We provide support to students who have a disability, a long-term medical or mental health condition, or a Specific Learning Difference like dyslexia, dyspraxia, or ADHD. We also support students who have been referred and awaiting assessment for a medical diagnosis for ADHD or an Autism Spectrum Condition.  Long-term conditions are considered to be 12 months or more.

At the University of Nottingham, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible environment for all students. We understand that some students may require an assistance animal to support their academic and personal needs, while others may benefit from the emotional support of an animal outside of the teaching environment. In each case we do need to determine whether a student bringing an emotional support animal or assistance dog onto campus would be a reasonable adjustment to meet the student’s disability, and so we have put in place a process for considering requests.

Bringing an animal to an Open Day/Offer Holder Day or Public Lectures

If you are a member of the public, including a prospective student or family member of a prospective student, who wishes to bring their assistance animal to an event at the university, we would encourage you to inform the event organiser. It is advisable that you ensure you have the necessary public liability insurance in place to cover you in the event of an incident.

No - disabled applicants are not eligible for contextual offers or reduced offers based on disability status alone.  Extenuating circumstances must be considered by your exam board at A-Level.

No - your disability status is not reviewed as part of your course application; it is only used to inform a university's Disability Support Service that you may need support.  It would be illegal in the UK to use disability status as a consideration during the application process.

The support we provide will be dependent on your condition and tailored to your individual needs.  A Support Plan can include adjustments for assessments (such as exams and coursework), teaching and learning, and practical support.

Head over to our tell us of a disability webpage and follow our step-by-step guide on how to set up a support plan.

If you need guidance or assistance with sharing documentation, don't hesitate to contact us using the details below.  Please ensure you include your Nottingham ID or UCAS number in your email or have this information ready if you contact us by phone.

Email: Disability Support Services

Telephone: 0115 82 32070  (9am-12pm, Monday to Friday)

In-person: Please contact us by telephone or email so we can make sure the right person will be available for you to speak with.

You can let us know through your UCAS or direct application, by emailing us directly, or by uploading your supporting documents and Essential Information Form to the NottinghamHub.

Head over to our tell us of a disability webpage and follow our step-by-step guide on how to set up a support plan.

You will need to provide us with your supporting documents and a completed Your Essential Information Form.  The supporting documents required depends on the nature of your condition, but will need to be from an appropriately qualified profession (such as a GP, consultant, specialist nurse or Educational Psychologist).

Further guidance on which supporting documents are required for reasonable adjustments at University.

Our Accessible Mini-bus can be used by students with mobility issues to get around campus.  We can also recommend parking permits, timetabling adjustments to reduce the distance between lectures, and accessible rooms.

It is preferable that we speak with you directly.  However, there may be some instances where we speak wo someone on your behalf, such as:

• General information on our services and how we work
• Advice on a specific problem or concern (this would only be discussed with a third party for the short term and cannot be a long-term arrangement)

Please note, if we do agree to speak to a third party you would need to put your consent in an email along with the full details of your advocate.  You would also need to be clear on what you're giving them permissions to talk to us about on your behalf (eg evidence, exams, for the full length of your degree, just transition to university).  Usually, we prefer communication to be written in this instance.  This is so you can be included in the correspondence and can correct or add to any information if necessary.

If a third party (such as a family member or friend contacts us on your behalf, we will not disclose that you are in contact with Disability Support Services or share any information without your consent.

Lots of students that have Support Plans have one due to a mental health condition that has been long term and has a negative impact on their lives. For example, they may have been seeing their GP for an on-going depressive episode or be struggling with an anxiety disorder. As for other conditions, we ask students to provide evidence.  However, we are well equipped to discuss student mental health needs and recommend adjustments for students with on-going symptoms.

Don't forget the Support and Wellbeing teams are also there to offer support.

If you have a long-term health condition that impacts your day-to-day activities, we’d recommend you get in touch with us. One good indicator that you might benefit from a Support Plan through our team would be if you’ve had support when you were at school or if you feel your academic work has the potential to be negatively impacted by it.  

We work with students with a wide range of health conditions including:

• Diabetes
• Inflammatory bowel diseases
• Sickle-cell anaemia
• Multiple sclerosis
• Chronic fatigue conditions
• Asthma

We work with you to develop a plan that is appropriate to your needs, recognising that some conditions can flare and fluctuate or are progressive in nature. In some cases, you may need modest adjustments to your exam arrangements such as rest breaks, while others might require a comprehensive plan of supports putting in place.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us because you think your condition isn't serious enough or is currently well managed. You might be surprised at how useful a few practical adjustments might be.

For full access to support and reasonable adjustments, you will need to have a report that identifies you have a specific learning difference (SpLD).

