This snapshot, taken on 05/03/2008, shows web content selected for preservation by The National Archives. External links, forms and search boxes may not work in archived websites.
¦ Skip to main content

Big increase in disabled students allowances - Rammell

4 July 2007

From 2008/09 the maximum amounts of Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSAs) for non-medical helpers and for postgraduates will be increased by 60%, Minister for Lifelong Learning Further and Higher Education Bill Rammell announced today.

These increases will mean that:

  • The maximum amount of the DSA for non-medical helpers will increase from £12,420 in 2007/08 to £20,000 in 2008/09 for full-time students and from £9,315 in 2007/08 to £15,000 in 2008/09 for part-time students.
  • The maximum amount of the DSA for postgraduate students will increase from £5,915 in 2007/08 to £10,000 in 2008/09

Increasing the maximum amounts of these two DSAs will help to ensure that the most severely disabled students will have increased access to the support they need for their studies.

Bill Rammell said:

We know that there are a small number of disabled students who need a lot of support. We want these students to be able to reap the benefits of higher education which is why we are increasing the Disabled Students allowance by about 60%

Through making the increases to the disabled student allowances we hope to increase students’ access to the types of support which are essential for their continuing success within Higher Education.

The National Union of Students support the Government’s increase to DSAs and Alex Kemp, Disability Officer at the National Union of Students said

This is very good news for disabled students who require a lot of non-medical support for their studies and also for those studying at postgraduate level. These are considerable increases which will target extra support where it is most needed and help those students who will benefit get the most from their studies.

Notes to editors:

This press notice relates to England

  1. DSAs are available to disabled HE students to help with the extra costs of studying as a result of their disability. There are four elements to DSAs for undergraduates:
    2007/08 maximum amounts Full-time Part-time
    Specialist equipment allowance
    (for duration of course)    		£4,905£4,905
    Non-medical helper’s allowance
    (e.g. for sign language interpreters, note-takers and other non-medical assistants)    		£12,420£9,315
    (75% of FT)
    General allowance
    (for other disability related spending, or to top up the other two allowances)    		£1,640£1,230
    Travel allowanceNo upper limitNo upper limit
  2. For postgraduates there is a single DSA which is capped at a much lower level of £5,915 for 2007/08.