that was never built for them.
Sources:
Bullington, Kim, et al. ‘Above-Average Student Loan Debt for Students with Disabilities Attending Postsecondary Institutions’. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, vol. 35, no. 1, 2022.
https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1120&context=emse_fac_pubs
Brucker, Debra L., et al. ‘More Likely to Be Poor Whatever the Measure: Working-Age Persons with Disabilities in the United States*’. Social Science Quarterly, vol. 96, no. 1, Mar. 2015, pp. 273–296, https://doi.org10.1111/ssqu.12098.
Ball Isaacson, Karly, et al. “The Hidden Costs That Keep Disabled Students From College.” Inside Higher Ed, Inside Higher Ed, 12 Jan. 2026.