We are Contact Associates, part of Capita plc, an independent company working with the Student Loans Company (SLC) to carry out Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) study needs assessments and to provide assistive technology equipment and training, supporting you to thrive in higher education.
Disabled Students’ Allowance is a non-means-tested financial support for students in higher education. It covers the study-related costs you may have because of a mental health condition, long-term illness or other disability. Support could include specialist technology, equipment and training. It can also be used to pay for non-medical help, such as specialist mentoring or specialist study skills support, and travel.
We’ll take you through the process, from carrying out your study needs assessment and recommending support, to delivering your equipment and providing training. Our specially-trained assessors will carry out a professional assessment, making it clear what you can expect from us and what you need to do in return. We’ll do our best to make our service easy to use and we’ll listen to you and make sure you feel comfortable.
We provide support for Student Finance England (SFE) and Student Finance Wales (SFW) students in: Wales, the Midlands, London, the East of England and Northern Ireland. If you live outside of these regions, please contact Student Finance in the first instance.
Our process is designed to be simple, convenient, and efficient. You can easily apply from the comfort of your home.
You don’t need to have a confirmed higher education place before you apply for DSA and we recommend that you apply as early as possible, so you have support in place before your course starts. However, you can apply at any point during your studies.
Apply for Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA)
Book and attend your needs assessment
Access your support and training
There are three key steps to the DSA process - click + to find out more
Disabled Students’ Allowance FAQs
Have a question? Try our frequently asked question page first.
If you need advice or support at any stage of the process, please get in touch:
Online
Remember, do not provide any personal information, such as your date of birth or home address.
Phone
You can call us on 01823 273060 between 9am to 5:30pm, Monday to Friday.
Log a post assessment query
If you’ve been assessed by Contact Associates you can log a post-assessment query.
You can email our team directly.
For more information about applying for DSA, please visit Student Finance England or Student Finance Wales
Other useful contacts
How to make a comment or complaint about our service
Please tell us if you are unhappy with any part of our service so we can try to put it right. This helps us to understand what we are doing well and where we need to do things better.
How to contact Student Finance:
Student Finance England (SFE)
Email: dsa_team@slc.co.uk
Telephone: 0300 100 0607
NGT text relay (if you cannot hear/speak on the phone): 18001 then 0300 100 0607
Website: https://www.gov.uk/contact-student-finance-england
Student Finance Wales (SFW)
Email: SFW_DSA_Team@slc.co.uk
Telephone: 0300 200 4050
Website: https://www.studentfinancewales.co.uk/contact/
Higher education providers
If you’re from a higher education provider and have a query for the Capita DSA team, please email our dedicated inbox: DSAHEPManager@capita.com
If you were assessed by Contact Associates on or before 23 Feb 2024, have received your DSA support and have a query, we are still here to support you. Please contact us via our Zelda portal or by email at admin@contact-associates.co.uk.
If you were assessed by Contact Associates on or after 26 Feb 2024 and have a query, please contact us via our Zelda portal or by email at dsa@capita.com