What does the Travel Allowance part of the Disabled Student Allowances (DSAs) cover?

If recommended within your assessment of study needs report and approved by us, the Travel Allowance is intended to cover the extra travel costs reasonably and necessarily incurred, as a direct result of your disability or condition, while travelling to and from university / college or placement.

This is not intended for everyday costs which a student would be expected to have. It is intended to cover the difference between the cost of the cheapest available transport and the cost of transport required due to a disability. For example, if a journey by taxi costs £30 and would cost £10 by public transport, the Travel Allowance could only be awarded for the £20 difference.

If you have opted to use your mobility element of the Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Personal Independence Payment (PIP) to lease a mobility car, you'll be expected to use that car to attend your university / college and placements. We would therefore not pay any costs towards travel costs through DSAs if this is applicable to you.

Please note, a Placement Travel Allowance (PTA) of £862.50 is included in the bursary for all students, therefore, we'll only consider paying DSAs for placement travel once you've exceeded this amount.