Disabled Students' Allowances - Student Loans Company

Disabled Students’ Allowances
12/13
Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSAs) help to pay for extra costs that a student might have
as a direct result of their disability, mental-health condition or specific learning difficulty. It is
additional support available to students who may otherwise be prevented from attending a
higher-education course because of a disability.
Key facts about DSAs:
• Available to undergraduates and postgraduates, whether studying full time or part time
(their part-time course must be at least 25% of the full-time equivalent)
• Don’t have to be repaid
• Don’t depend on income: amounts are related to level of need up to specified maximum
amounts
• Doesn’t affect benefit entitlement. Other help students might get, like Disability Living
Allowance, will not be affected by DSAs
• Isn’t affected by a student’s age
Who can get DSAs
Students may be eligible for DSAs if they have any of the following:
• a mental-health condition, such as anxiety or depression;
• a specific learning difficulty, such as dyslexia or dyspraxia;
• a developmental disorder, such as autism, ADHD/ADD;
• a progressive medical condition such as Multiple Sclerosis, Cancer or HIV;
• a sensory impairment which could affect the ability to see or hear; or
• another physical or medical condition
Other conditions not mentioned on this list may be covered by DSAs.
What is available
How much students can get does not depend on their household income, but it does depend
on a ‘needs assessment’.
The table below shows the help available and the maximum amounts for 2012/13.
Allowance Maximum Available Duration
Full-Time Part-Time
Non-medical helper £20,520 £15,390 Annual
Specialist equipment £5,161 £5,161 Duration of course
General Allowance £1,724 £1,293 Annual
Disability-related travel
Reasonable spending on travel costs incurred as a result
of the students condition
Postgraduate students may be eligible for one allowance of up to £10,260 per year to meet
all costs for both full-time and part-time courses.
www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance
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22 September 2011

Section 5 - Disabled Students’ Allowances (page 2 of 2)
How do students apply for DSAs
Students should apply as soon as they can as the process can take up to 3 months.
The ‘6 Steps to Disabled Students’ Allowances’ explains the application process in detail.
Students will need to reapply every year for DSAs to continue receiving support such
as general allowance, travel allowance, and potentially additional equipment and
non-medical helper support:
• If a student is applying for core student finance (loan, grant etc) all they need to do is
indicate on the application for subsequent years by ticking the DSAs box that they wish to
apply for DSAs - they don’t need to do anything else
• DSA only applicants will need to complete DSA1 each year - but won’t need to resubmit
their evidence
What evidence is required
For physical conditions
For specific learning difficulties
A report or letter from a student’s GP or Consultant
A post 16 report from:
• A chartered or practitioner psychologist
or
• A specialist teacher holding a current Assessment
Practising Certificate
For mental health difficulties A letter from the student’s GP
The application form and guidance for DSAs can be downloaded from
www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance or by calling 0845 300 5090, by minicom 0845 6044434.
Braille, audio and large print formats can be ordered by emailing
brailleandlargefonts@slc.co.uk or telephoning 0141 243 3686. Please note:
the above email address and telephone number can only deal with requests
for alternative formats of forms and guides.
Queries about DSAs can be directed to dsa_team@slc.co.uk or to Disability Officers at
universities and colleges.
www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance
facebook.com/SFEngland
twitter.com/sf_england
youtube.com/studentloanscouk
the student finance experts
22 September 2011