Accessing Support
Financial Support & The Disabled Students Allowance (DSA)
Introduction
The main source of funding for support for UK students is the Disabled Students Allowance.
This allowance is unfortunately not available to international students (this includes EU students).
The Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) for UK home students
DSA is non means-tested and available as well as any other grants, loans or bursaries you may receive. DSA is available to most UK undergraduates and postgraduates on taught programmes. It is also available to part-time students studying at least 50% of a full-time programme of study.DSA is available through Student Finance England and is intended to pay for any extra costs or expenses you have whilst studying that arise because of a disability or medical condition. DSA is 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.
For further details on the DSA consult the Gov.uk web site, or download the DSA information booklet: Bridging the Gap. To obtain a copy of this booklet (also available in Braille and audio formats) please contact the free order line on 0800 731 9133.
Those students whose permanent home address is in Northern Ireland can access the DSA via Student Finance NI.
Students whose permanent home address is in Wales can access the DSA via Student Finance Wales.
Students whose permanent home address is in Scotland can access the DSA via the Student Awards Agency for Scotland.
For some postgraduate students the DSA may be funded via their Research Council.
Please note: the DSA does not include funding for any personal or care needs you may have, such as requiring assistance with shopping, cleaning or dressing etc…or social care needs such as accessing social venues and events. This type of support will need to be funded either through your local Social Services, Disability Living Allowance or paid for personally. Student Disability Advice is happy to provide you with a list of local agencies that offer such support.
The DSA Quality Assurance Group provides a list of accredited DSA Assessment Centres around the country.
International/EU Student Funding
If you are an International/EU student with a disability, health condition, specific learning difficulty or mental health difficulty, please contact Student Disability Advice to discuss your support options.