Is there money to help me in education?
Being deaf means you might need extra support to reach your full potential in your education. At school and college the costs of any additional support should be covered by your school, college or the local authority (council). If you are at university they will still have a responsibility to cover the costs of any reasonable adjustments you need to access your course but for additional support you may be able to receive Disabled Students Allowances (DSA).
Disabled Students Allowances is a government grant which pays for extra disability-related costs you might have while studying, which are over and above what would be covered under reasonable adjustments.
DSA does not cover disability-related costs you would have even if you weren’t studying. You may qualify for benefits such as Personal Independence Payments (PIP) or Universal Credit, which can help towards these costs. DSA also do not cover the sort of study costs that every student might have. There is general student finance you can apply for such as loans and bursaries to cover study costs unrelated to your disability.
What DSA can cover
DSA can be used to cover the following for you to access your course:
Non-medical support
- Interpreters for British Sign Language (BSL) or Sign supported English (SSE)
- Communication support worker
- Notetakers (Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland only, not England)
- Specialist notetakers
- Electronic notetakers
- Speech-to-text reporters/palantypists
Specialist equipment
- Radio aids
- Specialised software, such as speech-to-text software
- A computer to run recommended software (in England you must pay the first £200 if you need a new computer)
- Printers and scanners
- Insurance, repairs or extended warranty for specialist equipment
General/other costs
- Photocopying
- Additional travel costs related to your disability
DSA are slightly different depending on where you live in the UK. The main differences that affects deaf students is that in England, only specialist or electronic notetakers will be covered by DSA and universities are expected to pay for manual notetakers.
Unlike a loan, you don’t have to pay DSA back. Any equipment bought with an allowance belongs to you.
DSA isn’t means tested so how much you get doesn't depend on you or your family’s income.
You can qualify for DSA even if you have claimed for a different course before. However, the amount you get may depend on what you have received before - for example if you already have equipment from a previous allowance. You cannot be reimbursed through DSA for any equipment you may have already bought yourself.
How much you get will depend on your individual needs. However, there is a maximum you can receive, depending on where you are based and your course.
See country specific information for what DSA you can get:
Who can get DSA
To claim DSA you must:
- normally live in the UK
- qualify for student finance, even if you don’t claim it
- be taking a full or part time undergraduate or postgraduate course in the UK that lasts at least one year
- have a disability, mental health condition or specific learning difficulty.
Deafness meets the definition of a disability. Deafness is not a mental health condition or a learning difficulty.
For more details about eligibility check the gov.uk website.
How to apply
Depending on where you currently live, you should apply to one of the following agencies:
- In England apply to Student Finance England. You can apply at the same time as making your online UCAS application. For NHS-funded courses, you need to apply to NHS Student Bursaries for your DSA.
- In Wales apply to Student Finance Wales, or NHS Wales Student Awards Unit for NHS funded courses.
- In Scotland apply to the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) for any course.
- In Northern Ireland apply to Student Finance England or your regional Education Authority. For NHS-funded courses contact the Bursary Administration Unit.
If you're applying for other student finance you’ll be asked in the main application if you want to apply for DSA. If you don’t do it at the time then you can go back and apply for DSA later.
When to apply
You can apply for DSA before you have your place on a course confirmed. It can take up to three months to arrange so it is recommended to apply as soon as possible, ideally six to nine before your course starts. However, you can apply at any point during your studies. If you’ve already started a course but haven’t applied yet it isn’t too late.
Before applying for DSA it can be helpful to have a discussion with a disability adviser at college or university as they may be able to help you with the application.
You application
You will be asked to include evidence of your deafness in the application. Evidence could be a letter from a professional who knows you, for example your doctor or Teacher of the Deaf (TOD). It should include details of your deafness and how it affects you.
If you have an Education, Health and Care plan (EHCP), Statement of SEND, Individual Development Plan (IDP) or Coordinated support plan (CSP) this can also be used as evidence and as an indicator of where you need support.
If you have any other disabilities, a mental health condition or specific learning difficulty that you would like support with through DSA then you should also include evidence of this in your application.
DSA assessment
When your application is received you will be asked to go for an assessment. The assessment identifies what extra study-related needs you have due to your disability. A fee is charged for the assessment but this is paid for through DSA, even if the DSA assessor identifies that no support is required.
You'll need to make an appointment with an assessment centre. There are assessment centres all over the UK and you can make an appointment by phone or email. In England and Wales DSA assessments and the provision of equipment, such as radio aids, are organised by Capita or Study Tech. This depends on the area your child will live and study in. In Scotland and Northern Ireland your child can choose their assessment provider. These are often located at the university they are attending.
If you need communication support or any other arrangements for the appointment they can help arrange this.
Booking and attending the assessment
Some students worry about the idea of an assessment, especially if they’ve had assessments for other things in the past where they haven’t felt listened to. The DSA assessment is different. The purpose of the assessment is to make sure you have the best possible opportunity in your course to show your abilities, make progress and achieve your potential.
An assessor will sit down with you to discuss your course and ask questions about the support you might need. Having a good understanding of the content or structure of your course beforehand can help, particularly if it involves work placements.
The assessor may show you different equipment or software and give you a chance to try it. The assessors should be experienced with the different equipment and human support available and able to decide what is best for you to do your chosen course.
Following the assessment the assessor will write a report and send it to student finance. You can also ask for a copy.
Getting DSA
Once student finance receive the assessors report they'll write to you to confirm your entitlement and let you know how to order any recommended equipment.
They will also recommend you contact the disability advisor at your university or first choice university if you haven’t started yet. The disability advisor will help to make sure the support funded by the DSA is arranged.
How DSA is paid
Student finance can pay the DSA direct to suppliers or service providers or they can pay it to you. If the DSA is paid to you, you must provide receipts or evidence of how the money is spent. If you don’t provide this then they may stop further payments or ask for the money back.
If DSA doesn't cover what you need
The assessors report may identify support you need that isn’t covered by DSA but should be provided by your university. And your university would also be required to cover the costs of any reasonable adjustments. Your university could be expected to provide:
- proof-readers
- transcription services
- manual notetakers (in England only)
- deaf awareness training for staff
- study skills support.
Your university has a responsibility to help and make sure you can access your course fully. If there are things you need for your course that you aren’t receiving discuss this with a disability advisor at your university.
If you've already started your course
If your DSA isn’t arranged in time for starting your course the disability advisor or other staff at the university may be able to help make temporary arrangements.
The university may be able to cover the costs of the support and reclaim this when your DSA comes through or they may be able to loan you equipment. They can also speak to your tutors so they're aware you don’t have all your support in place yet.
If you're unhappy with your DSA entitlement
If your application is turned down you can ask for an explanation or to have your case reviewed.
If your application is successful but you unhappy with the entitlement you can contact your awarding agency to discuss your application further. It may be worth getting advice from a disability advisor before doing this or contacting our Helpline for further support. If you're unhappy with the service you have received from the awarding agency you may wish to make a complaint.
If something changes
If something changes then let your awarding agency know.
This includes:
- leaving your course
- repeating a year
- changing course or university
- a change in your condition that affects your needs.
If you change course or university then it should be possible to transfer your DSA support. However, this may also mean your support needs change as well. If there is a change in your support needs contact your needs assessor who can update your report or arrange a top-up assessment.