Fund for Students with Disabilities
Your college receives funding to provide assistive technology, non-medical helpers, learning support, deaf or hard of hearing supports and transport support. Personal assistance and transport are mainly for students with physical or mobility difficulties or who are blind or visually impaired. The money goes to the college, not to you.
Last checked October 2026
What it is
Funds assistive technology, non-medical helpers, academic or learning support and transport support for a student with a disability, dyslexia and dyscalculia included. Its eligibility rules include no means test. The money goes to the college rather than the student: you bring your evidence to the access or disability office and their staff carry out a needs assessment.
Most conditions do not need a new report. The college can accept the same evidence of disability form used for the CAO, for anyone who sent it with their CAO application. If you did not, ask the access office what they will take before you pay for anything.
Four conditions need a report instead. Dyslexia and dyscalculia need a psycho-educational assessment from a psychologist or an appropriately qualified assessor. Dyspraxia and dysgraphia need a report diagnosing developmental co-ordination disorder from an occupational therapist, a chartered physiotherapist, a neurologist or a paediatrician. A psychologist is not on that list, so a psychologist's report will not do for those two.
The report for those four can be any age. So can a report for ADHD, autism or most other conditions. A report for a mental health condition or a significant ongoing illness must be less than five years old.
DARE has its own rules. It wants reports for ADHD, a mental health condition or a significant ongoing illness dated after 1 February 2024. For dyslexia or dyscalculia it also wants test scores from testing on or after 1 February 2025. So a report that works here may not be enough for DARE.
In higher education the fund covers part-time courses as well as full-time ones. In further education a separate version is run through SOLAS and the ETBs for PLC courses, so ask the college what it covers.
Who can get it
- You have a verifiable disability in one of the listed categories, such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, a mental health condition, a physical disability or a significant ongoing illness
- You are on an approved full-time or part-time course at a listed college. Full-time undergraduate courses must run at least two years. Part-time undergraduate courses must run at least one year. Postgraduate courses, full or part-time, must run at least one year. Part-time study counts in the Republic of Ireland only
- You have lived legally in Ireland for at least three of the five years before your course starts. If you do not meet this at the start you can meet it during your studies. You are an Irish national or a national of another EU or EEA state, the UK or Switzerland. Non-EU nationals who qualify for free or reduced fees may also be considered
- The college has completed a needs assessment with you and found a specific need for support
- The money goes to the college, not to you. The college decides how to use it and you do not usually have to organise or buy supports yourself. You do not apply to the HEA.
- Evidence matters. The CAO or DARE evidence of disability form is accepted for most conditions but not for dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia or dysgraphia. Those four need a report. For dyslexia and dyscalculia it must be a psycho-educational assessment by a psychologist or an appropriately qualified assessor. For dyspraxia and dysgraphia it must come from an occupational therapist, a chartered physiotherapist, a neurologist or a paediatrician. A GP's own diagnosis is not accepted. Reports for a mental health condition or a significant ongoing illness must be less than five years old. A mental health report must come from a consultant psychiatrist or a psychiatric registrar in their care. Reports for most other conditions have no age limit.
- The fund does not pay for an assessment or diagnosis of a disability, medical equipment or support, student accommodation, items that apply to every student on the course or services the college or the HSE should reasonably provide. Support outside the academic year is not covered apart from limited exceptions.
- Register with your college's disability or access office as soon as you can. Staff complete the needs assessment and arrange the supports.
- Post leaving certificate courses are run through SOLAS and the education and training boards. Ask your PLC college, local ETB or SOLAS what applies to you.
How to get support
Register with the disability or access office at your college as soon as you can and bring your evidence of disability. College staff complete a needs assessment with you and arrange the supports. You do not apply to the HEA.
Go to the official page →Checked against the official source on 7 October 2026. Always confirm the details on the official page before applying.
Questions people ask
Do I apply to the HEA for the Fund for Students with Disabilities?
No. The HEA gives the funding to colleges and individual students do not apply to it. Register with the disability or access office at your college. The college assesses your needs and arranges the supports.
What does the Fund for Students with Disabilities pay for?
Assistive technology equipment and software, including training for the student. Non-medical helpers such as personal assistants and note-takers. Academic or learning support. Supports for students who are deaf or hard of hearing, such as sign language interpreters and SpeedText. Transport support. Personal assistance and transport are mainly for students with physical or mobility difficulties or who are blind or visually impaired.
What evidence of disability does the fund need?
Either a report from an appropriately qualified professional or, for most conditions, the CAO or DARE evidence of disability form if you sent one with your CAO application. Dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia and dysgraphia need a report, as the CAO form is not accepted for them. A GP's own diagnosis is not accepted. Ask the access office what they will take before you pay for a report.
Does the fund pay for a dyslexia or other disability assessment?
No. The guidelines say the fund does not cover assessment or diagnosis of a disability. Depending on its resources a college may offer a psycho-educational assessment to students with dyslexia or other specific learning difficulties, so ask the access office.
Related guides
- Bursary for Young People with Care Experience
- SUSI Student Grant
- Free Fees Initiative
- Student Assistance Fund
- Tax relief on tuition fees
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