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

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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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