Are you eligible for Disabled Students' Allowances (DSA)?

Many of the the thousands of students heading off to university and college could be eligible for a grant to help them with their disabilities. Although many disabled people will already know about these grants there could be many others who are eligible but don't consider themselves to be disabled, such as people with dyslexia, who would benefit from this extra help.

You don't have to be registered as disabled to claim DSAs. IAre you eligible for disabled students' allowances?f you have UK student status and have a disability, long-term health condition, mental health condition or a specific learning difficulty (SpLD) such as dyslexia you may be eligible for a grant that covers the cost of extra equipment and learning support. For example, DSAs can currently help pay for:

  • specialist equipment you need for studying, such as a book scanner or digital voice recorder
  • specialist software, such as text to speech, speech to text or mind mapping
  • non-medical helpers, such as a note-taker or reader
  • extra travel costs you have to pay because of your disability
  • additional accommodation costs you have to pay because of your disability
  • other costs such as photocopying or printer cartridges

DSAs are paid on top of the standard student finance package, or on their own, and do not need to be repaid.

For more information and advice please visit the DSA section of our website.