What funding and benefits am I entitled to?

Students with a disability may be able to apply for Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) in addition to their main Student Finance England Funding, to contribute towards additional costs the student is obliged to incur. 'Obliged to occur' means that the support is essential to enable the student to access their studies.

A student can only receive support for a designated course and they must meet the eligibility criteria and provide medical evidence. It is important to apply as soon as you think you might be eligible and need support.

Disabled students may get help towards the cost of:

• A general allowance for small, ongoing additional expenses that you might have because of your disability, for example extra printer paper or photocopying
• Specialist equipment
• A non-medical helper
• Travel

DSA should supplement the provision of reasonable adjustments made by the University. DSA is not intended to assist with disability related expenditure that a student would incur if they were not following a course of study.

If you will be undertaking a work placement year as part of a 'sandwich' course, the funding and support relating to disability requirements is different for the placement year - it is a good idea to read our guide about this in plenty of time before you start your placement.

Local authority social services may continue to provide assistance towards personal care costs that will be incurred irrespective of whether or not the student is attending their course.

More information is available through the University's Disabled Student Support Service.

Gov.uk provide additional information on DSA and who can apply.

Full time students on courses funded by the NHS can apply for an NHS disabled students' allowance.

Disabled students fall into one of the few categories of full-time students who may be able to claim benefits. If you qualify for certain elements of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Personal Independence Payments (PIP), you may be able to claim other benefits, but this will depend on your circumstances.

There may be other circumstances in which you can claim benefits, such as if you take time out from your studies due to illness (or caring responsibilities) and you are waiting to return to your course once you are better.

The amount you get may be affected by income you already have coming in and some of the student funding that you receive.

If you think you might be entitled to benefits or want to know anything more about claiming and entitlement, contact us. We can do a full benefits check to ensure you are getting everything you are entitled to.