We accept both pre- and post-16 evidence from:

• An educational psychologist, specialist teacher, occupational therapist or equivalent
• An Interim Assessment Report
• EHC (Education, Health and Care) plans
• Reports from an appropriately qualified medical practitioner

For access to limited support and reasonable adjustments we can consider the following documentation if it provides an indication that difficulties have been experienced. This is not evidence of a SpLD:

• A JCQ ‘Access Arrangement’ form (a ‘Form 8’).
• A signed letter or other document from your school, college, or previous university outlining any previous test results and/or description of difficulty, plus details of any adjustments made.
• A Detailed Assessment of Speed of Handwriting (DASH) report.
• A Disabled Students' Allowances Needs Assessment report.
• Results from the Do-It Profiler as well as recent written confirmation from University of Nottingham academic or welfare staff who know your work stating that your difficulties are having a demonstrably significant impact on your day-to-day life and academic work. 

We cannot accept the following as suitable evidence:

• A Meares-Irlen Syndrome assessment report.
• Results from a screening tool, such as Do-It Profiler (on its own) or QuickScan.

If you need to formalise a diagnosis of SpLD, you will need to contact an Educational Psychologist or Specialist Teacher who holds an Assessment Practising Certificate (APC). Please check that the assessor is experienced in identifying the specific learning difference you are investigating and that their report can be used to apply for the Disabled Students’ Allowance if you are from the UK.

You can use the British Psychological Society’s website to find an Educational Psychologist. Should you choose to contact a Specialist Teacher with an Assessment Practising Certificate (APC) you can find them listed on either website for Patoss (you can register for free but make sure you tick the box next to ‘Only show tutors who hold a Patoss APC practising certificate) or The British Dyslexia Association.

We encourage you to complete our 'Your Essential Information' Form as well as uploading their relevant evidence. Within this form you can give us consent to share your information - including the nature of your disability - with other teams at the university. Alternatively, we can instead share recommended teams for support with you for you to choose.

There's also the option to not give any internal data sharing until you've spoken to someone and found out more.  It's entirely up to you and what you're most comfortable with.

Please be assured that your information will be stored securely and with the purpose of setting up an effective Disability Support Plans - any data shared is done on a need-to-know basis.

Once your Support Plan has been set up, this will be recorded on NottinghamHub.  This doesn't need to include any information about the nature of your disability, but it can be helpful if it does.  Typically, this will contain recommendations and will be viewable by yourself and other relevant teams (Support and Wellbeing, Assessment Administration, Central Examinations team). Please note, School Disability Liaison Officers, Personal Tutors and your Subject Module Leaders will usually be able to view your plan.

If beneficial, we may also share relevant information with other teams (eg Pastoral teams in your halls of residence or the Mental Health team. This is to ensure you are fully supported in every area of your student journey.  However, it's entirely up to you which support you would like.

We won't share information about your disability with external agencies (eg future employers, doctors) without your consent and information shared is so that your accessibility needs are met.  The exception of this is in situations with safeguarding concerns.

We will keep your information securely, but we do not offer confidentiality between an individual Tutor or Adviser, we keep running records and store and share information across the team.

Please be assured if you have a Support Plan and adjustments put in place to meet your needs as a disabled student this will not be recorded on your transcript or award certificate. 

We adhere to the University of Nottingham’s Data Protection Policy and to the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). To view a complete description of how and when we process the personal data of students and applicants please view our full privacy statement.

As soon as you become a student at the University of Nottingham, please join our online learning resource, The Learning Well, available on Moodle to keep connected for tips during your studies. You will then be invited to attend workshops as soon as they are launched.  We can also offer 1-1 specialist study support sessions via MS Teams for students with Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, ADHD and other SpLDs. 

As part of the assessment of your needs and adjustments, your Disability Adviser may recommend that the university will meet a discount between a room you might have booked, had you not had a medical need/disability, and what you have needed to book. This will be decided on the basis of both your evidence and in dialogue with you. Your Adviser will tell you what the nature of your fee adjustment is.  All fee adjustments must be pre-agreed by Advisers, you can ask us if you are at all unsure.

Discounts can only be applied to accommodation that is directly owned by the University, and cannot be applied to off campus accommodation provided by 3rd parties such as self-catered off campus accommodation at Broadgate Park or privately rented accommodation not associated with the university.

Where the University is providing your accommodation directly we will arrange that a discount will be made to your fees, and you will pay the correct amount from the outset. You will get a separate email confirming what your fee will be and confirming the accommodation and room you have taken after you apply for accommodation. However, your student portal (NottinghamHub) will reflect a higher amount as if the fee adjustment were not applied at first. You can disregard this and don’t need to query this as long as you have a confirmation email that matches what you’d expect.

In September, when the Accommodation team gets confirmation of which students will be arriving, they will update student accounts to reflect the correct amount. This may not have been fully completed by the time the first payment deadline comes, but do not worry – the first payment is a deposit of £250 and is the same regardless of whether you have a referral, so please pay this amount and expect that your account will be adjusted quickly.

