Support in education

What is DSA?

This is a benefit to support disabled young people at university. It provides money for extra costs related to your deafness. You can only use it to pay for things that will help you access your course, such as:

• non-medical support
  • BSL or Sign Supported English (SSE)
  • interpreters
  • communication support workers
  • palantypists
  • notetakers (in England, you can only use DSA for specialist notetakers and electronic notetakers. In Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, you can also use it to pay for ordinary notetakers)

• specialist equipment
  • radio aids
  • special software
  • computers (in England, you must pay the first £200 towards a new computer)
  • printers and scanners
  • insurance for your equipment.
• other things
  • photocopying and printing
  • extra transport costs (if your deafness affects how you travel).

To apply for DSA, you must:

• live in the UK
• qualify for student finance (you don’t have to be claiming student finance, but you should be eligible to apply for it)
• be on a university course in the UK that will last at least one year (this can be undergraduate or postgraduate, and full-time or part-time)
• have a disability, mental health condition or learning disability.

For DSA, the government classes deafness as a disability. Many deaf people don’t think of themselves as disabled. However, depending on how their deafness affects them at uni, deaf students can apply for DSA.

DSA is not means tested. This means the government doesn’t look at the money you and your family earn or your savings. Instead, they look at how being deaf affects you at uni. It’s also not a loan – you don’t have to pay it back and any equipment you buy with DSA belongs to you.

How do I apply for DSA?

You can apply for DSA through your country’s student loans agency. It’s a good idea to apply as soon as you can, because it can take three months. You don’t have to wait until you have a confirmed place at uni to apply.

Some people start their course without DSA and then realise they need more support. You can apply for DSA after you start uni if you need to.

Once you’ve applied, you’ll be asked to go to an assessment. You’ll need to make an appointment at an assessment centre. You can ask them to help organise communication support if you need it.

• Before your appointment, find out more about your course (for example – will you have to go on work placements? Will you need to take part in seminars with other students?) This will help you understand the kind of support you’ll need.
• Your appointment will be a chat with an assessor. They will ask you about your course and what you think you’ll need support with.
  They might show you different kinds of equipment and software. This can help them work out what will be helpful for you.
• They will write a report and send it to your country’s student finance agency. You can also ask for a copy of this report.
• Your country’s student finance agency will read the report and make a decision.

What happens next?

Your country’s student finance agency will write a letter to you. They will tell you how much money you can get and how to order any special equipment.

Student Finance can pay suppliers for you, or they can give you the money so you can arrange it yourself. You must keep any receipts and evidence of how you spend the money. If you don’t have this, you might have to pay the money back.

Exactly how much DSA you might get depends on your assessed needs and which of the four nations of the UK you live in. The rules differ slightly between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

What is a 16 to 19 Bursary?

A 16 to 19 Bursary is a grant for young people at school or college in England. It can help pay for extra costs like:

• special clothes for your course (for example, if you’re on a catering course, you might need chef’s whites)
• textbooks
• equipment for your course
• transport to school, college or work placements
• lunch.

How much money you get will depend on what your needs are. You can apply to the 16 to 19 Bursary fund if:

• you are aged 16 to 19
• you live in England
• you go to a publicly funded school or college – this means a school or college that you don’t have to pay to go to.
• you’re on an unpaid training course or doing unpaid work experience.

If you’re aged 19 and over you can also apply for a bursary if:

• you’re carrying on with a course that you started when you were aged 16 to 18
• you have an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan.

16 to 19 bursaries are only available in England. If you live in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, you could apply for Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) instead.

There are two types of 16 to 19 Bursary:

• bursary for students in vulnerable groups
• discretionary bursary.

Can I apply for a bursary for students in vulnerable groups?

You can apply for this kind of bursary if the points above and at least one of these below also apply to you:

• you get Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and either Employment Support Allowance or Universal Credit
• you get Universal Credit or other support because you don’t get support with money from your family
• you’re in social care or you’ve recently left care.

Can I apply for a discretionary bursary?

Discretionary bursaries are for students who need help with money for education, but can’t get a bursary for students in vulnerable groups.

Your school, college or training provider will decide who can get a discretionary bursary. They will look at your personal circumstances, such as your family’s income.

Some providers pay students their bursaries directly through cash, cheque or bank transfer. Others might give you things like meals at school or college, a travel pass or provide free books or equipment.

How do I apply for a 16 to 19 Bursary?

Whether you apply for a bursary for students in vulnerable groups or a discretionary bursary, you’ll need to do this through your school, college or training provider. You can talk to your Student Services department or a teacher or tutor.

What is EMA?

EMA is a benefit for people aged between 16 and 19 at school or college in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to support them in education. You get £30 a week to help pay for things like transport to school or college, and books and equipment for your course.

EMA is means tested. You may be able to get EMA if you have a lower household income – this means the money earned by your parents or carers who live with you.

In Scotland, you can claim EMA if you’re the only child in the house and your family earns £24,421 or less each year. If you have a sibling, you can claim EMA if your household income is £26,884 or less.

In Wales, you can claim EMA if you’re the only child in the house and your family earns £20,817 or less each year. If you have a sibling, you can claim EMA if your household income is £23,077 or less.

In Northern Ireland, you can claim EMA if you’re the only child in the house and your family earns £20,500 or less each year. If you have a sibling, you can claim EMA if your household income is £22,500 or less.

How do I apply for EMA?

In Wales and Northern Ireland, you must apply for EMA before the new school or college year begins. This is usually in the June before you start. In Scotland, the deadline varies depending on when you start your course.

How you apply for EMA is different in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

• In Scotland, you need to apply to your local council. You can apply online through mygov.scot or sometimes you can get a paper form from your school or college.
• In Wales you can download a form from Student Finance Wales. You can also get one from your school or college. You then should fill it out and post it back to the address on the form.
• In Northern Ireland, you can download a form through nidirect. You can also get one from your school or college. You then should fill it out and post it back to the address on the form.

You might need to send some evidence of who you are and your family’s income. It may tell you what to send on the form, or you’ll get a letter asking for it if it’s needed.

What happens next?

You’ll be paid £60 every two weeks. This money will go directly into your bank.

To keep getting EMA, you’ll need to make a Learning Agreement (or EMA Agreement in Wales). This is a signed agreement between you and your school and college. It sets out what’s expected of you – for example, your attendance and the work you need to do for your course.

If you don’t follow the agreement, your EMA payments may be stopped.

Depending on where you live, you may need to apply for EMA every year.