Disabled Students' Allowance
Find out more about the Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA) and how the Disability and Dyslexia Service can support you.
What is the Disabled Students' Allowance?
The DSA is a non-means-tested grant that helps cover the additional support a disabled student needs to complete their course. It is not a cash award - it is used to fund support services and equipment, such as:
- Specialist One-to-One Study Skills Support.
- Assistive technology or other necessary equipment
Who is eligible?
Most students at Queen Mary University of London who are from the UK and have one of the following may be eligible for the Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA):
- A Specific Learning Difference (SpLD) such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, or ADHD
- A disability
- A long-standing mental health condition
Find out more about the Disabled Students' Allowance
We have produced a DSA Process Guide for SpLD Students [DOC 43KB] flow chart for students with SpLDs. An accessible description of this is available in our DSA Process Guide [DOC 15KB].
Please contact us to request a copy of our DSA process guide for SpLD students in an alternative format.
A selection of other videos explaining DSAs and other financial support are available from Student Finance England.
Additional information
Changes to the Disabled Students' Allowance
DSA underwent a major restructure in 2024, resulting in the government contracting two new suppliers to provide DSA services for students funded by SFE and SFW. These are Study Tech and Capita. Students are allocated a supplier by their funding body based upon their geographical location. These suppliers provide students with a single point of contact throughout their DSA journey.
The result of this is that a number of smaller independent Needs Assessment centres have closed as needs assessments are now organised directly by Study Tech and Capita. Similarly, most equipment and assistive technology training will also be provided directly by these two companies.
The restructure is intended to make the process of applying for and accessing DSA more straightforward and efficient for students. Students who had a needs assessment prior to February 2024 should be aware that if they require any new support, they may need to undergo a new needs assessment (a ‘review of needs’) if their needs assessment centre closed due to the restructuring.
Please note: No changes have been made to the DSA process for Student Finance Northern Ireland or the Students Awards Agency Scotland.
The role of the needs assessor and assessment centre
Our needs assessment page explains in great detail the processes involved with attending a needs assessment. Your needs assessment is commissioned and paid for independently, by your DSA funding body, e.g. Student Finance England. They pay the assessment centre who conduct the assessment to produce the report, which includes justification of the recommendations and costings, along with multiple quotes.
If you wish to change any aspect of the report, e.g. a different computer, or different human support, this has to be communicated to the DSA funding body by the needs assessor as the author and owner of that report.
NB: the needs assessment fee covers not just the initial assessment and its report, but any additional queries relating to the student so long as they remain on the same course and at the same institution.
The role of the Disability and Dyslexia Service
As such, there is very little we can do to amend an assessor’s recommendations other than to assist you in presenting your case to the needs assessor, the assessment centre manager or, ultimately, the quality assurance body that oversees the DSA on behalf of the tax payer. If we do not think there is a disability related justification for a requested needs assessment change then we won’t agree to do this.
Rather, our role is to implement those elements of your support that we have been awarded and assist you with any queries you may have accessing other recommended support. It is worth noting that we provide Specialist One to One Study Skills Support, but no other forms of DSA provided human support, not are we able to provide DSA-related equipment, although we do have a loan scheme (subject to availability), should you wish to access this due to problems with your DSA-provided equipment.