What DSA is
Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA) is a non-repayable grant of up to £27,783 a year in 2025/26 and 2026/27 for the extra study costs disabled, neurodivergent or chronically ill students face, based on need not income. It comes from Student Finance England and you never pay it back, even after you graduate. It is separate from your tuition fee loan and your maintenance loan, and it does not count as income for benefits or tax.
Two things make DSA different from the rest of student finance. First, it is not means-tested: your household income makes no difference to whether you get it or how much you get. Second, it is awarded on the basis of your disability-related needs, so the support is tied to what your condition actually makes harder, not to a fixed sum.
What it covers
The headline figure is a single combined allowance. Since 2023/24 the old separate caps for equipment, non-medical helpers and general costs were merged into one pot, so the £27,783 covers most types of support together. Travel is funded separately on top.
- Specialist equipment: for example a computer you need because of your disability, plus assistive software.
- Non-medical helpers: such as a British Sign Language interpreter or a specialist note-taker.
- Disability-related study support: other reasonable help your course needs.
- Extra travel: taxi fares to and from your course, but only if your disability stops you using public transport.
For a fuller breakdown, see what DSA pays for.
What you have to clear first
DSA is not automatic. To qualify you must normally live in England, be an undergraduate or postgraduate student eligible for student finance (Open University and distance learning count), and be on a course lasting at least a year. You also have to provide written evidence of your condition. For a disability, long-term health condition or mental-health condition, that is a copy of a letter or report from your doctor or consultant, or a completed disability evidence form. For a specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia, it is a copy of a post-16 diagnostic assessment from a practitioner psychologist or a suitably qualified specialist teacher.
A strong suspicion on its own is not enough: you need the evidence in hand before Student Finance England will agree the support. If your evidence rests on a diagnosis you do not yet have, such as ADHD or autism, start the diagnostic route early. NHS waits can run to years, and DSA cannot speed that up.
Why the headline number is not what you get
The £27,783 is a ceiling, not a payment. Once your eligibility and evidence are accepted, Student Finance England usually asks you to have a needs assessment at an assessment centre. That meeting, not the application, decides what equipment, software and support you actually receive. The money is then mostly paid to suppliers, not to you. Do not book a needs assessment until Student Finance England tells you to, or you may have to pay for it yourself.
Where the law comes from
Related
This page is general information, not clinical or legal advice.