Funding for disabled students

Disabled students can apply for funding to access disability-related support and adjustments. In most cases, funding is available for any student who is registered with Disability Services. 

The support provided by this funding is in addition to the academic adjustments recommended by Disability Services. It exists to cover the costs of extra provisions such as specialist equipment and one to one support.  

We recommend that every eligible student apply for funding. Setting up funding can take some time, so consider applying as soon as possible to make sure your support is in place for you.

This table outlines the possible funding sources available to you:

Overview of funding
 Who you are   Likely Funding Source   What to do 
Home (UK) undergraduate  Disabled Students' Allowances provided by one of the main Student Finance funding bodies (eg Student Finance England)  

Apply via your Student Finance funding body. You can do this before you start your studies. See links below and find more info on DSA here.
Home (UK) taught postgraduate Disabled Students' Allowances provided by one of the main Student Finance funding bodies (eg Student Finance England)   Apply via your Student Finance funding body. You can do this before you start your studies. See links below and find more info on DSA here.
Part-time Home (UK) Students  Disabled Students' Allowances provided by one of the main Student Finance funding bodies (eg Student Finance England).  You are eligible provided the course is at least one year and doesn't take more than four times as long to complete as an equivalent full-time course Apply via your Student Finance funding body. You can do this before you start your studies. See links below and find more info on DSA here.
Non Research Council Home (UK) Funded Postgraduates   Disabled Students' Allowances provided by one of the main Student Finance funding bodies (eg Student Finance England).  Apply via your Student Finance funding body. You can do this before you start your studies. See links below and find more info on DSA here.
NHS Funded Students Disabled Students’ Allowances provided by your NHS funding body Apply via your NHS funding body. See links below.
Research Council Funded Postgraduates  Disabled Students' Allowances provided by your Research Council 

Talk to your Disability Coordinator and they will assist you further.

Use the PGR funding checker for help
International and EU Students  There is likely to be funding available but the provider will vary  Talk to your Disability Coordinator and they will assist you further.
Other Part-time Students  There is likely to be funding available but the provider will vary.  Talk to your Disability Coordinator and they will assist you further.
Study Abroad and Exchange Students (Erasmus)  There is likely to be funding available but the provider will vary.  Talk to your Disability Coordinator and they will assist you further.
Degree Apprentices   Funding is available as part of your apprenticeship  You are not eligible for DSA but other funding is available as part of your apprenticeship. Talk to your Disability Coordinator for more information.

Funding Bodies

Why do I need funding?

The funding you receive can pay for additional support that you might need so that you can study on an equal basis with non-disabled students. This may include the following: 

  • Specialist supportive equipment and assistive technology, for example, computer software, ergonomic aids
  • Support from people such as mentors, dyslexia support tutors, and note takers
  • Additional travel expenses due to disability and studying
  • Small, ongoing additional expenses that you might have because of your disability, for example, extra printer paper or photocopying

The Disabled Students’ Access Fund

The Disabled Students Access Fund is open to applications from current disabled students. The fund covers, where possible, short-term Personal Assistant support for non-academic activities where no other funding is available. This might include:

  • Support registering with essential facilities such as a bank or a doctor’s surgery
  • Providing someone to accompany you to an on-campus club or society for the first time
  • Support to participate in an activity that is relevant to your course of study where reasonable adjustments by the provider will not fully address your support needs.
     

Please submit your request as soon as you can but, where possible, at least seven working days in advance of the event. If your request for support is within seven days, please complete the form as soon as possible and contact Disability Services. You can do this by emailing supportworkerteam@leeds.ac.uk or phone 0113 343 3927.

Please note, this is a limited fund and we can generally provide up to 6.5 (six and a half) hours of PA support throughout a student’s studies. Support is dependent on staff availability.

To apply for this funding, please complete the short form

You can read more about the Disabled Students Access fund here

Further information

You can find further information and advice about disability support funding from these external organisations:

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