There are a lot of factors to consider when deciding whether you want to continue being a student. While getting more education at a university, college, community college, or technical school is a great option, it may not be the best option for everybody. Some people prefer to get a job; others like volunteer work, or would do well in an apprenticeship.

Some people simply need to take a break from school, especially if they feel like they’ve spent their whole lives in the classroom. Remember, if you choose not to continue with your education now, you can always go back to school later. Don’t feel pressured to go to school. There are many good options that you can try out.

Some of the main factors to consider when deciding whether to pursue a higher education are:

• The independence and empowerment it can provide
• How much it costs
• How it will impact your career options
• How it will impact your health

Independence and Empowerment

Once you’ve finished high school, education goes from being something that is required of you to something that you must desire and work for. You’ll have new responsibilities like choosing your own classes, remembering to do your homework, requesting reasonable accommodations, and managing your money. Learning how to handle these responsibilities is one of the most important skills you can gain from your college experience.

This may sound intimidating but a lot of people will be there to support you. Colleges and universities have offices to support students with disabilities, and many have student organizations run by students with disabilities. You will also make many new friends going through the same adjustment to independent life as you. And of course, your family will still be able to give you support.

Finances

Higher education is expensive. You and your family will need to explore options for paying for it. There are ways you can reduce the expense. Living with your parents or roommates may help lower your costs, and some types of school, such as community colleges and public universities, are more affordable than others.

Make sure you understand how much your educational options will cost and try to get financial aid when you can. Sometimes private schools that seem very expensive actually provide large amounts of financial aid that make them more affordable. So don’t just assume you can’t afford school. Read Funding Your Education to learn more.

Long-Term Career Development

Many jobs require you to get a higher education. That’s why most people with a higher education are able to get better jobs and earn more money in the long-term. It opens up doors to employment and financial independence. It also lets you meet new people, learn new ideas, and discover new possibilities.

But you don’t have to go to college. There are other ways to find a good job. Click here to read more about finding a job.

Health

Your health conditions may impact whether you choose to pursue postsecondary education, and when and where to pursue it. Maybe your impairment physically prevents you from studying certain subjects. For example, if you are blind, it is unlikely you will study graphic design. Maybe your health needs mean that you cannot live in rural areas that lack certain specialized medical providers, and so you must go to school in a city. Maybe you are recovering from an accident and need to wait before you enter school. There are many different health-related issues that can impact your decision about postsecondary education. Consider your own situation and be honest with yourself so you can make a good long-term choice.

When you think about pursuing postsecondary education, you might think that four-year colleges are your only option. People might be asking you “Are you going to college?” However, there are actually many different types of postsecondary education.

Community College

Community colleges, sometimes called junior colleges or two-year colleges, are low-cost public schools. They offer a variety of educational opportunities including a degree called an Associate of Arts (AA) or Associate of Science (AS) after you complete the required courses. They may also offer more specialized programs for specific jobs like nursing, carpentry, or electrical work. Different programs take different amounts of time to complete — if you go to school full-time, you can get an associate’s degree in about two years.

If you graduate from a community college and want to continue your education and get a bachelor’s degree, you can easily transfer to a four-year college. The four-year college will give you two years of credit for the coursework you have done, so that it should only take two additional years for you to get your bachelor’s degree.

Technical School

Like community colleges, you go to a technical school for two years. The big difference is that a technical school usually only teaches you how to work in a specific field. For example, it might teach you specific skills you need to work in restaurants, hotels, fashion, the computer industry, or some other fields. While community colleges and four-year colleges generally offer an education that introduces you to many different fields, technical schools are designed to prepare you for one field in which you can get a job.

On-the-Job Training

Technical school is one type of vocational training. Another type of vocational training is “on-the-job training.” With on-the-job training, you get a job and are taught what you have to do by your employer.

One common type of on-the job training is an apprenticeship. Apprenticeships provide a structured way to learn a skilled occupation, craft, or trade. The California Department of Industrial Relations provides a searchable database of apprenticeship programs in California. CareerOneStop also has information about apprenticeship programs.

Four-Year Colleges and Universities

When most people think of “college,” they think of a school you go to full-time for four years or until you get a bachelor’s degree. At a college or university, you will take a diverse set of classes that may teach you about many different things including history, languages, math, and sciences. Eventually you will choose a major, which is a focus that lets you specialize in a certain field and prepares you for working in that field after you graduate. If you study full-time, you may finish in four years, though some students take longer.

