Disabled Students' Allowance Part-time undergraduate, tuition fee and living cost students
1. What is it?
It's additional funding to help students with extra essential costs as a direct result of a disability
This can include a long-term health condition, mental-health condition, physical disability or specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia or dyspraxia.
How much you can get depends on your individual needs and not your household income.
You can apply for Disabled Students' Allowance alongside any other available finance each year.
What can Disabled Students' Allowance pay for?
You can get help with the costs of:
- specialist equipment, for example a computer if you need one because of your disability
- non-medical helpers
- extra travel because of your disability
- other disability-related costs of studying
Disabled Students' Allowance does not cover:
- any disability related costs you'd have if you weren't studying
- any non-disability related costs
Does it need to be paid back?
No - Disabled Students' Allowance does not need to be repaid, unless you're overpaid or leave your course early.
As part of your student finance agreement you must keep us up to date with any changes to your course or personal details as these can affect your funding including how much you have to repay and when.
Find out more
The following pages will explain more about who can get this allowance, how much you can get, how and when to apply, and how they're paid.
Downloadable Guides
- A Guide to the Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) in Higher Education - 2024/25 PDF (383.3KB)
- A Guide to the Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) in Higher Education - 2023/24 PDF (263.9KB)
- A Guide to Financial Support for Part-Time Students in Higher Education - 2024/25 PDF (860.4KB)
- A Guide to Financial Support for Part-Time Students in Higher Education - 2023/24 PDF (407.7KB)