Am I eligible for DSA?

Am I eligible for a Disabled Student’s Allowance?

You must satisfy all three requirements below to apply for a DSA:

1. Proof of specific learning difficulties

You must provide evidence of your specific learning difficulty such as a post-16 Educational Psychologist's or a specialist teacher assessor’s report.

2. Nationality

You must fall into one of the following categories:

3. Course requirements

You must be one of the following:

This includes distance learning courses.

You cannot get a DSA from Student Finance England, Wales, or Northern Ireland if you are:

If you are receiving funding from the NHS, you can look at NHS Disabled Students' Allowances for more information.

Students receiving funding from Research Councils can visit Research Councils UK for more information on how to apply for DSAs.

If you are in receipt of an undergraduate Social Work bursary, you should apply to Student Finance England.

Any previous study will not affect your eligibility for a DSA. However, if you received a DSA for specialist equipment for a previous course, this may be taken into account.

There is no age limit on getting a DSA.

If you are unsure, you can check your eligibility at DSAs - Eligibility

For part-time students, your ‘course intensity’ can affect how much you get. This means how long your course takes to complete each year compared to an equivalent full-time course.

You can check this with your course leader. To apply for a DSA, you must study at a rate of at least 25% of an equivalent full-time course in each academic year. The course must last at least a year.

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