Disabled Students' Allowance

DSA works slightly differently across the UK nations, so it'll depend where you're resident (for full details, see the funding websites for England / Wales / Scotland / Northern Ireland).

But as a general rule of thumb in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (there are a few differences in Scotland) you're likely to be eligible if:

• You're an undergraduate or postgraduate student (including Open University or distance learning)

• You're eligible for both a student finance tuition fee loan and maintenance loan

• You're studying on a course that lasts at least a year

• You have a disability that affects your ability to study such, as a specific learning difficulty (eg dyslexia or ADHD); a mental health condition (eg anxiety disorder or depression); a physical disability (eg you use a wheelchair or other mobility aid, or need adapted equipment such as a specialised keyboard); a sensory disability (eg you’re visually impaired, deaf or have a hearing impairment); or a long-term health condition (eg cancer, chronic heart disease or HIV).

You're generally not eligible if you're only getting a tuition fee and not a maintenance loan, if you're eligible for the NHS Disabled Students' Allowance (which is a separate NHS scheme), or you're already getting support – for example from your university or a social worker bursary.

DSA allowances in England, Wales and Northern Ireland

The maximum amount you can get in England, Wales and Northern Ireland for the 2025/26 academic year is:

• England – up to £27,783 a year

• Wales – up to £34,000 a year

• Northern Ireland – up to £25,000 a year

DSA allowances in Scotland

Things work slightly differently in Scotland, where DSA is split into three different parts:

• Consumables – up to £1,725 a year

• Equipment/software and accessories – up to £5,160 (for entire course)

• Non-medical personal help (NMPH) – up to £20,520 a year

• There's also additional support for travel (if required).

You'll need to let your student finance body know if your circumstances change. If your conditioned has improved, it could mean you receive too much funding (which you'd need to pay back). If your condition worsens, you could be due more funding.

How do I apply for DSA?

How you apply for DSA varies slightly depending on where in the UK you're applying:

• In England – if you’re applying for other types of student finance, you only need to apply for DSA once. If you're not applying for other finance, you’ll need to apply each year.
  
  If you’ve already applied for student finance, sign into your student finance account to start your DSA application. It should be on your 'to-do list' if you chose DSA in your application for other support. If it's not, select ‘change your circumstances’ to apply.
  
  If you're not applying for any other form of student finance or applied for student finance by post and therefore don't have an online account, you need to fill out DSA forms for the 2025 to 2026 academic year.

• In Wales – if you’re applying for other types of student finance, you only need to apply for DSA once. If you're not applying for other finance, you’ll need to apply each year.
  
  If you’re applying for other types of student finance, you only need to apply for DSA once. If you're not applying for other finance, you’ll need to apply each year. If you’ve already applied for student finance, sign into your student finance account to start your DSA application. It should be on your 'to-do list' if you chose DSA in your application for other support. If it's not, select ‘change your circumstances’ to apply.
  
  If you're not applying for any other form of student finance or applied for student finance by post and therefore don't have an online account, you need to fill out DSA application form 2025 to 2026.

• In Northern Ireland – you need to make an application for Disabled Students' Allowance for each year of study. The quickest way to apply is to sign into your student finance account and download a DSA Application form. Alternatively, you can download a form or speak to your local Education Authority Office. If you've had funding in the past you'll be able to use the same sign in details, if not you'll need to create an account.

• In Scotland – you need to make an application for Disabled Students' Allowance for each year of study. The advice is to not apply for DSA before speaking to your college or university Disability Advisor who will be able to guide you through the application process to ensure you get the right support and funding.
  

  DSA applications are available on the SASS website, when you've completed them you'll need to use the Document Uploader on your SAAS Account to send the forms.

What you'll need to provide when you apply for DSA

As part of the process you'll need to provide documentation related to your disability. How you upload your evidence and how each funding body processes the information will vary depend on where in the UK you're applying for funding (see the funding websites for England / Wales / Scotland / Northern Ireland for full details).

But in general across all four nations the following applies:

• Disabilities, long-term health condition or mental health condition – a copy of a report or letter from your doctor or consultant, or you can 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.

If you don't have up-to-date evidence you can provide and need a new assessment, you might be able to get extra money from your university or college to pay for a new diagnostic assessment.

Documentation can normally be submitted through your online account, or if you're not able to do that, contact your student finance body to see where you can send it to.

How long does it take to get the funding?

The Disabled Students’ Allowance is administered by the Student Loans Company (SLC) on behalf of your national student finance body in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and by Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) in Scotland.

It will tell you within four weeks if your application for DSA was successful. However, the actual time it takes to get the DSA support (equipment, software, or specialist help) in place can be a lot longer - up to 14 weeks.

So if you're confident you're going to be eligible for DSA and want it all set up for the start of term, the sooner you apply the better - you don't need to know which university you'll be attending to apply.

If you've decided to apply for DSA after the start of term, don't worry, you have until 31 March 2026 for the academic year 2025 to 2026.

What happens at a DSA needs assessment?

The DSA needs assessment may vary depending on what Nation you're applying in. But in all nations apart from Scotland it's carried out after you've filled in your application form and found out you're eligible.

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland you can expect the following:

1. Receive DSA1 confirmation letter – after the funding body has reviewed and approved your application, you'll receive an email confirming your eligibility for the DSA. Attached to the email will be your DSA1 confirmation letter. You will be contacted to arrange a needs assessment by the suppliers.

2. Arrange online or in person assessment – you can choose whether to be assessed online or in person - usually taking around two hours.

3. Provide information to needs assessor – you may be asked to provide certain information before your appointment to help understand your specific support needs, such as; your DSA1 confirmation letter, your medical evidence, information about your computer or laptop (if you have one).

4. Attend needs assessment – at the needs assessment you'll discuss how your condition affects your studies and what support (software, equipment, specialist help) would be useful. This makes sure the allowance is tailored to your specific needs and therefore ultimately dictates how much allowance you'll receive. It's worth noting you won't actually receive any of this allowance as you would with your maintenance loan or grant - it's paid directly to the supplier who provides the agreed support.

5. Report created – once you've explored your needs, the assessor will create a ‘report’ that lists the different types of support they would recommend for you and send a copy to you within ten working days. If you're happy with everything on the draft, your assessor will send a final copy to your funding body for their approval.
   
   Your assessor will also ask your permission to send a copy of your needs assessment report to your university’s disability services. This is a good idea as it helps your university arrange the adjustments, support and strategies recommended in the report.

In Scotland you need to speak to your university or college disability adviser first and the needs assessment happens BEFORE you complete the DSA forms.

What happens if my application is unsuccessful?

There a few things you can do if your application isn't successful:

1. Firstly, try and find out why the application was rejected. The funding body must provide a reason. It may be because of insufficient or unclear medical or diagnostic evidence, or the application form wasn't completed correctly.

2. Submit further evidence. If the rejection was because of insufficient medical proof, you could always ask your GP, consultant, or specialist to provide more detailed evidence. You can then resubmit the application with the new evidence.

3. Request a review or appeal. You do have the right to ask your funding body to review the decision. To do this you would need to write a letter or email explaining why you believe you're eligible, and attach any new or clearer supporting evidence. If you're still unsuccessful, you can make a formal appeal through the funding body’s appeals process.

Failing all this, you could try exploring other funding options. Some universities offer hardship funds or bursaries for disabled students. Charities such as Snowdon Trust or Turn2Us also give grants for disability-related study needs.