Disability Resource Centre (DRC)
Offer holders
Congratulations on being offered a place at the University of Cambridge.
Our role is to provide a service that enables disabled students to study to their full potential at the University.
If you disclosed a disability on your UCAS form, your name will have been forwarded to the DRC by either Cambridge Admissions Office or the Board of Graduate Studies.
Whether or not you have disclosed a disability on your UCAS form, you can contact the DRC at any time if you believe we can be of assistance to you.
What you should do now:
- Complete a Student Information Form and send it to us ASAP
- Apply for Disabled Students' Allowances (DSAs), if eligible
- If applicable, contact us for a dyslexia assessment
- Contact us at any point with questions or concerns - no matter how small or big
Student Information Form
If you disclosed a disability on your application form, or directly to the DRC, you will shortly receive a letter from a DRC adviser, introducing you to our service, and asking you to complete and return a Student Information Form.
- Student Information Form for Students with Disabilities or Long-term Illness
- Student Information Form for Students with Specific Learning Difficulties (ie dyslexia)
This form gives us confirmation of your personal, course and funding details, and an outline of your support needs.
Please ensure you complete the Disclosure Declaration which gives us your consent to disclose information about your disability to third parties (such as your Tutor and Director of Studies). Alternatively, you have the right to request that information about your disability remains confidential, or you can choose to limit the information that we release and to whom.
Please return this form promptly, even if you do not require support from us. The sooner your support needs are considered, the better able we will be to put into place, with your College and Department, a tailored support package, in time for the start of term.
Financial support, eg Disabled Students' Allowances (DSAs)
For useful information about financial support:
- View our guide to Financial Support
- View our guide to the Disabled Students' Allowances
Dyslexia assessment
If you require an updated assessment for dyslexia, please view our guide to assessments and contact the DRC.
You can get an assessment done elsewhere, but please speak to a DRC adviser first, to be informed of the strict Cambridge Board of Examination guidelines for your report.
Exam access arrangements
- View the DRC's guide to seeking exam access arrangements
- Access Arrangements for University Examinations: Information for Candidates
- Visit the Board of Examinations website
Support meetings
In some cases the DRC will arrange a meeting with you, a DRC adviser and a representative from your College (usually your Tutor and/or Director of Studies) to discuss what support you would like at University.
Further information:
- Contact an Adviser at the DRC for a confidential chat
- Visit the Skill (National Bureau for Students with Disabilities) website for useful information
- Bridging the Gap: A Guide to the Disabled Students' Allowances (DSAs) in Higher Education 2011/12
- You may find the Disability Access Guide to be useful

