Online Program Allows Chronically Ill Students to Get College Degree

DePaul University is the home of a distance learning program that enables chronically ill college students to fulfill degree requirements through online courses. This program, the Chronic Illness Initiative at the School for New Learning, is designed to help individuals with chronic illnesses complete their undergraduate degree.

Students with fatiguing illnesses like CFIDS, rheumatoid arthritis, MS, fibromyalgia and lupus often find it difficult, if not impossible, to meet the requirements of a conventional college program. The Chronic Illness Initiative gives such students the option of completing all degree requirements online and offers flexible time requirements to complete coursework. A special advisor is assigned to each student to help them plan and execute their studies.

Until this year, the program has only been accepting students over the age of 24. Now it is also open to chronically ill students between the ages of 18 and 23 through the Inside Track option. This special track provides additional guidance to younger students, many of whom may not have the life experience and self-directed perspective of older students. Inside Track students not only have a special advisor, they are assigned a buddy who is a student in the School for New Learning to help them chart their college experience.

Also new is the Chronic Illness Scholarship Award, an endowed scholarship which was established this year by Lynn Royster, a member of the Association’s Board of Directors, to honor her son. Lynn Royster knows how CFIDS can impact the educational pursuits of young PWCS. Her personal journey with her son Patrick, who has had CFIDS for the past 16 years, led her to establish the scholarship. It is open to students who are enrolled, or are in the process of enrolling, in DePaul’s School for New Learning. Applicants must have a disabling chronic illness and demonstrate financial need.

For more information about the scholarship and specific requirements for applying, go to www.snlonline.net. Follow the link to Prospective Students and How to Apply. The deadline for applying is August 1 of each year.