Funding
Information on external funding and how you can apply for it.
Introduction section
Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSAs) are provided by the government to help you pay for extra essential costs that you may have as a direct result of your disability, including a mental-health condition, or specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia or dyspraxia.
DSAs can help with costs such as items of specialist equipment, travel and other study-related costs. DSAs don’t pay for personal care.
What you receive depends on your individual needs, not your household income and you don’t have to pay DSAs back.
The application process can take several weeks. Where possible, apply for DSAs in advance of starting your course to ensure support is in place when you arrive.
Most UK disabled students enrolled on undergraduate and postgraduate courses will be eligible for DSAs, but some courses do not qualify and there is specific criteria for part-time courses. European Union (EU) and International students are not eligible for DSAs, so should contact us to find out about the support the University can provide.
Visit GOV.UK for the latest information on DSAs, find out if you are eligible and start your application.
If you qualify for Disabled Students’ Allowances
Your funding body will advise you to book a DSA assessment and provide you details of how to contact a local assessment centre. This assessment will focus on identifying what support you will need for your studies. The DSA assessor will discuss your support requirements for university, based on your medical evidence or Educational Psychologist report and through discussion with you. Following the assessment, they will advise your funding body of your study related needs in a report. Once your funding body has approved the DSA assessment report, they will write to you giving instructions of how to order any equipment or arrange other support.
DSAs £200 contribution for computer equipment
Students awarded computer equipment as a part of their DSAs must contribute £200 towards its cost. This has to be paid in advance of receiving the equipment but you can apply to the University for financial assistance.
If you’re studying on a full-time, undergraduate course and have a household income assessed as £42,875 or below, you can apply for support with this cost through the Digital Student Hub. Once you’ve signed in select ‘My Support Requests,’ then ‘DSA Computer Reimbursements’ from the drop down to complete the short application form.
If you are having any issues accessing the Digital Student Hub, please watch this short video for guidance on how to sign in. The online form contains instructions to help you, but you can also refer to our application FAQs for further support with the process. Please read the instructions carefully to reduce unnecessary delays with the processing of your application.
Other students should visit the University’s support funds web page, or contact the Student Financial Support team, for the latest information about other financial assistance options.