When your bill is due in early October it should reflect the adjusted (lower) fee and the University won’t usually pursue payment for accommodation costs until the December after the start of an academic year.

The above advice applies to accommodation at Ancaster Hall, Cavendish Hall, Cripps Hall, Dagfa House, Derby Hall, Florence Boot Hall, Lenton and Wortley Hall, Lincoln Hall, Melton Hall, Newark Hall, Nightingale Hall, Rutland Hall, Sherwood Hall, and Varsity.

The Accommodation team will email you to let you know what costs you will have to meet and what discount you will receive.

If you want to stay on in your accommodation past your first year of study or want to move within the options outlined on our website, and want us to recommend that your discount will continue, please let us know. We may need to review your needs, but even if everything is the same we need to know of your plans in order to ensure your discount is secured.

We do not make arrangements for discounts where students secure accommodation outside of the accommodation outline on our website, but you may be able to get some support from DSA towards the costs of these. Please do ask us if you are unsure or have any questions.

If you need help in completing the application form, we ask you to fill it in as much as you can and email it to us to complete Section 5.  We can follow-up with SFE if your application is delayed provided you gave consent to share when you completed your application.  If you need to arrange a DSA Study Needs Assessment, then we can guide you to the approved assessment centres.  If you have lost your evidence and have supplied it to us previously, we can supply you with replacement copies. Our policy is to retain your evidence for 6 years after the completion of your course.  Full information about DSAs and which form to complete can be found at www.direct.gov.uk/dsas.

DSA (Disabled Students' Allowance) is available to all home undergraduate or postgraduate disabled students, studying full-time or part-time.  DSAs are non-means-tested funds to help pay for extra costs you may incure whilst attending your course, as a direct result of a disability.  DSA funding is not affedted by your household income, and you don't have to pay it back.

Postgraduate Research students who are funded by one of the UKRI Research Councils, non-home fee status students and students on degree apprenticeship programmes should contact Disability Support Services.

As a postgraduate researcher, your Support Plan will be tailored to your needs. This may include adjustments to your working pattern, ergonomic equipment and extensions to deadlines where required. Please contact us to discuss arranging a Support Plan.

Yes - you will be an exam room with other students with alternative exam arrangements.  These rooms typically have up to 30 students in them.  You may wish to be in a smaller room, or in a room on your own.  This can be discussed with a Disability Adviser.

Yes - we can recommend adjustments for group work or presentations.  This may include presenting to a smaller audience or staff only, recording your presentation, or working in a group with people you know.  What is possible will depend on departmental requirements, however we will discuss options with you based on your specific needs.

If you struggle with lectures and taking notes, we can explore different strategies with you.  This might include a variety of assistive software, lecture recordings, alternative formats for lecture materials and, in some cases, notetaking support.  We will also discuss strategies for managing your workload and DSA support to help you in this area.

Students with mental health or autism spectrum conditions may be eligible for mentoring support through DSA.  Some academic departments offer peer support programmes, and Disability Support can provide orientation support at the start of the academic year as well.  We can also connect you to the Disabled Students Network.

Disability Support can recommend specific adjustments for field trips, or for any other element of your course that requires you to work outside of the university space.  These will be implemented by your academic school, and what is possible will depend on the requirements of the fieldwork.  For study abroad, your needs will be met by the university or workplace that you transfer to, and your support will not automatically roll over.  If you are going to our Ningbo or Malaysia campuses, please make sure to let Disability Support know, and we can make sure that they are aware of your support needs.  If you are going on a work placement abroad, this needs to be discussed with that workplace.

Please note that disability laws and regulations differ significantly between countries, and what is possible here may not be where you are going.  Make sure to make contact as early as possible to allow space for discussion.

The University of Nottingham does offer some distance learning courses, however unless the course that you have applied for is specifically one of these, then you will be expected to attend your degree course in person.

Yes - you can stay in University Halls for the duration of your studies with us.  The Accommodation Team cannot guarantee that you will be in the same room, so please do get in touch with them early if this is something that you require.

University accommodation offers accessible rooms in both catered and self-catered accommodation, as well as ensuite provisions, and the installation of grab rails/shower seats.  It is important to get in touch with both Disability Support Services and the Accommodation Team as soon as possible if you require accessible accommodation.

Yes - students with conditions that may make it difficult to hear a fire alarm or to evacuate will require a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP).  It is important to get in touch with Disability Support Services as soon as possible if this is something you will require.

Yes - our Inclusive Sports team, based at David Ross Sports Village, work alongside the sports to promote a welcoming environment and, where appropriate, can support adaptations to ensure you can take part.  The team offer two disability sports clubs - goalball and wheelchair basketball.