Students with disabilities

If you have a disability (this includes specific learning difficulties and long-term mental health problems) or a specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia, you may be eligible for the Disabled Students Allowance (DSA).

The DSA is designed to help you with any extra costs you may incur as a result of studying on your course. It is not means tested against your income, and because it is paid as a grant, you don’t have to repay it. Additionally, unlike the Maintenance Grant, receipt of the DSA will not affect the amount of Maintenance Loan you can get.

The Disabled Students Allowance can contribute towards:

• equipment (computer, specialist software etc.)
• non-medical helpers (note-takers, readers, sign language interpreters etc.)
• travel
• general (extra costs of consumables)

Am I eligible for support?

To be eligible to apply, you must be a UK/Home student studying full-time on a first degree or postgraduate course, and you will need to satisfy Student Finance England's residency requirements. Part-time students may also be eligible if the course meets the DSA requirements.

You do not have to be registered as disabled, but Student Finance England will require medical confirmation of your condition or, in the case of dyslexia, a report from an accredited professional (eg an educational psychologist).

For full details on eligibility requirements, visit the Directgov website.

How much could I be entitled to receive?

DSA rates usually change slightly each year and each student is assessed according to their level of need and therefore will not automatically receive the full amount of each award.

Part-time students are eligible pro rata, but the course must fulfil the DSA requirements.

Postgraduate students are also eligible, but funding is capped.

How much you can claim depends on your needs, not on your income. Note that if the support you require exceeds the funds available from the DSA, you should apply for Access to Learning Funds (ALF).

The maximum DSA allowances for full-time students in 2011/12 and 2012/13 are:

• £5,161 special equipment grant for the whole of your course
• £20,520 a year for a non-medical personal helper
• £1,724 a year general allowance to cover other expenses such as travel costs to and from university

How do I apply?

You should apply to Student Finance England (SFE) for a Disabled Students Allowance when you apply for the rest of your funding - just tick the relevant box on the application form. SFE will need to see recent specialist evidence of your disability, such as a letter from your doctor or a report from an educational psychologist.

The University’s Disability Learning Support Service can guide you through your application and make sure you get the right equipment and support. Although you don’t have to contact our Disability Learning Support team, we encourage you to do so, to ensure you get all the support you are entitled to. The team will also be able to monitor the progress of your application and help you arrange an assessment at the Central London Assessment Centre.

Get in touch with our Disability Learning Support team.

If you have specific study costs because of your disability and you are experiencing financial difficulties paying for these, contact the Disability Learning Support Team.  They can advise you about any options available to help with these costs.

If you’re attending a full-time course and you receive Incapacity Benefit or Contributory Employment Support Allowance you can continue to claim these while you study. However, you must receive Disability Living Allowance in order to be eligible to continue to claim Income Support or Income Related Employment Support Allowance (ESA).

If you’re eligible to continue to receive the above benefits as a full-time student, you are also eligible to claim Housing Benefit.

NHS Health Costs

Please be aware that if your Income Support or ESA payments stop because you’re a student or because your loan cancels out any payments, you’ll not be entitled to free NHS prescriptions. You can apply to be assessed for help meeting NHS costs. However, as your student funding counts as income, this may affect your eligibility to receive help and you may be liable to pay these costs yourself. For more information on getting help with health costs, visit the NHS website.

If you're currently on benefits, such as the Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Incapacity Benefit, Income Support, Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), or Housing Benefit, you’ll need to know how your student loan will affect these benefits - and how your benefits will affect your student loan and grant. This can be quite complicated to work out, but you'll need to make sure you check your position before you decide to study.

As soon as you’ve been offered a place at the University, you can book an appointment with Student Advice to discuss your benefit options. Once you’ve joined, we can help with problems you may have with benefits or funding. You might also wish to look at the SKILL (National Bureau for Students With Disabilities) website.

In most cases, to claim benefits as a full-time student, you must receive the Disability Living Allowance (DLA). However, if you receive a non means-tested benefit such as Incapacity Benefit or the Contributory Employment Support Allowance, please contact Student Advice for guidance on your entitlement.

If you receive Income Support, Incapacity Benefit or ESA, your ability to work can sometimes be questioned because of your full-time study, and this may affect your entitlement.

If you receive a Student Maintenance Loan, it can reduce Income Support, income-related Employment Support Allowance, Housing Benefit and any other means-tested benefits. In most cases, the Student Loan cancels out any payments altogether, because the weekly loan income is higher each week than the maximum weekly benefit payable. Your Student Loan doesn’t count as income during July and August, so benefits can be paid in full during this time. Towards the end of June, you will need to notify the relevant benefit department of the change in your income. Incapacity Benefit, DLA and non income-based ESA are not reduced by your student income.

If you’re an undergraduate student, please read the information on our Full-time undergraduate students funding page for more information about how your student funding will affect and reduce any income-based benefit entitlement.

If you’re attending a part-time course, you can claim benefits under the normal benefit rules. If you’re attending a part-time undergraduate course and you receive part-time funding from Student Finance England, this should not affect your benefits. However, if you receive funding from other resources, this could affect and reduce your benefit entitlement unless it is specifically for study costs only.

If you are a postgraduate student, please read the information on our Postgraduate students funding page.