Funding for your support

DSA is a non-means tested and non-repayable source of funding intended to help meet the extra costs incurred whilst studying at university as a direct result of a disability. The Disability Advisory Service can assist you with your application. You can apply for DSA anytime during your course, but the earlier you apply the more likely you are to benefit from the support available.

Most funding bodies (e.g. Student Finance England, N.Ireland Educational & Library Boards, Student Finance Wales, the Student awards agency for Scotland (SAAS), and Research Councils UK) will require you to get a study needs assessment at an Assessment Centre before they will make an award. Requirements vary and your own funding body will be able to advise you on its specific requirements.

Eligibility

You need to demonstrate to your funding body that you:

• Have a conditional offer from, or are attending University;
• Have proved yourself to be disabled using appropriate evidence (for example, a medical letter or chartered psychologist's report for dyslexic/dyspraxic students);
• Meet the residence requirement, which means that you must have been living in the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for the three years immediately before the start of your course.

What is covered

• Specialist Equipment Allowance– to purchase specialist equipment to assist you in your studies (not for general daily living or medical needs), e.g. a computer, word processor, scanner, audio recorder, screen reader, CCTV, Braille embosser, and other specialist software.
• Non-Medical Helpers Allowance– to fund people to work with you, including specialist SpLD study skills tuition, mentoring, a note-taker, personal reader, sign language interpreter, communicator or someone to assist you in the library.   
• General Allowance– for other disability-related costs, including computer consumables, training on software, additional photocopying expenses, books and other small items.  It can also be used to 'top up' the other two allowances.
• Travel costs – In addition, if you incur additional travel costs to attend your course because of your disability, the DSA may be able to contribute towards them.

Further details are provided in a booklet called 'Bridging the gap' which can be found on the DirectGov website.

Applying for DSA

Home (i.e. UK) undergraduate and self-funded graduate students

Once you have an offer of a place to study, you can apply for DSA from March of the year in which you intend to start your course, right up until a few months before you finish your studies. The Disability Advisory Service or your college/department disability contact can assist you with completing your application.

You should apply for DSA as soon as possible to your funding body for DSA, e.g. Student Finance England, N.Ireland Educational & Library Boards, Student Finance Wales, the Student awards agency for Scotland (SAAS).

On receipt of your application, most funding bodies will require you to have a study needs assessment at an Assessment Centre before they will make an award (see section on ‘discussing and assessing your needs’). It takes several months to process each application and is best to begin the process as early as possible.

Current DSA rates for undergraduate and graduate students can be found on the Directgov website. Research grant funded graduate students should check with their funding body to see the amount of DSA they offer as this varies.

If a student cannot get disability related funding or exhausts their DSA they can apply to the undergraduate hardship or graduate hardship funding.

Funded graduate students

Apply in the first instance to your research council:

• Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC)
• Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)
• Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPRS)
• Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
• Medical Research Council (MRC)
• Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
• Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)

See below for details of funding for non-UK students.

Non-UK students are not eligible for DSA. However, the University is piloting a scheme which funds non-UK disabled student study support using the following breakdown of contribution (up to a level of £10,000 per student) towards disability related study support costs:

This breakdown would be used where there is no funding available from the student's own country, funding body, sponsor, research council or other source. The procedure for assessing the student’s study needs mirrors UK student experience (as detailed in ‘discussing and assessing your needs’).

Clarendon scholars and other recipients of awards with a disability study support element would not be eligible.

The University has a central fund to assist students with dyslexia, dyspraxia and other SpLDs to meet the additional costs incurred because of their disability. The SpLD Fund can pay for:

• An assessment with an educational psychologist who has been approved by the Proctors' Panel (a full list and contact details is available from our ‘useful contacts’ section).
• Specialist study skills tuition (you must have a formal SpLD diagnosis before we can provide this).

The SpLD Fund will not normally consider retrospective claims and will not pay for computer equipment or software (although the Disabled Students' Allowance may be able to help with this).

Eligibility

To be eligible for a SpLD fund award your must be matriculated (i.e. enrolled) at the University of Oxford (undergraduate or graduate student) and able to supply a letter from a college or department tutor (or a GP) verifying that in their professional opinion you display dyslexic or dyspraxic tendencies.

If you are unable to get this, consideration may be given towards providing an assessment on the basis of a piece of timed writing. This will be reviewed by one of the University approved chartered psychologists for their opinion on whether further testing is warranted. Please contact the Disability Advisory Service in this instance.

Prospective students who have an offer from the University may arrange an assessment with one of the University’s approved educational psychologists but will need to fund the cost of the assessment themselves. However, after matriculation (i.e. enrolment) you may be able to seek reimbursement via the SpLD Fund. If you do not use one of our approved EPs, or do not take up the place at Oxford we will not be able to reimburse you for the costs of the assessment, but you should be able to use the report at any other higher education institution you attend.

Applying

You will need to complete the SpLD fund application form stating whether you are applying for an educational psychology assessment and/or specialist study skills tuition. Download the SpLD Fund form (68kb) and return the completed form to the Disability Advisory Service: