Disabled Students Allowance

Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA) contributes towards additional study costs you may incur, due to a disability or Specific Learning Difference.

Hero Carousel

Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA) contributes towards additional study costs you may incur, due to a disability or Specific Learning Difference.

Disabled Students Allowance

Disabled Students' Allowance FAQs

Below are a number of frequently asked questions when applying for Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA).

What is Disabled Students' Allowance?

The DSA contributes towards the additional costs you may incur during your course, due to your disability or Specific Learning Difference. It is not a loan and does not need repaying. The DSA is non-means tested and is based on your needs. There are, however, restrictions on what the DSA can be used for which will be discussed in your Study Needs Assessment. You will not receive a monetary award, but the suppliers of your support will be paid directly by your funding body.

To access the DSA you will need to apply to your funding body. This will normally be the same organisation from which you are receiving your general student funding.

Am I eligible to apply?

You can apply for the DSA if you are:

  • On a full-time or part-time undergraduate course (for example, a degree or HNC-level course) including Open University and other distance-learning courses; or
  • On an eligible full-time or part-time postgraduate course (which you need a degree or equivalent qualification to get onto), including Open University and other distance-learning courses, that lasts at least one year; or
  • On an eligible unpaid sandwich course, and
  • Have a disability, mental health condition, or a Specific Learning Difference, which affects your ability to study.

If you are unsure about your eligibility, you should contact your funding body or your institution's disability team for guidance.

When can I apply for the DSA?

If you are a prospective student, you should apply for the DSA as soon as possible after applying for a place at university; you do not have to wait until after your exams or after receiving your results. The DSA process (from application to implementation of support) is lengthy and can take up to 14 weeks. Therefore, the sooner you apply the more likely the support you need can be put in place, in time for the start of your course. Forms are usually available from March in the year of application.

If you are already at university, you should apply immediately as you can apply for the DSA at any time during your course. Please be aware that Student Finance England's Student Support Regulations does indicate a time limit for applications for DSA as nine months from the start of the academic year. However, this can be extended as long as the application for DSA has been made as soon as is reasonably practicable.

If you are unsure about whether or not to apply for the DSA, speak to our disability team.

How to apply?

The course you are studying and where you live in the UK determines which funding body you will need to submit your DSA application to. Please find below a list of funding bodies which have been hyperlinked to their home pages:

Process for claiming Disabled Students' Allowance

Apply to your funding body to request assistance with the costs of disability-related support and equipment. Complete the relevant DSA application form and submit this along with your medical evidence or diagnostic report to your funding body.

Timescale: It can take your funding body two to three weeks to reply.

You will be sent an email or a letter which asks you to make an appointment at an Access Centre where you will see a Needs Assessor. During your appointment, your Needs Assessor will discuss your needs and make appropriate recommendations for your support. If you are a SFE or SFW student, your letter authorising your assessment will tell you who your Needs Assessment supplier is, i.e. Capita or Study Tech. Your supplier will proactively contact you via email to initiate the Needs Assessment booking process. If you are funded by a different funding body, you need to contact an Assessment Centre to book an assessment.

For more information or to book an appointment please contact us via email racel@uel.ac.uk.

Timescale: the maximum amount of time you would need to wait for an appointment is three weeks.

After your Study Needs Assessment, your Assessor will prepare a report which includes a bid for funding for your support costs. Once completed, this will be sent by the Assessment Centre to your funding body for their consideration.

Timescale: the Access Centre has up to two weeks to produce and quality assure your Needs Assessment Report.

Your funding body will process your report and write to you to tell you what recommendations have been approved. This is called a DSA2 letter.

Timescale: two to six weeks.

Once you have been advised what you are eligible for through the DSA, your funded support can be put in place and any recommended equipment can be ordered.

If you are a SFE or SFW student,  your supplier will contact you to arrange delivery of your equipment and assistive technology training. You will need to contact each supplier to put your support in place. If you are unsure about how to proceed, contact the Assessment Centre where you were assessed or the Disability Adviser at UEL.

Students whose DSA is funded by all other funding bodies, will need to contact each agreed supplier to put their support in place. If you are unsure about how to proceed, contact the Assessment Centre where you were assessed, or a Disability Adviser at UEL.

Related pages

  • Changes to the Disabled Students Allowance

    Since February 2024, the DSA has undergone some big changes which aims to streamline the DSA process for students.

  • FAQs and useful links

    Answers to the most frequently asked questions regarding the DSA are detailed on our website. There are also useful links related to the DSA.

  • Regional Access Centre East London

    At the Regional Access Centre East London (RACEL) we undertake Study Needs Assessments for home students who have been made eligible for the Disabled Students’ Allowance through select funding bodies.