Universities must make reasonable adjustments for disabled students under the Equality Act 2010, commonly 25% extra time, a separate room, rest breaks, a reader or scribe, or coursework deadline extensions (2025/26). The duty falls on the university as both a service and an education provider, it covers exams and assessments, and the university cannot charge you for any of it.
The adjustments you can ask for
Adjustments are individual, so your list will depend on how your condition affects you. The ones universities most often put in place for exams and assessments are:
- 25% extra time (sometimes more), with short rest breaks each hour.
- A separate or smaller exam room.
- Use of a computer or word processor instead of handwriting.
- A reader, or a scribe (also called an amanuensis) who writes down your answers.
- Coloured, enlarged, or braille papers.
- Ergonomic furniture, ear defenders, or other equipment.
- Deadline extensions on coursework and your dissertation.
The catch the top results miss
Adjustments are not automatic, and university is not like school or college: there is no EHCP, and no national exam-board process. You have to tell the university yourself by registering with its disability or wellbeing service, and you will usually need to supply diagnostic or medical evidence. The service then records your adjustments on a plan, often called a Reasonable Adjustment Plan or a Summary of Reasonable Adjustments. The duty is anticipatory, meaning the university should plan for disabled students in advance, but your own plan still has to be set up before the exam, so do it early.
Two routes that get blurred together
There are two separate sources of support, and the top results tend to mix them up:
- Reasonable adjustments are arranged and paid for by the university itself under the Equality Act 2010. They are free to you, and the law says the cost cannot be passed on to you. Extra time, a separate room and deadline extensions sit here.
- Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA) funds personal study support, such as specialist equipment, non-medical helpers, specialist mentors and study-skills tutors. It comes from Student Finance, needs a separate application and its own evidence, and is worth up to £27,783 for 2025/26.
If you had an EHCP at school, it does not carry on into higher education: it stops when you start university, and these two routes replace it. You can read more on what happens to your EHCP at university, how a learning support plan works, and what DSA is.
This page is general information, not clinical or legal advice. If you are struggling to cope, contact your university's student wellbeing service or your GP; in a crisis, the Samaritans are free on 116 123, any time.
Where the law comes from
Related
This page is general information, not clinical or legal advice.