Disabled Students' Allowance FAQs

You’re eligible if you live in the UK, are studying and qualify for support from Student Finance England (SFE) or Student Finance Wales (SFW) and have a diagnosed condition(s) that affects your ability to study, for which you can provide evidence from a medical/qualified professional. 

Examples of diagnosed conditions are:

• a specific learning difficulty (such as dyslexia, ADHD or dyspraxia)
• a mental or physical health condition
• a long-term illness
• a sensory impairment

For more information on DSA eligibility, please visit:
https://www.gov.uk/disabled-students-allowance-dsa/eligibility
https://www.studentfinancewales.co.uk/

You’ve been asked to attend a needs assessment to work out what support you need to help you during your studies. At your needs assessment, you’ll talk with your needs assessor about the impact your disability has on your studies, your experience of any support you’ve already had and the details of your course. Your needs assessor may also demonstrate equipment or software to you.

After your needs assessment, your assessor will write a report for Student Finance England (SFE) or Student Finance Wales (SFW) recommending what DSA support you should get. You’ll be given the option to review a draft copy of the report before it’s sent to SFE or SFW, if you wish. Once SFE or SFW have reviewed the report, you’ll be notified of the specific DSA support that’s been approved and how to access it.

Your needs assessment can be completed in person or online by video call. We’ll be able to accommodate whichever option you prefer. You’ll be offered a selection of time slots to choose from.

If you need specific support throughout the assessment process, such as the use of the Relay tool, British Sign Language (BSL) or wheelchair access, you can request this at the point of assessment booking on the student portal.

Benefits of in-person assessments

It can be good to attend your needs assessment in person if you:

• would benefit from a physical demonstration of equipment and software that may be recommended
• have poor network/broadband coverage
• would like a session in a private place, free from distractions

Benefits of online video call assessments

It can be good to attend your needs assessment online if you:

• are anxious about travelling
• feel more comfortable in a place you choose
• struggle talking about your disability in person

If you’re not able to use online video calls, you can choose to have your assessment by telephone instead.

The fee for the needs assessment will be deducted from your DSA entitlement. This is an inclusive fee and covers the work that may be required for the duration of your course.

This is your consent for Student Finance England (SFE) or Student Finance Wales (SFW) to share your information with us.

During the application process, SFE or SFW will ask you for permission to share information with us that will help progress your DSA application. This will allow us to contact you directly to arrange your needs assessment and support. If you do not provide consent to share, SFE or SFW will not be able to contact us about your DSA application (e.g. if they have questions regarding your support). Instead, they’ll contact you and ask you to get in touch directly.

If you’re unhappy with the decision that SFE or SFW has made, you should make an appeal as soon as possible. 

If you are a SFE student go to - https://www.gov.uk/guidance/appeals-procedure

If you are a SFW student go to - https://www.studentfinancewales.co.uk/complaints-and-appeals

Capita DSA aims to always provide the highest standard of service. However, if you wish to make a complaint, you can do so by telephone, online, by email, or by post.

Complaints will be acknowledged via email within two working days from the date received.

A thorough and full investigation will then be conducted in a professional, fair and non-confrontational manner. Capita DSA will aim to resolve complaints, issuing a full and final response to the complainant, within 10 working days of receipt. If additional time is required, we will inform the complainant via email, providing the reason for the delay before issuing the full response.

In cases where the complainant is unhappy with Capita DSA’s decision, the complaint can be escalated to the Student Loans Company.