What is a learning support plan at university?

A learning support plan is a university document listing the reasonable adjustments a disabled student is entitled to - such as extra exam time or a separate room - and sharing them with teaching and exam staff. The University of Sheffield describes its version as a plan that confirms you are a disabled student and sets out adjustments to how your course is taught and assessed. You are usually eligible with any named condition that has lasted, or is expected to last, 12 months or more and significantly affects your study, including dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD, autism, a mental health condition or a physical or long-term illness.

It is not a continuation of your EHCP

This is the part most university web pages leave out. If you had an Education, Health and Care plan (EHCP) at school or college, it does not follow you into a degree. As IPSEA explains, an EHC plan does not continue into higher education, and the council stops maintaining it when you start a degree-level course. The learning support plan is the higher-education replacement, but it works differently: instead of statutory EHCP provision, it delivers the reasonable adjustments your university must make under the Equality Act 2010 so that disabled students are not put at a substantial disadvantage. You do not need a continuing EHCP to get one.

The name varies; the job is the same

There is no single national name. Depending on the university, the same document might be called a:

• learning support plan or learning support summary;
• personal learning plan or individual learning plan;
• student support plan or study support plan.

Whatever it is called, it typically records exam access arrangements (extra time, rest breaks, a separate room), teaching and course adjustments such as lecture slides in advance or accessible materials, and any one-to-one help like a specialist mentor or study-skills tutor. It is set up by the university disability or wellbeing service, usually after a short needs assessment, and then shared with your department so lecturers and exam staff know your adjustments before teaching and exams begin.

How it links to DSA funding

A learning support plan and Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA) are separate but related. The plan is your university's own record of adjustments; DSA is government funding for the extra costs of studying with a disability. DSA is worth up to a single combined maximum of £27,783 for the 2025/26 and 2026/27 academic years and, as of 2026, pays for specialist equipment, non-medical helpers and other disability-related study costs, based on your needs rather than your household income. Many students have both: a learning support plan for adjustments inside the university, and DSA for support and equipment funded from outside it.

This page is general information, not clinical or legal advice.