What is DSA?
Disabled Students' Allowances are grants to help meet the extra course costs students can face as a direct result of a disability, mental health condition or specific learning difficulty. They are aimed at helping disabled students to study on an equal basis with other students.Full-time, part-time and postgraduate students can apply for Disabled Students' Allowances.The amount you get doesn't depend on your household income. Disabled Students' Allowances are paid on top of the standard student finance package, and don't have to be paid back.
- What are they for?
- Do you qualify?
- Getting proof of your disability or specific learning difficulty
- Who doesn't qualify?
- How much do you receive?
- When do I apply?
- Applying for the Disabled Student’s Allowance
- What if your application is turned down?
What are they for?
Disabled Students' Allowances can help with:
- specialist equipment you need for studying - for example, computer software.
- a non-medical helper, such as a note-taker or reader.
- extra travel costs you have to pay because of your disability.
- other costs - for example, books, photocopying, paper costs.
Do you qualify?
You can apply if you are studying:
- a full-time course that lasts at least one year (including a distance-learning course).
- a part-time course that lasts at least one year and doesn't take more than twice as long to complete as an equivalent full-time course (this can include an Open University or other distance-learning course)
Getting proof of your disability or specific learning difficulty
You will need to satisfy your Funding Body (e.g. Local Authority) that the effects of your condition will mean that you will need to pay extra costs in attending your course. If you are disabled, or have mental-health difficulties, you will need to provide medical proof of your disability, such as a letter from your doctor or specialist. If you have more than one medical condition, you should provide evidence for all of them. If you have a specific learning difficulty (such as dyslexia), your funding body will need evidence of this from a suitably qualified person (such as an Educational Psychologist or specialist teacher). If your assessment was carried out before you were 16, your funding body may ask for an update to see what the likely effect of your specific learning difficulty will have on the skills you need for higher education. Your university or college Disability Adviser may be able to help you arrange an updated, or new, assessment. Your funding body cannot meet the costs of diagnosing your disability for establishing your eligibility for DSAs.
Who doesn't qualify?
You won't qualify for Disabled Students' Allowances from your local authority if you're a Postgraduate student receiving:
- a research council bursary or award
- a social work bursary from the NHS Business Services Authority that includes equivalent support.
- a bursary or award from your college or university that includes equivalent support.
You should contact the provider of your bursary or award for advice on any extra support you may be entitled to because of a disability.
How much do you receive?
This is very much based on your individual needs, but there are maximums for the different allowances.
When you apply, your local authority will ask you to have a needs assessment to establish exactly what support you require. This will be carried out by a person with a specialist assessor at an assessment centre such as Glyndŵr Assessment Centre. The cost of the needs assessment may be met through your Disabled Students' Allowance. Allowances for full-time and part-time Undergraduate and Postgraduate students vary.
When do I apply?
Apply as soon as you can before your course starts in order to receive payments promptly. However, you can apply for DSA's at any stage of your course.
Applying for the Disabled Student’s Allowance
There are two different ways of applying for Disabled Students' Allowances. Which one you use will depend on whether you are:
- studying a full-time higher education course, or
- studying part time or doing a postgraduate course
Most universities and colleges have a Disability Adviser. They can help with your application and give you advice about other sources of funding.
If you are studying a full-time higher education course
1. If you're a full-time higher education student, you should apply for Disabled Students' Allowances by completing application form DSA1.You'll be sent a copy of the form, and the guidance booklet that goes with it, if you tick the relevant box on your main student finance application – you can also download copies, or ask your funding body to send them by post.
Ask your funding body if you need copies of the form and guidance booklet in an alternative format – they're available in large print, Braille and audio versions.
2. Ticking the box on your main student finance application. When you complete your main student finance application online or on paper, tick the 'Disabled Students' Allowances' box.In most cases, your funding body will then send you the DSA1 application form for you to complete and return, along with the ' Bridging the Gap' guidance booklet.
Some local authorities may handle applications for Disabled Students' Allowances differently - for example, they may send a confirmation letter for you to sign instead.
Postgraduates and part-time higher education students.
If you're studying part time or doing a postgraduate course, you need to take the DSA1 form to your college or university, ask them to sign it and then send it to the address printed on the form.You don't need to get your university or college to sign your DSA1 form if you're a part-time higher education student and they have already completed form PTG1 for you. Just send it straight to the address printed on the form once you've filled it in.
What if your application is turned down?
If your local authority turns down your application, you can ask them for more information on why they decided to do so. If you disagree with the decision, you can ask them to review your case. If the decision is reviewed and you still feel the decision was wrong, ask your local authority how you can appeal against it.