Resources About Higher Education for Students with Disabilities

• Going to College is a great website that explores ways to think about what you want to do, what college life is like, and how you can plan for college.
• Think College has important information for students, families, and professionals about how people with intellectual and developmental disabilities can succeed in higher education.

In addition to thinking about what type of school to go to, you also have to think about which specific school to attend. Major issues to consider include:

• How much does the school cost?
• Where is the school located?
• Is the school accessible for people with disabilities like yours?
• What areas of study does the school offer?
• How academically rigorous are the classes?
• What’s the impact on future employment of this school?
• What’s the campus culture like?

Financial Impact

Most high schools are free, but after high school you will have to pay for your education. The price can range from less than $1,000 per year at community colleges to more than $50,000 per year at some private colleges.

This may make you think that you should only consider community colleges. After all, who could possibly afford the $200,000 it would take to graduate from some private colleges? But colleges offer financial aid and often will not charge you their full price. So don’t just assume you can afford one college and not another.

You should apply to the schools that are the best fit for you, regardless of price. If those schools are expensive, you should also apply to more affordable schools, in case the expensive schools don’t offer you adequate financial aid. You may also be able to get the Department of Rehabilitation (DOR) to pay for some or all of your education expenses.

Financial aid and education funding through DOR are covered in more detail on the Funding Your Education page.

Location

Where do you want to go to school? Do you want to be near your family or far away? Do you want to live in a campus dorm, an apartment, or with your family? Do you want to be in a big city or a smaller town? Do you want to live in California or another state? What type of weather do you like? These are all important questions and you can probably think of many others. Make a list of the priorities you have for where you want to go to school. That will help you decide what is important when making your choices.

Accessibility

You need to make sure that the buildings and facilities at a school are accessible for you so that you can go to class, participate, complete assignments, take tests, and do extra-curricular activities. The reality is that no school is perfectly accessible. When you apply to different schools, visit them to get an idea about whether they will be accessible for you. You should also contact their disabled student services offices to see what accessibility information they have about the school.

Your Interests and the Areas of Study

What you want to study could help you decide what school you want to attend. For instance, if you are an artist, you might look for a school that focuses on art. Or, if you like science, you might look for a college that specializes in the sciences. If you don’t know what you want to study, don’t worry! Most schools offer a broad range of classes and they even require you to sample all different sorts of topics so that you can discover what you like. However, having the things you are interested in and the areas of study that the school offers overlap is a good idea.

Academics

Different schools have different academic standards. Depending on your high school grades, test scores, and prerequisites, some schools may not accept you. Some have strict course requirements, while others are more flexible about what you study. Some have hundreds of students in each class, while others have as few as ten students per class. When you are thinking about different schools, take these things into account, because they will impact your happiness and your level of success.

Future Employment Impact

Getting an education will make it easier to get a job, no matter what your career choice is. Potential employers will see that you dedicated yourself, worked hard, and succeeded in an environment which requires a great deal of self-motivation.

However, the school you choose to attend may impact what type of job you end up getting. If you go to a technical school, you will be well prepared for certain professions. If you go to a four-year college, you’ll be able to get jobs that require a bachelor’s degree. If your four-year college specializes in certain fields, you’ll have a better chance at employment in those fields.

If you know what field you wish to work in in the future, make sure you take that into account when you choose a school. At the same time, you should make sure that if you change your mind later, the school has other options.

Campus Culture

Campus culture includes many factors not discussed above. For instance, some schools are known as “party schools.” Others are more religious, and some schools are known for being politically active. Sororities and fraternities are an important part of student life at some colleges, while others don’t even allow them.

Campus culture may seem like a secondary consideration, but it is very important. Especially if you are leaving the place you grew up and choose to live on campus, this will be a major time of change in your social life. When you begin school, you’ll know almost nobody, and so this will directly impact how you make friends and what sorts of friends you make. The best way to really learn about a school’s campus culture is to visit and talk with students.

Applying to schools can be a bit challenging and time-consuming. You’ll have to get application forms and follow their directions carefully. You can usually find the forms online or get paper copies.

You will also likely find that each school has its own application procedures and deadlines. Here we’ll talk about a few common things you have to do when you apply for college.

