A study skills tutor gives disabled university students one-to-one, non-subject support to build independent study strategies, funded in the UK through the Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA), separate from any teaching. They are a trained, non-medical helper, not a lecturer and not a proofreader. The Student Loans Company defines specialist study skills support as a Band 4 Non-Medical Help service delivered by a qualified specialist: someone with a recognised teaching qualification for specific learning difficulties, plus professional-body membership, as set out by PASSHE, the sector body for these specialists.
What a study skills tutor actually does
The work is about how you study, not the subject itself. Sessions are tailored to where your course trips you up, and typically cover:
- planning essays, structuring arguments and managing references;
- reading efficiently and taking usable notes;
- organising your time, deadlines and revision;
- exam technique and breaking big tasks into steps.
The aim is to leave you able to do these things yourself, so you depend on the strategies rather than on the tutor.
How it differs from a specialist mentor
This is the distinction most search results miss. A study skills tutor and a specialist mentor are two separate DSA-funded roles, and a needs assessment may recommend one, the other, or both.
| Study skills tutor | Specialist mentor |
|---|---|
| Academic "how to learn" | Wellbeing and managing your condition |
| Study strategies, writing, organisation, exam technique | Confidence, motivation, the impact of a condition on study |
| Builds independent learning skills | Helps you cope and stay on track |
Neither is a subject tutor. Your lectures, seminars and academic teaching come from your department, as part of the course you are already enrolled on.
Who pays, and where it sits
You do not pay for a study skills tutor. DSA is a single combined allowance worth up to £27,783 for the 2025/26 and 2026/27 academic years, and it covers extra study costs from a disability, mental health condition or long-term illness, with payments usually going direct to the supplier, so the support itself costs you nothing. It sits alongside, not instead of, your university's own duty to make reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010. If you are leaving school, note that an EHCP does not continue into university; DSA-funded support and Equality Act adjustments take its place.
Where the law comes from
- GOV.UK: Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA): what it covers and the combined allowance for 2025/26 and 2026/27
- Student Loans Company: DSA Non-Medical Help Guidance (July 2024): Band 4 specialist study skills support
- UCL Disability, Mental Health & Wellbeing: specialist mentor vs specialist study skills tutor (role comparison)
- PASSHE: what a specialist study skills tutor is (qualifications and scope)
- legislation.gov.uk: Equality Act 2010, section 20 (duty to make reasonable adjustments)
Related
This page is general information, not clinical or legal advice.