Financial support
The Student Disability Service can assist disabled students to apply for funds to cover the additional support they require during their studies.
If you have a disability or Specific Learning Difficulty (SpLD), you might benefit from some additional support during your studies. This could perhaps be one-to-one support with a tutor or support worker, or some computer hardware and/or software.
Financial help for disabled students
If you are a UK resident, you might be eligible for Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA). This is a fund to assist with the additional course related expenses specifically related to your disability or Specific Learning Difficulty.
Eligibility for this support depends on a number of factors. The Student Disability Service would be happy to discuss this in more detail with you. Further information can be obtained from the organisations listed at the end of this section.
You will need to provide the Student Disability Service with evidence of your disability or Specific Learning Difficulty (SpLD)
How can I find out what equipment or support would help me?
- A Needs Assessment for Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) is arranged to decide what a disabled student would need to assist them during their studies.
- Support is recommended to help you complete your course requirements to the best of your abilities.
- Any support is based on your individual difficulties and requirements, and therefore varies from student to student.
- The Needs Assessment is carried out by a member of the Student Disability Service Advisory team, who are all experienced assessors, or sometimes at a specialist centre.
What happens during a Needs Assessment?
- Please note: this is a completely different process from the sort of assessment carried out by an educational psychologist.
- The Advisor will review the evidence of your disability and discuss how this relates to your course and what you will be expected to do.
- Your input is key to these discussions. The Advisor will discuss your concerns with you , and how your difficulties might affect your completion of coursework.
- On the basis of the above discussion, the Advisor will recommend some support strategies. These might include computer equipment, or other technological support, as well as specialist tuition.
- The recommended support is designed to help you to work as effectively and independently as possible during your studies.
- After the Needs Assessment meeting, a report will be written by the Advisor and this report will be sent to you to read and give feedback. Once you are happy with it and we have your approval, it will then be sent to your funding body (see below).
Eligibility for financial support for disabled students.
You can check your eligibility for support - at undergraduate or postgraduate level of study - at the links below. Please contact us if you need any assistance or information about your eligibility.
Scottish students (Students Awards Agency for Scotland)
In order to apply you must meet a residence requirement where “you must have been ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for the three years immediately before the first day of the first academic year of the course”.
English students (Student Finance England)
The important eligibility section is half way down the page from the following link.
Welsh students (Student Finance Wales)
Northern Irish students (Student Finance Northern Ireland)
The website below describes the general process and eligibility. It also helps to identify the relevant Education and Library Board you should apply to.
Irish students -Republic of Ireland (Fund for Students with Disabilities)
International and European Union (EU) students
If you are not ordinarily resident in the UK, you would not be eligible for the above funds. The Student Disability Service can help you find out what funding might be available. We also have a small budget to assist disabled students who have particular requirements for their studies but who are not able to access this support elsewhere.
Other financial support for Post Graduate studies
If you are studying at Masters or Ph.D. level, you may have different funding options through a research council. Please contact the organisation or department that is funding you for further information. Alternatively, the Student Disability Service can help investigate your funding options for disability related support.
Financial assistance for living costs and fees
Please note that we cannot help with financial assistance for living costs and fees - the University's Scholarships and Student Finance Office can provide further information on this type of support.
This article was published on Jul 27, 2011