As we look ahead to the 23/24 academic year this autumn, we
recently launched the student finance application service for
full-time undergraduate students in England. Students can apply
for help with their course costs through a Maintenance Loan and
to cover their fees with a Tuition Fee Loan.
However, depending on a student’s circumstances, there are other
types of support available as well. This includes the Disabled
Students’ Allowance (DSA), which is available for students to
fund extra support they may need if they are living with a
disability, learning difficulty or mental health condition,
including:
- specific learning difficulty
- mental health condition
- physical disability
- sensory disability
- long-term health condition
We understand that personal circumstances and the support
required is very individual to that student and will vary from
person to person. However, in the widest terms, DSA support
covers:
- Specialist equipment – for example if a student needs a
computer to run specialist software or braille display.
- Non-medical helpers – for example, if a British Sign Language
interpreter is required to attend lectures.
- Travel – for example, if a taxi is needed to attend
university, rather than using public transport.
- A range of general costs may also be considered, related to a
student’s disability.
DSA doesn’t depend on household income and doesn’t need to be
repaid.
The application process:
Students can apply for DSA online if they are a full-time student
in England and are applying for other support from Student
Finance England at www.gov.uk/studentfinance
Where a student is not applying for any other finance from
Student Finance England, they can download an application form
at www.gov.uk/student-finance-forms
Information on DSA for part time courses can be found here:
Help if you’re a student
with a learning difficulty, health problem or disability:
Eligibility - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) and for post graduate
courses, please visit Help if you’re a student with a
learning difficulty, health problem or disability: Disabled
Students’ Allowance - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
As part of the application process students will be required to
provide evidence of their disability. For advice on what may be
required www.gov.uk/disabled-students-allowances-dsas/eligibility
|
Condition
|
Proof
|
|
Disabilities or long-term health condition
|
A copy of a report or letter from your doctor or consultant
- you can also fill in the disability evidence
form
|
|
Mental health condition
|
A copy of a report or letter from your doctor or consultant
- you can also fill in the disability evidence
form
|
|
Specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia
|
A copy of a ‘diagnostic assessment’ from a practitioner
psychologist or suitably qualified specialist teacher
|
Apply now
Even if a student is not certain which course or institution they
may attend in the autumn, we strongly advised any student to
start the DSA application process as soon as possible, to make
sure that support will be available for the start of term.
Changes to DSA
SLC is currently working on a reform project that will make
significant improvements to the DSA service. At the moment, there
are no changes to the way students apply for DSA and students
should apply as normal for the 23/24 academic year. Any
transition to a new model will be fully communicated ahead of
time to new and current students.
Further information
Please visit Help if you’re a student with a
learning difficulty, health problem or disability: Disabled
Students’ Allowance - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) for further
information about applying for DSA.
For Welsh students applying for DSA, the student finance
application service for full-time undergraduate students will
open in the spring.
