Your scholarship fund's website might be beautifully designed, but if 1 in 4 visitors can't navigate it, you're losing donors, applicants, and trust. Accessibility isn't a nice-to-have compliance checkbox—it's a direct path to reaching more scholarship seekers and supporters. Inclusive web design expands your audience while proving your fund's commitment to removing barriers.
Why Accessibility Matters for Scholarship Funds
Scholarship applicants include people with visual, hearing, motor, and cognitive disabilities. When your application portal, donor pages, and eligibility descriptions aren't accessible, you're actively excluding qualified students and committed philanthropists. Beyond ethics, there's a business case: accessible sites rank better in search results, load faster, and see higher conversion rates from applications and donations.
A 2023 WebAIM survey found that 96% of websites fail basic accessibility standards. Scholarship funds competing for visibility and contributions can't afford to be part of that majority.
Start with WCAG 2.1 Standards
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 are the industry standard. Aim for Level AA compliance—a realistic middle ground between basic functionality and comprehensive accessibility. Here's what that covers:
- Images and PDFs: All images need alt text describing their content. Scholarship fund infographics, student testimonial photos, and award announcements must include detailed descriptions.
- Color contrast: Text must have a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 against the background. Avoid relying on color alone to convey information (e.g., "successful applicants in green, rejected in red").
- Keyboard navigation: Every feature—from donation buttons to application form fields—must work without a mouse. Many users rely on Tab keys and screen readers.
- Form labels and error messages: Every form field needs a clear, associated label. If an applicant misses a required field, the error message must explain what went wrong and how to fix it.
- Video captions and transcripts: If you publish scholarship announcements or applicant success stories as video, include captions and full transcripts.
Typical costs for bringing a mid-sized scholarship fund website to WCAG AA compliance range from $3,000–$8,000 if done during initial build, or $5,000–$15,000 for retrofitting an existing site. Professional audits themselves cost $1,500–$3,000.
Practical Steps to Implement Today
Audit your current site. Use free tools like WAVE, Axe DevTools, or Lighthouse (built into Chrome) to identify accessibility gaps. These tools catch missing alt text, color contrast issues, and keyboard navigation problems in minutes. Start with your most-visited pages: the application portal, donation page, and eligibility requirements.
Test with actual users. Recruit people with disabilities—including blind users relying on screen readers, deaf users needing captions, and users with motor disabilities—to test your forms and pages. You'll catch real usability issues that automated tools miss. Budget 2–3 hours per tester and offer a $50–$100 honorarium.
Simplify forms. Scholarship application forms are notorious for accessibility failures. Break multi-page forms into smaller steps. Clearly mark required fields. Provide real-time validation so applicants know immediately if they've entered a birthdate in the wrong format, rather than getting an error after submission.
Choose accessible templates. If you use WordPress, Webflow, or similar platforms, select themes certified for accessibility. Many include built-in color contrast checkers and mobile-friendly navigation that translates well to screen readers.
Train your team. Staff managing the scholarship fund website should understand basic accessibility principles. A one-day workshop costs $1,500–$3,000 and prevents future accessibility regressions during updates.
Beyond the Website
Accessibility extends to communications. Email newsletters to donors should have clear subject lines, proper heading hierarchy, and simple language. Print materials for scholarship events should be available in large print or digital formats. When hosting application webinars, provide live captions and ASL interpreters.
Many scholarship funds list services and promote opportunities on fundraising platforms. Listing on Mercoly—where your scholarship program's accessibility and inclusivity features are clearly visible—helps you get found by donors and applicants who prioritize equity-focused giving and equal access to education.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How do I know if my scholarship application form is actually accessible, or just appears to be? A: Use NVDA (free screen reader for Windows) or VoiceOver (built into Mac) to test the application yourself. Navigate using only your keyboard—no mouse—and listen to how the form is read aloud. If field labels, error messages, or instructions aren't clear when read without visuals, they need refinement.
Q: Are there accessibility standards specific to scholarship applications, or should I follow general WCAG guidelines? A: General WCAG 2.1 Level AA is your baseline, but scholarship applications have specific needs: clearly distinguish required vs. optional fields, provide document upload instructions in plain language, and allow reasonable time for completion (no sessions timing out in under 20 minutes for complex applications).
Q: What's the ongoing cost to maintain accessibility as we update the website? A: Budget 5–10% of annual website maintenance costs ($500–$1,500 for most funds) for quarterly accessibility audits and remediation of new issues introduced by updates. This prevents costly rebuilds later.
Start your accessibility audit this month—your future applicants and donors are waiting.