Next steps after completing DSA application: England Applying for Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA): England
After receiving your Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA) application, Student Finance England (SFE) will contact you to confirm whether you’re eligible. If you are eligible, you'll be asked to book a needs assessment.
Needs assessment for DSA application
A needs assessment is not a test or an assessment of your disability. It is a collaborative meeting between you and a study needs assessor to discuss your specific study support needs.
You’ll be asked to book your needs assessment at an assessment centre. Don’t book an assessment until you have confirmation from Student Finance England to go ahead. The assessment fee is covered by your DSA, so you don’t have to pay for it.
After you’ve had your needs assessment, you’ll receive a report with recommendations for your support. Ask the assessor how long it will take to receive the report, so you know when to expect it.
If you agree with the recommendations, sign and return the report to Student Finance England. Within 14 days of sending the signed report you’ll receive a letter of entitlement listing the support and equipment that has been approved for you.
Checking the status of your application
The DSA application process may take a minimum of 14-20 weeks, depending on the time of year. Check the progress of your application on Student Finance England online system regularly. You can find the current wait times at Student Finance England (SFE): Current application timescales on GOV.UK. If you are experiencing barriers to study while you are waiting, contact the Disability Support Team to discuss if interim support can be put in place. Keep in mind that this team can have longer response times from July through to November.
Whether this is your first time applying for DSA, or you have completed it before, we recommend you apply as early as possible. So that the support is in place in plenty of time for the start of your studies.
Receiving the agreed DSA support
Your letter of entitlement will explain how the funds you’ve been allocated will be paid. Follow the instructions in the letter to contact suppliers to put in place your support and equipment.
If your DSA is paying for a new computer or laptop to run assistive software for you, you’ll need to pay a £200 contribution towards it. However, you may be able to get this reimbursed through the OU study-related costs fund. For more information see Contribution towards the cost of a DSA funded PC/Laptop.
If you’re not eligible for or have reached the maximum of your DSA
You can contact the Disability Support Team at the Open University (OU) to discuss options for other sources of funding and support.
Other sources of funding
Alternative funding, separate from the OU and DSA, might be available, for example:
