Extra help for disabled students: Disabled Students' Allowance

Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA) covers the extra study-related costs or expenses that you may have as a disabled person. You don’t need to pay it back and it doesn’t affect any benefits you receive.

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, but you may be eligible for Access to Work.

DSA helps with costs of specialist equipment, non-medical helpers, additional disability-related travel costs and 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. In Wales, DSA is provided by Student Finance Wales and this is who you will need contact to complete your application. 

Extra help available if you are a part-time undergraduate student with a disability | Student Finance Wales

This resource was provided by the Welsh Government and is part of the University Ready hub.

Find more resources like this on the hub homepage.