Disabled Students' Allowance Full-time undergraduate, tuition fee and living cost students

4. Applying

Help with applying

If you would like to speak to someone about your eligibility for Disabled Students' Allowance or a Study Needs Assessment you can contact the Disabled Students' Allowance officer at your local Student Finance NI (SFNI) office

Apply online

The quickest way to apply is to sign into your student finance account and download a DSA Application form. Alternatively, or if you are only applying for Disabled Students' Allowance, you can download a form below or speak to your local Education Authority Office. If you've had funding from us in the past you'll be able to use the same sign in details. If not you'll need to create an account.

Apply early to get your finance confirmed before your course starts

We'll announce when applications are available on the home page each year.

Applying early and providing all the information we need means:

  • we can confirm your student finance before your course begins
  • you can budget for the year because you'll know exactly what you're getting and when
  • you can let us know if anything changes, and we can update your student finance accordingly
  • we have as much time as possible to get in touch with you before your course starts, if we need to

Applications always open with enough time for you to apply and have your funding in place for the start of your course. If you apply late, your student finance might be too.

You can apply using the details of your preferred course before you've been accepted

Tell us if anything changes and we'll update your application.

Application deadline

There is no deadline for applying for Disabled Students' Allowance but you should apply as early as possible.

Continuing into next year

You don't need to re-apply each year if you:

  • received Disabled Students' Allowance the previous year
  • are in receipt of an undergraduate Maintenance Loan or Tuition Fee Loan, or both
  • are continuing on the same course

We'll contact you before the start of your course.

You do need to re-apply each year if you:

  • did not receive a Maintenance Loan or Tuition Fee Loan, or both, last year
  • change your course
  • change from full-time to part-time study
  • suspended your studies and this has affected when you finish your course
  • withdrew from your course and are now returning to study
  • are repeating a year of study

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