Claiming Disabled Students' Allowances.
This page gives an overview of the Disabled Students' Allowances (DSAs) system. It is not intended to be authoritative and there are links to more detailed documents below.
Disabled Students' Allowances are not means-tested and are paid as well as any other grants, loans or bursaries you may receive. Disabled Students' Allowances are available to most UK undergraduates and postgraduates on taught programmes. They are also available to part-time students studying at least 50% of a full-time programme of study.
Disabled Students' Allowances are intended to pay for any extra costs or expenses you have whilst studying that arise because of an impairment. They are not able to pay for:
- disability-related costs that you would have whether you are a student or not;
- study-related costs that every student may have.
Frequently Asked Questions.
- How do I claim Disabled Students' Allowances?
- Which programmes do not attract Disabled Students' Allowances?
- Can European Union and other international students claim Disabled Students' Allowances?
- How much support can Disabled Students' Allowances provide in 2009/10?
- What if I am not eligible for Disabled Students' Allowances or I still don't have enough funding?
- Where can I find out more about Disabled Students' Allowances?
How do I claim Disabled Students' Allowances?
- Obtain evidence of your disability: e.g. doctor's letter, consultant's letter, community psychiatric nurse letter, an educational psychologist's report (for students with dyslexia).
- Contact Student Finance England or your Local Authority (or the NHS Grants Unit for NHS funded students) and ask for a Disabled Students' Allowances application form. You can also:
- Complete the Disabled Students' Allowances application form and return to Student Finance England, or the NHS with the evidence of your disability.
- Wait for your funding body to confirm in writing that you are eligible to receive Disabled Students' Allowances.
- Book an appointment for a Disabled Students’ Allowances needs assessment.
Which programmes do not attract Disabled Students' Allowances?
If your programme or chosen study route fits into the following categories you may not be eligible for funding from Disabled Students' Allowances:
- 'Stand-alone' or short courses.
- Studying part-time and less than 50% of the full-time equivalent programme.
- Foundation courses with no direct link to a degree course.
- Some postgraduate courses that are not 'designated' or do not meet the criteria for part-time support. This includes postgraduate research programmes.
Rules around eligibility are complex. If you are unsure, please contact the Disability Service for further information or advice.
Your course or chosen study route may not attract funding from Disabled Students' Allowances even though you may incur costs due to your disability. If so, you may be able to receive financial help from the Access to Learning Fund (ALF), some charitable trusts or through the University. The Disability Service may be able to assist you with pursuing these routes.
Can European Union (EU) and other international students claim Disabled Students' Allowances?
Disabled Students' Allowances are only available to UK students, including students who hold 'EEA Migrant Worker' status. EU and international students are therefore ineligible. There is currently no disability-related funding available through the UK Government. If you are not a UK student, it may be worth checking whether any grants are available through your home government or the European Union in the first instance.
If you are not a UK student, you will need to consider the additional disability-related costs and how you may be able to find the necessary funding. You may wish to consider the following:
- Contact the Disability Service to talk about your expected support needs and what they are likely to cost. Whilst the University will make every effort to help you, some types of support may be difficult to set up even if you can fund them.
- Contact your home government or the European Union to find out whether any funding is available.
- Explore charitable trusts in the UK or your home country which offer funding to disabled students.
- Approach the University directly for funding if you have been unable to obtain funding from other sources. Cases will be looked at on an individual basis.
How much support can Disabled Students' Allowances provide in 2010/11?
Full-time, undergraduate students.
- Specialist equipment allowance - up to £5,161 for the whole of your course.
- Non-medical helper's allowance - up to £20,520 a year.
- General Disabled Students' Allowances - up to £1,724 a year for other costs.
- Reasonable spending on extra travel costs.
Part-time, undergraduate students.
- Specialist equipment allowance - up to £5161 for the whole of your course.
- Non-medical helper's allowance - pro-rata according to your part-time workload, up to £15,390 a year.
- General Disabled Students' Allowances - pro-rata according to your part-time workload up to £1,293 a year for other costs.
- Reasonable spending on extra travel costs.
Full-time and part-time, postgraduate students.
One allowance to meet all costs of up to £10,260 a year.
What if I am not eligible for Disabled Students' Allowances or I still don't have enough funding?
UK students can apply to the Access to Learning Fund (ALF) for a grant of up to £2,000 per year. This is means-tested and aimed particularly at students in financial hardship, although disabled students are given priority. Eligible disabled students often apply to this fund to pay for:
- study-related support which is more than that available through Disabled Students' Allowances or for programmes which are not covered by Disabled Students' Allowances;
- other disability-related costs that cannot be met from Disabled Students' Allowances or through disability benefits;
- dyslexia identification tests.
UWE has recently developed a system to fund students who are not eligible for Disabled Students’ Allowances. Please make an appointment to see a Disability Adviser if you think this applies to you.
Where can I find out more about Disabled Students' Allowances?
Student Finance Direct produces a booklet Bridging the Gap: A guide to the disabled students' allowances (DSAs) in higher education 2010/11 
. This gives full details of Disabled Students' Allowances and other sources of financial support available.
Arrangements for NHS funded students are described in the Department of Health's Financial Help for Health Care Students 2010/11 booklet.