Standardized Testing

Most of the time, when you apply to a school, you'll have to take at least one test. The most common test you have to take is the SAT, although there are other tests like the ACT. These tests cover things like reading, math, and writing. Some schools may also require tests like the SAT Subject Tests, which assess your abilities in subjects such as foreign languages, history, or science. Note: For some colleges, these tests are optional.

There are many websites that can help you prepare for these tests and there are also many tutoring programs. If you have a disability and need an accommodation to complete the test, request the accommodation! Your high school should be able to help you get any accommodations you need. These websites can help too:

• Accommodations for the SAT, PSAT, Subject Tests, and Advanced Placement (AP) Tests
• Accommodations for the ACT

Accommodations can range from having more time to complete the test to getting a private room in which to take it. If you don’t request and use the accommodations you need, your score may be lower than it would be if you had used the accommodations. Then you may not get accepted into the school you want. Make sure to request any accommodations you need!

Essays

Most four-year colleges will expect you to write a short essay when applying. Take it seriously! Work hard on it and show it to your teachers at school, especially your English teachers, to get advice and feedback. Read it, reread it, and check that everything is spelled correctly. Other people can help you with that too! Often, a good essay can be the deciding factor in whether or not a college accepts you.

When You Are Accepted

When you are accepted into a school or several schools, you need to think about which school you want to attend. You have to think about all of the factors we’ve already discussed, and if you need financial aid, you need to compare financial aid offers as well. Read the Funding Your Education page to learn more about financial aid.

It won’t be an easy decision. Talk to people and take your time. At the same time, don’t let other people pressure you into a choice that you don’t like. You are now an adult and you must be the person to make the final decision.

School can be very expensive. It is not a topic that we enjoy thinking about, but you need to keep it in mind and investigate your options as early as possible. Your parents, guidance counselors, financial aid counselors, Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) counselors, and others will be able to provide you with support.

In this section, you’ll learn about different ways to get help paying for school.

Types of Financial Aid

When you apply for college, you'll also have to apply for financial aid. The main financial aid application form is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Some private colleges require that you fill out additional forms.

You and your parents will have to provide lots of information about your family's income and assets. Once you enter school, you will have to complete these forms every spring until you graduate.

Schools will read the information that you provide and make financial aid offers that include three basic components: grants, loans, and work-study. If you qualify, the Department of Rehabilitation (DOR) may also help pay for your educational expenses.

Grants

Grants are money that you will not have to repay. They are the best type of financial aid because they are completely free.

Loans

Loans are money that you will have to repay. In addition to paying back the money that you get with a loan, you will also have to pay back additional money, which is called interest. There are many different types of loans with varying interest rates. The higher the interest rate, the more money you will have to pay to the lender. You need to pay close attention to the terms of any loan. In most cases, you will have to repay your loans over the course of many years after you have completed school.

However, in 2012, the federal government created a process to let people with disabilities apply to have their federal student loans forgiven, so that they wouldn't need to be repaid. This process is called the Total and Permanent Disability (TPD) Discharge. The program's FAQ page explains the three-year period your disability may be monitored before your loans are forgiven, and the taxes you may have to pay after the loans are forgiven. Learn more about whether you might qualify to have your student debt forgiven or call 1-888-303-7818 to speak with a customer service representative.

Work-Study

Work-study is a program whereby the federal government and your school pay a portion of your salary if you work at certain jobs while you are a student. The program often makes it easier for you to get part-time employment. To learn more, read Getting a Job While in School.

Comparison Shop and Negotiate

The amount of financial aid that different schools offer can vary significantly. It is especially important to see how much money they offer in grants and how much they charge to attend the school. It may turn out that a university with an expensive tuition that offers large grants will be cheaper than another university with low tuition that doesn’t offer grants. An Ivy League school may actually be cheaper than a public university, depending on their financial aid offers. That’s one reason to apply to several colleges: so you have the opportunity to look for the best offer possible.

If your favorite school does not offer much financial aid, you can contact their financial aid office and explain your financial situation. They may revise and increase their financial aid offer.

If you are already attending a college and it offers less financial aid than it did the previous year, talk to the financial aid office and explain your situation. They may be able to increase their offer so that you can stay in school.

