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Problem with student finance application if I say I'm gonna apply for DSA but don't?

Good evening, this will sound like a silly question but I submitted my student finance application and in it I mentioned that I wanted to apply for DSA. If I decide to not end up applying for DSA via the DSA application section, will it affect the main part of my student finance application or not?

Also, what is the special support loan and if I apply for it whilst being eligible, will my total maintenance loan increase if granted?

Lastly, I checked the box for eligible for PIP which I am however if my evidence is not accepted then will it affect the main part of my maintenance loan?

(edited 12 months ago)

Reply 1

Leah SLC

Official Rep

Hi there. The DSA and the Special Support Element will not affect the processing of the main application.

The Special Support Loan (SSL) is for students who are eligible to receive certain State Benefits. If you are entitled to receive the means tested element of funding then you may be eligible for an increased amount of Maintenance Loan (ML). If eligible, the ML will be made up of the Maintenance Element and the Special Support Element. It’s deemed non-taxable and is not considered as student income by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP).

Thanks, Leah.

Reply 2

_Orangutan_

Original post by Leah SLC

Hi there. The DSA and the Special Support Element will not affect the processing of the main application.
The Special Support Loan (SSL) is for students who are eligible to receive certain State Benefits. If you are entitled to receive the means tested element of funding then you may be eligible for an increased amount of Maintenance Loan (ML). If eligible, the ML will be made up of the Maintenance Element and the Special Support Element. It’s deemed non-taxable and is not considered as student income by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP).
Thanks, Leah.

Thanks for the response, I also have a few other questions.

For the providing evidence part of unearned income, would a letter detailing what shares I own and how many of them I own be enough to show evidence that I'm receiving dividend payments. (I'm only getting around £136 a year in dividends but the application says I have to disclose all forms of income).

Also, regarding DSA, what evidence would be satisfactory to qualify for it? I have a letter from when I was a child that contains evidence of my autism diagnosis from a specialist psychiatrist, would that be enough to satisfy the criteria?

Reply 3

Drew SLC

Official Rep

Hi there,

Yes I would advise you to provide the evidence that shows how much you make for your dividends. Is the letter from the company? Once your application is submitted for the DSA they will contact you to tell you what evidence would nee to be provided.

Thanks, Drew

Reply 4

_Orangutan_

Original post by Drew SLC

Hi there,
Yes I would advise you to provide the evidence that shows how much you make for your dividends. Is the letter from the company? Once your application is submitted for the DSA they will contact you to tell you what evidence would nee to be provided.
Thanks, Drew

Thanks for the response, yeah the letter is from the company itself and states how much I got paid in dividends in the last 12 months (payments in February 2024 and August 2023).

Reply 5

Claire SFE

Official Rep

Original post by _Orangutan_

Thanks for the response, yeah the letter is from the company itself and states how much I got paid in dividends in the last 12 months (payments in February 2024 and August 2023).

Hi there,

Send the evidence you have for the dividends and the the team will review this and confirm if it's enough or not.

Regarding evidence for DSA we can accept -

•

Statement of SEN and Transition Plans

•

Individual Education Plans

•

Learning Difficulty Assessments

•

Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP)

A letter from your doctor or medical professional which confirms the following information:

•

a diagnosis of your condition

•

your condition is long term (more than 12 months)

•

how your condition has an adverse effect on your ability to carry out daily activities

•

Disability Evidence Form

Thanks,
Claire

Reply 6

_Orangutan_

Original post by Claire SFE

Hi there,
Send the evidence you have for the dividends and the the team will review this and confirm if it's enough or not.
Regarding evidence for DSA we can accept -

•

Statement of SEN and Transition Plans

•

Individual Education Plans

•

Learning Difficulty Assessments

•

Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP)

A letter from your doctor or medical professional which confirms the following information:

•

a diagnosis of your condition

•

your condition is long term (more than 12 months)

•

how your condition has an adverse effect on your ability to carry out daily activities

•

Disability Evidence Form

Thanks,
Claire

Hello, I've found some documents which may be what is required however it is 6 pages long so should I scan and send all 6 pages in the DSA application. The documents are an assessment summary report compiled by a clinical psychologist and the conclusions noted within the report represent the consensus of a multi-agency social communication assessment team.

Reply 7

Graeme SFE

Official Rep

Original post by _Orangutan_

Hi there,

Yes, we'd suggest sending all pages to the DSA team if you can.

In case you didn't know, you can ask the DSA team questions directly using this e-mail address.

Thanks, Graeme

[email protected]