You can apply for DSAs through your NHS Bursary account.
This option will be available after your basic award has been processed and approved.
After you have submitted your DSAs application, you’ll be asked for recent medical evidence from your GP / Consultant stating the nature of your disability / disabilities which includes a brief explanation of how your disability(ies) impacts you during your day to day activities or a copy of your Local Authority EHC Plan (if applicable).
If you have a Specific Learning Difficulty (SpLD), such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia or similar, you must provide us a full diagnostic assessment from a practitioner psychologist or suitably qualified specialist teacher. The assessment must have been carried out after your 16th birthday and state that you have a specific learning difficulty to be valid.
If you have received DSAs before from another funding authority (for example, Student Finance England), you should also provide in a copy of your previous study needs assessment report and previous DSAs award letter.
Upon receipt of any necessary evidence, we will assess your application within 10 working days and will confirm the outcome via email.
Depending upon your circumstances, you may need to attend a Needs Assessment so that we can determine what help you require and how much it will cost. The cost of this assessment will be paid by us.
The Needs Assessment will be carried out by a person with specialist experience at an independent Assessment Centre or at a centre within your university. You can arrange this with the disability advisor at your university.
You should not arrange to undertake the Needs Assessment before you receive the email from ourselves as you will need to take the letter with you to confirm that the cost of the assessment will be met by us.
The Assessment Centre will send a Needs Assessment Report (NAR) to us for consideration. It should also be signed and dated by the person who carried out the assessment.
We will consider the recommendations made within the NAR and make any relevant payments within 20 working days of receiving the NAR and supporting evidence. We will you advising of the amount of help you qualify for.