Private Scholarships

Scholarships are another source of financial aid. Like grants, scholarships do not have to be repaid. Some scholarships provide lots of money, while others are small but helpful. The problem is a lot of people don’t know about the scholarships that may be available to them. Here are some ways to find scholarships:

• Use the scholarship lists on the Scholarships.com website.
• Search for terms like “disability scholarship” in online search engines like Google.
• Search for scholarships for people with your disability. For example, if you’re blind, try searching for “blind scholarship California.”
• Don’t limit yourself to scholarships for students with disabilities.
• Talk to your parents. Their work places may offer scholarships for children of employees.
• If you’re still in high school, ask your school’s guidance counselor for assistance.
• If you’re in college, check with your school’s disability services office and financial aid office.

Vocational Rehabilitation

During high school, you should apply for Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) services. You can ask your special education department to help you apply.

If you have finished high school, you should contact the Department of Rehabilitation (DOR) directly to apply. They will review your mental or physical disabilities and determine whether you qualify for services. You may be placed on a waiting list to receive services.

If you qualify, your VR counselor will help you create an employment plan. If you need more education in order to fulfill your employment plan, DOR will help pay for this education. Even if you get VR services, you should still apply for the financial aid described above. The VR does not always pay for all educational expenses, especially if you attend a private college or university.

Financial Aid Resources

• The Federal Student Aid website offers:
  • General information on funding education after high school, including details on the FAFSA and the types of financial aid you can get.
  • A Financial Aid Toolkit for Counselors
  • Funding information for Students with Intellectual Disabilities
• The University of Washington explains College Funding for Students with Disabilities
• Fastweb.com lists resources for Financial Aid for Students with Disabilities

Part-time and summer jobs help you pay for school and are also a good way for you to get work experience.

Deciding Whether to Get a Job

Ask yourself a few key questions when you decide whether to get a job:

• Do you need money for school or other expenses?
• Do you have enough free time to work?
• Will your job impact your ability to complete your classes and other school work?
• Will the job give you experience in a field that interests you?

If you have free time, you should figure out how many hours you can work and what sort of work you’d like. Students often work 5 – 15 hours per week. There are many different types of jobs available such as working in a computer lab, doing research for professors, or working in the library.

Finding a Job

The first place you should check is your campus career office. It will have lists of jobs that are available and the staff should be able to direct you to other places that can help you find work.

Your college’s website may also have a section on helping students find jobs. For example, the University of California, Berkeley website has a student employment section, as does Sacramento City College.

If you search for “job listings” in an Internet search engine like Google, you should also find jobs available in your area.

One of the best ways to find a job is to talk to people. Talk to your friends, family, professors, and other people you know. If you know somebody who has a good job, see if that person knows about job openings at their workplace. If you like a company or organization and want to work there, contact them! Even if they don’t have any job openings, you may be able to arrange an “informational interview,” where you can learn more about the type of work they do and how to get a job there or at a similar company in the future.

Internships

An internship is a program in which you work in a field that you’re interested in, usually for a semester. There are three big differences between an internship and a normal job:

1. Internships are designed to give you training while you work, meaning that you often get exposed to higher level and more interesting activities
2. Not all internships pay
3. Many internships are only available to students

A great place to begin looking for an internship is your school’s career development office. Their staff will know about local businesses and organizations offering internships. You can also talk to friends, family, and professors. Another option is to directly contact companies whose work interests you to see if they will have internship openings in the future. Generally, you need to apply for an internship about six months before you plan to begin it.

• The Workforce Recruitment Program is a Federal program that works to connect students with disabilities and employers for summer internships and jobs

• Entry Point is a program for students in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math that helps them find internships at employers such as Google, Lockheed, NASA, and IBM

If you plan ahead, you can save money to pay for school. You can save money in any standard savings or investment account, or in a special account for educational expenses called a 529 College Savings Plan.

529 plans let you or your parents save money without paying taxes on the interest, which means that your money will grow more quickly than in a standard bank or investment account. The College Savings Plans Network has a lot more information about 529 plans.

The disadvantages of a 529 plan are that you have to use the money saved in it for educational expenses, and if the plan owner (usually the student’s parent or grandparent) gets Supplemental Security Income (SSI), the money in the 529 plan will count against the SSI resource limit.

Note: You may be able to work around these disadvantages if you rollover money from a 529 account into an ABLE account. Or, you could just open up an ABLE account instead of a 529. Learn more about ABLE accounts on DB101.

Regardless of the type of account you choose, you and your family should try to save some money each month for your education expenses. By learning to save now, you will be practicing a habit you will need for the rest of your life.

