Disabled Students' Allowance: an overview
Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA) is a grant to support disabled students in higher education within the UK. It covers the extra study-related costs or expenses that you may have as a result of your disability.
You don’t need to pay it back and it doesn’t affect any benefits you receive.
Who can get DSA?
You can apply for DSA if you live in the UK and have a disability that affects your ability to study, such as a:
- specific learning difficulty, for example dyslexia or ADHD
- mental health condition, such as anxiety or depression
- physical disability, for instance if you use crutches, a wheelchair or an adapted keyboard
- sensory disability, including being visually impaired, D/deaf or having a hearing impairment
- long-term health condition, such as cancer, chronic heart disease or HIV.
DSA is not available to apprenticeship learners. If you live in England, Scotland or Wales you may be eligible for Access to Work. If you live in Northern Ireland you may be eligible for Access to Work (NI). You can discuss this with your apprenticeship employer.
OU students in Ireland and the Channel Islands check with your home government to see what support they offer. International students, see Disability support for international students.
The support DSA pays for
DSA helps with costs of:
- specialist equipment
- non-medical helpers
- additional disability-related travel costs
- other disability-related costs of study.
DSA doesn’t cover any disability-related costs you would normally have, separate to studying, such as personal care support. It also doesn’t cover costs that all students would have while studying. Watch this short video about disability funding and DSA.
Funding for disabled students
Hello, I'm Louise and I'm here to guide you through some of the financial support that's available for students with disabilities who are studying with the OU.
As a university, we want to make sure that every aspect of study is accessible. That's why more disabled students choose the EU than any other UK university. We have lots of support available, including a dedicated disability support team with advisers like me who are all here to help you get the most out of your studies. First of all, let's talk about what we mean when we use the word disability. You might not think of yourself as disabled, but if you have a long term health condition, a specific learning difficulty like dyslexia or a mental health difficulty, you're entitled to support and reasonable adjustments to how you study.
What is disabled students allowance?
Disabled students allowance is a grant that you can use for study related costs. This could help if you need specialist equipment to study specialist software or a non medical helper like a sign language interpreter.
Who is eligible?
Many people will be eligible for disabled students allowance. It's not age, income or savings related. It won't affect any of the benefits and you can receive it on top of your student finance too. The type of support and how much you'll get will depend on your individual needs, but there are two common things you'll need to apply. First, you'll need to provide supporting evidence of your disability, such as a diagnostic report. You'll then have an assessment to understand your needs and what support should be put in place. You'll also need to be studying the minimum number of credits over a set time period.
Depending on where you live there are some other specific rules you'll need to meet depending on where you live too. You'll find more information on your local disabled students allowance website and if you live outside the UK, you'll need to apply to your government or local organisations for disability support for your studies.
How do I apply?
We always recommend students apply for disabled students allowance funding as early as possible, as the whole process can take up to four months. But remember, we are here to make things easier. Our advisers have supported thousands of students before you, so please get in touch to see how we can help.
And on top of financial help, there are lots of different ways the OU can support you, so get in touch or go to open.ac.uk/disability to learn more. Thank you.
DSA providers
DSA is provided by the funding bodies who arrange student finance for the four UK governments. For example, in Wales it is Student Finance Wales. You need to fill in the correct application form for where you live in the UK or for where your tuition funding is based, if that is different.
Here is the list of providers by nation. The links will take you to DSA application information for each nation.
The Student Loan Company (SLC) works with the four student finance companies to provide student support in the UK. It has a charter for customers who need additional support.
Help with applying for DSA
As an Open University (OU) student, you need to apply as a part-time student. This is because studying with the OU is considered as part-time study, even if you’re studying full-time.
For more information on how to apply as an OU student see:
