What DSA is
DSA is a grant — not a loan — that pays for the extra support you need to study because of a disability or health condition. The key things to know:
- Up to £27,783 a year for 2025/26, but what you actually get is based on your individual needs, not a flat amount.
- Not means-tested — your household income makes no difference.
- Never repaid, and it doesn’t reduce your maintenance or tuition fee loans — it’s in addition to them.
- Open to undergraduate and postgraduate, full-time and part-time students.
Why it’s worth checking
Plenty of eligible students never apply — often because they don’t realise a long-term health condition, mental health condition or dyslexia counts. If something affects how you study, it’s worth finding out what DSA could fund.
What it pays for
A needs assessment works out the right support for you. DSA can cover:
| Type of help | Examples |
|---|
| Specialist equipment | A computer if you need one because of your disability, plus assistive software. |
| Non-medical helpers | A British Sign Language interpreter, a specialist note-taker or study-skills support. |
| Extra travel | Taxi costs to your course or placement, if your disability stops you using public transport. |
| Other study support | Disability-related extras, such as additional printing for proof-reading. |
What DSA doesn’t cover
It’s for
study costs — not the disability costs you’d have anyway. For everyday living costs, look at
PIP; for support in a job, see
Access to Work. You may be able to get those alongside DSA.
Who can get it
You can usually get DSA if all of these apply:
- You’re an eligible student on an undergraduate or postgraduate course and normally eligible for student finance (residence rules apply).
- You have a disability, long-term health condition, mental health condition or a specific learning difficulty (such as dyslexia) that affects your ability to study.
- You can provide evidence — for example a letter from a doctor, or a diagnostic assessment for a specific learning difficulty.
“Long-term” counts widely
DSA isn’t only for physical disabilities. Conditions like anxiety, depression, ADHD, autism, chronic illness and dyslexia can all qualify if they have a substantial, long-term effect on your studies. If in doubt, apply and let the assessment decide.
How to apply
- Apply. If you’re applying for other student finance, add DSA in your student finance account — you only apply once. If you don’t need other finance, fill in a DSA1 form.
- Send evidence of your condition (doctor’s letter or diagnostic assessment).
- Have a needs assessment at an assessment centre — it recommends your support. Student Finance then confirms what it will fund and arranges it.
Do this now
Apply as early as you can — it can take weeks to arrange the assessment and put support in place, so don’t leave it to the start of term. Start in your student finance account, or search GOV.UK for “Disabled Students’ Allowance”.
While you’re at it, check what else you may be owed with the benefits checker and the wider student finance guide.
Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland
DSA exists across the UK but is run separately with different maximums: Scotland via SAAS, Wales via Student Finance Wales, Northern Ireland via Student Finance NI. The £27,783 figure is for students funded by Student Finance England.