Impact on Benefits

Different types of financial aid — especially grants and scholarships — can impact disability benefits like SSI. They may increase your countable income or put your assets over the assets limit, causing your benefits to be reduced or eliminated. To learn more about what you can do in this situation,talk to a benefits planner.

Saving if You’re on SSI

If you’re on SSI and save too much money, you’ll go over the asset limit and lose your benefit.

There are ways to save money for school without jeopardizing your SSI though:

• A Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS) lets you set aside income in a separate account to help you reach a career goal, including getting a higher education. Money saved in a PASS account will not be counted by SSI. To learn more, read DB101’s PASS section or contact a PASS Cadre.
• Individual Development Accounts (IDAs) are similar to PASS plans, but have the added benefit that financial institutions will actually match your own contributions to your IDA. Not all IDAs let you go over the SSI asset limit though, so research them carefully before you set one up. Read the DB101 page on IDAs to learn more or talk to a benefits planner.
• ABLE accounts let you save up to $100,000 without impacting SSI benefits. You can use money in an ABLE account for many types of expenses. Learn more about ABLE accounts in DB101's Building Your Assets and Wealth article.

If you need special supports or accommodations to succeed while you are in high school, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires that a well thought-out Individualized Education Program (IEP) be developed and updated yearly. The transition section of the IEP identifies your postsecondary goals in education, training, employment and, if necessary, independent living. It also looks at the transition services, courses, and activities that you can do while in high school that will help you to move on after you graduate.

Your IEP should take into account your strengths, needs, preferences, and abilities. Development of your IEP requires input from you, your family, your teachers, and your school.

Once you graduate from high school and begin postsecondary education, you will no longer have an IEP and the IDEA will no longer apply. The laws and types of support you can get will be different.

It’s important that you understand these changes. We will briefly discuss these issues here. The U.S. Department of Education also has a short set of questions and answers that explain your rights in college.

Laws that Apply to Postsecondary Education

There are two major laws that make sure colleges and other postsecondary schools treat students with disabilities equally: Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Here we provide very basic descriptions of the two. If you want more details, PACER has a good description of their most important aspects.

Section 504

Section 504 says that any school that gets federal funding must make sure that students with disabilities are not excluded. Almost all postsecondary schools receive some form of federal funding, even private schools, meaning they must abide by Section 504 rules.

Section 504 specifies that schools must provide appropriate supports and accommodations so that students with disabilities can participate equally in classes, activities, housing, and any other aspects of school.

Americans with Disabilities Act

When applied to postsecondary education, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is not much different than Section 504. The biggest difference is that the ADA also applies to schools that don’t receive federal funding.

Requesting Accommodations

In postsecondary education, an accommodation is a change or adjustment to facilities, classes, exams, extra-curricular activities, or other parts of the educational setting that allows you to fully participate.

In order to get an accommodation, you need to formally request it through your school’s disabled student services office. It is important to know that colleges and universities do not have to supply accommodations if they drastically change the curriculum of the class.

Should I Tell My School About My Disability?

You do not have to disclose your disability to your school. However, if you need an accommodation in order to succeed, you should talk to the disability student services office or your school’s ADA coordinator. If you don’t tell them about your disability, you won’t be able to get the accommodations you need and that could set you up for failure.

When you and the disability student services office decide what accommodations are necessary, the office will inform your professor about that decision. The professor may ask you about the accommodation to make sure you receive it, but you do not need to reveal your disability to your professor.

Documentation

Your school will only give you disability services or accommodations if you need them. If you have a hidden disability, you may have to show them documentation proving that you have a disability and need accommodations.

For example, if you have a learning disability, you will have to take tests or have an evaluation done by a psychologist or another disability expert. Some schools may only recognize such tests if they were done within the last three years. This can be expensive. If you are still in high school, in some instances your school district may help you get documentation for free. Contact your district’s special education office for more information on requesting an evaluation. Most postsecondary schools will not pay for it.

Most importantly, find out if your school will require documentation before you enroll. That way you can be prepared to request your accommodation when you start school and won’t get behind.

Self-Advocacy

When you go to college, you become the person responsible for your education. You also become the primary person who needs to make sure your rights are respected. Making sure your rights are respected is also called “self-advocacy.”

Self-advocacy doesn’t mean you have to do everything by yourself. Your family and friends can give you support and many schools also have independent disabled student groups.