Disabled Students' Allowance: Eligibility and How to Apply

DSA can be paid on its own or in addition to any student finance you get. The type of support and how much you get depends on your individual needs. You do not need to pay back DSA. Undergraduate and postgraduate students can get up to £27,783 per year for support.

You can get help with the costs of:

• ✓Yes: specialist equipment, for example a computer if you need one because of your disability
• ✓Yes: non-medical helpers, for example a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter or specialist note taker
• ✓Yes: taxi travel to and from your course or placement, only if your disability stops you from using public transport
• ✓Yes: other disability-related study support, for example having to print additional copies of documents for proof-reading

DSA does not cover disability-related costs you would have if you were not attending a course, or costs that any student might have. If you are assessed as needing a new computer, you will need to pay the first £200.

You can apply if you live in England and have a disability that affects your ability to study, such as:

• ✓Yes: a specific learning difficulty, for example dyslexia or ADHD
• ✓Yes: a mental health condition, for example anxiety or depression
• ✓Yes: a physical disability, for example if you have to use crutches, a wheelchair or a special keyboard
• ✓Yes: a sensory disability, for example if you are visually impaired, deaf or have a hearing impairment
• ✓Yes: a long-term health condition, for example cancer, chronic heart disease or HIV

You must also be eligible for both a Tuition Fee Loan and a Maintenance Loan (full support) from Student Finance England, and be studying on an undergraduate or postgraduate funded course that lasts at least a year. Part-time rules depend on course intensity: for part-time undergraduate courses that started before 1 January 2027, your course cannot be more than 4 times longer than the equivalent full-time course. Check with your university or college if you are not sure whether your course qualifies.

You will not automatically get DSA, so you need proof. What you send depends on your condition.

• ✓Yes: Physical, sensory, long-term health or mental health conditions: a copy of a report or letter from your doctor or a medical professional explaining how your condition has a substantial and long-term effect on your day-to-day activities, or a disability evidence form, a Statement of Special Educational Needs, or an Education, Health and Care plan
• ✓Yes: Autistic spectrum disorders: a report or letter from your doctor or a medical professional that confirms your diagnosis, or one of the same alternatives
• ✓Yes: Specific learning difficulties: a diagnostic assessment from a practitioner psychologist or a suitably qualified specialist teacher

You can send the proof to Student Finance England through your online account, or by email or post. You could get extra money from your university or college to pay for a new diagnostic assessment.

Your needs assessment is an informal meeting to work out what support you can get for your studies. It is not a test, and it can be in person or remote. After you receive your DSA eligibility letter, a supplier (either Study Tech or Capita) will contact you to arrange it, and you do not need to contact them first. A decision cannot be made on your DSA application until you have had your assessment.

After your assessment you get a report with the supplier's recommendations and an entitlement letter explaining what support you can get. Most payments go directly to your suppliers, and only some allowance costs can be paid directly to you.

How you apply depends on whether you study full-time or part-time and when your course starts.

For full-time undergraduate courses that started before 1 January 2027, if you are applying for other types of student finance you only need to apply for DSA once. Contact the disability adviser at your university or college if you need advice about financial help.

The Student Loans Company will tell you in 4 weeks if your application is successful. It can take up to 14 weeks to get your DSA support in place, as this is done separately.

If your course starts on or after 1 January 2027, you apply for DSA through the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE). Applications open at the end of October 2026. It does not matter whether you are studying full-time or part-time, because the application process is the same. For LLE, you can apply for DSA if you are studying at least 30 credits, and one credit is usually equivalent to 10 hours of learning time. Different rules may apply to these courses, so check GOV.UK before you apply.

You can ask for an explanation or to have your case reviewed if your application is turned down. Contact Student Finance England for more details. Contact Student Finance England as well if your circumstances change, because this may affect what you are entitled to. For example, if your condition gets worse you may be able to get extra help.

The rules above are GOV.UK's rules for people who live in England. In Wales, Student Finance Wales, a service of the Student Loans Company that provides support on behalf of the Welsh Government, gives Disabled Students' Allowance. Its guide says the maximum is up to £34,671 of support per year for 2026 to 2027, available for all new and continuing undergraduate and postgraduate students. What you get does not depend on your household income but does depend on your needs assessment, and there is no age limit.

The Welsh Government's notice on undergraduate student support for students who began a course on or after 1 August 2018 describes the same support as a disabled student's grant for additional expenditure a student has to incur as a direct result of their disability. It is available to undergraduates studying full time or part time, and it is not means-tested or pro-rated based on the intensity of study. It covers a non-medical personal helper, major items of specialist equipment and other disability related expenditure, with a separate uncapped travel allowance for extra study-related travel costs caused by the disability.

New full-time students can apply online after submitting their student finance application. New part-time undergraduate and postgraduate students complete a DSA1 application form, and postgraduate students or those applying only for DSA complete a DSA1 form each year. After approval, a Study Needs Assessment is carried out by Study Tech or Capita, whose provider should offer you an appointment within 7 working days of first contacting you. You can phone Student Finance Wales on 0300 200 4050.

In Scotland, the Scottish Government says higher education students with extra study costs can get support through the Disabled Students' Allowance, which is given by the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) and based on the student's needs. Disabled students studying full-time at college or university can get the maximum DSA if they require it. Support is also available for part-time courses at Higher National Certificate level or above, part-time postgraduate courses, distance learning courses and Open University courses if the student studies at least 60 credits in a year, where the course is at least half as much work as a full-time course.

The allowance is made up of 3 parts: an equipment, software and accessories allowance, a non-medical personal help allowance for support like notetakers, mental health support and BSL interpreters, and a consumable items allowance for costs such as printing, photocopying and paper. Students who cannot use public transport and pay extra travel costs because of their disability can also apply for travel expenses. This description comes from a Scottish Government consultation paper of June 2025, so check the current amounts with SAAS.

In Northern Ireland, nidirect says Disabled Students' Allowance gives extra financial help over and above any reasonable adjustments made by a higher education institution, and does not have to be repaid.