Disabled Students Allowance

Fill in your application form

Send the form with your diagnostic evidence/working diagnosis to your Student Finance body. If you need Section 5 completing, our Student Services desk can do this. Alternatively, UG’s with Student Finance can apply online through the ‘to do list’ or ‘change of circumstances’ tabs in your Student Finance account.

There are no hard deadlines for applying, however once the academic year has started you have up to 9 months to apply for DSA in that current year.  

Find out if you are eligible

Student Finance will send you a letter/email (called a DSA1 letter) inviting you to book a Needs Assessment meeting. Waiting times for your DSA1 can vary; if you have not had an acknowledgement of your application within 3 weeks please contact us.

Book your Needs Assessment meeting

Please be reassured a Needs Assessment is not a test. It is an informal discussion with an expert in specialist software and 1-1 support opportunities aiming to identify your support requirements in the context of your course. The meeting is paid for by Student Finance; you do not pay for this yourself.

There will be a link in your DSA1 letter to book your meeting, either in-person or remote. If you gave consent in your application to share your details, then you will be contacted directly to book your meeting. You are welcome to take someone to the meeting with you.

Receive your Needs Assessment report

This document is written after your meeting as a record of discussions and recommendations. It is called your Needs Assessment Report (NAR). There is nothing you do with this; it is for your information only.

Find out what your DSA will be

Student Finance will send you a letter/email (called a DSA2 entitlement letter) which confirms the support DSA will pay for.

Arrange your support

If you have been given equipment/software, you will be contacted to arrange delivery

If you have been given any non-medical help, e.g specialist mentoring or study support skills, you need to contact them directly to arrange your sessions. Their contact details will be on your DSA2 letter.

Each Funding Body has their own DSA application form. You can find them on their websites:

• Student Finance England
• Student Finance Scotland
• Student Finance Northern Ireland (choose your course start date, navigate to UG or PG, chose Disability and Childcare Forms)
• Student Finance Wales
• Apprenticeships: Contact SWAI directly
• Art Foundation: Contact SWAI directly
• International students: Contact SWAI directly
• Channel Islands: Contact SWAI directly

For Dyslexia

A full diagnostic assessment which adheres to, and includes content as outlined by, the SpLD Working Group/DfES Guidelines, as defined by the SpLD Assessment Standards Committee completed by either:

• A Chartered Educational Psychologist (EP) holding a qualification recognised under the SpLD Working Group/DfES Guidelines and registered with the Health and Care Professions Council
• A Specialist Teacher Assessor (STA) holding a qualification recognised under the SpLD Working Group/DfES Guidelines and a valid Assessment Practising Certificate issued by either The Dyslexia Guild,  the Professional Association of Teachers of Students with Specific Learning Difficulties, or the British Dyslexia Association

For mental health, physical, AD(H)D, visual impairment, long term health, deafness, autistic spectrum conditions and dysgraphia

If you have a diagnosis, or are on the NHS waiting list for a diagnostic appointment, your evidence can either be:

A letter, report or document from a suitably qualified medical professional which needs to include:

• Confirmation of diagnosis
• Date of identification
• Be written on letter headed paper and signed

You may already have a document of this nature in your health files at home, online, or in your NHS app. We would encourage you to see if you already have a suitable letter etc., rather than ask your GP to write you a new one as some charge for this service.

OR

The Disabled Students Allowance Disability Evidence Form, given to your GP to complete and return to you. Again, as some GP’s charge for this service we would encourage you to look through your health files at home, online or in your NHS app. for a document which confirms a diagnosis, with a date and on letter headed paper.

Yes, if you:

• Do not have a Maintenance Loan and/or Tuition Fee Loan
• Have changed courses since your Needs Assessment
• Have withdrawn from your course and are returning to study
• Have suspended studies, e.g. with an LOA, and therefore your course end date will have changed
• Have made a new application to study a PG course inc. PGCE, Masters and PhD
• Are entering a 2^nd year of Masters study

After your initial application with a Needs Assessment and submission of your diagnostic paperwork, these annual applications only involve completing a form.

No, if you:

• Received DSA the previous year and are continuing on the same UG course, and;
• Receive a Maintenance Loan and/or Tuition Fee Loan

Yes, as this is a new registration for Part T you will need to submit a full DSA application.

If you are extending your UG degree to an integrated Master’s (i.e. adding Part D) and you have a student loan, your DSA should continue. However, we strongly recommend contacting Student Finance to confirm this.

You should check the End Date noted on your DSA Needs Assessment Report. If your studies end before the deadline End Date, you do not need to reapply.  

If you are studying Postgraduate as a separate Part T, you will need to submit a full DSA application.

Your application route will depend on your residency and course funding:

• Home students not funded by a Research Council or Employer need to submit a full DSA application to Student Finance.
• Home students funded by a Research Council need to contact SWAI
• International students with leave to remain or settled status and evidence of living in the UK for 3 years prior to the start of the course, who are not funded by a Research Council or Employer, need to submit a full DSA application to Student Finance.
• International students funded by a Research Council need to contact SWAI

No. Please read the FAQ ‘Can I upgrade my DSA laptop’ for more information.

Yes, you can pay the difference between the DSA laptop and your upgraded model; contact your Needs Assessor about this.

Check your DSA2 letter for any annual general consumables allowance. You will usually receive some paper and ink when your printer is delivered and then claim further general consumables allowance directly from Student Finance using the form provided to you. Make sure you keep copies of all your receipts.

Contact the company who supplied your DSA equipment. You will find their name and contact details on your DSA2 letter (sometimes called an entitlement letter). They will advise you on the steps to take for a repair. If it is your laptop that has broken, you can also contact us to arrange to borrow one temporarily whilst yours is being fixed.

The University cannot fund this for students. If you are in financial hardship due to unforeseen circumstances since starting your course, you may be eligible to apply to the University Hardship Fund. Please be aware you cannot specifically apply to the Hardship Fund to fund your DSA computer costs.

If there is a significant change to the impact of your disability or if you change course and your study needs are substantially different then you would need a new Needs Assessment. You will need a letter from your GP to confirm the significant change from your original Needs Assessment Report, or appropriate evidence to confirm a new diagnosis, and email this to Student Finance with your DSA Customer Reference Number.

If your needs have changed, but not significantly, please contact SWAI.

You can change companies under 3 circumstances:

• You have a disability related reason
• They do not have the appointments or staff available to support you
• If they cannot meet your needs e.g. can only offer remote support and you need in-person sessions. Student Finance typically require students to access 3 sessions of support before asking to change companies.

Yes, if the support can be delivered remotely (e.g. mentoring or study skills support). If you need to change your support provider due to significant time zone differences, the usual process for changing suppliers applies.

We recommend emailing your Needs Assessor though before going abroad to double check everything is in place and to confirm any necessary arrangements.

No, because these are optional activities rather than a required academic component.

If you are unsure whether your situation is considered part of your academic assessment, it is best to check with your Needs Assessor or Student Finance.