Disabled Students' Allowances (DSAs)
DSAs are grants to help pay the extra costs you may have as a direct result of your disability, long-term health condition, mental-health condition or specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia or dyspraxia. You don't have to pay these back.
How much you get depends on your individual needs - not your household income. If you’re a part-time student your ‘course intensity’ can affect how much you get.
You can get help with the costs of:
- specialist equipment, like computer software
- non-medical helpers, like a note-taker or reader
- extra travel because of your disability
- other things related to your studies, like photocopying
DSAs don’t cover disability-related costs you’d have if you weren’t attending a course, or costs that any student might have.
Who to contact
- Website
- Disabled Student Allowances
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Who is it for?
- Eligibility Details
You can apply for Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) if you live in England and have a disability that affects your ability to study, such as a:
- specific learning difficulty, for example dyslexia or ADHD
- mental health condition, for example anxiety or depression
- physical disability, for example if you have to use crutches, a wheelchair or a special keyboard
- sensory disability, for example if you’re visually impaired, deaf or have a hearing impairment
- long-term health condition, for example cancer, chronic heart disease or HIV
You must also:
- be an undergraduate or postgraduate student (including Open University or distance learning)
- qualify for student finance from Student Finance England
- be studying on a course that lasts at least a year
Who is not eligible
You cannot get DSA from Student Finance England if you’re:
- an EU student who is eligible for fee support only
- eligible for NHS Disabled Students’ Allowances (this is a separate scheme)
- getting equivalent support from another funding source, like from your university or a social work bursary
- on a higher or degree apprenticeship course
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