Support and advice for students with long-term conditions
If you disclose a long-term mental health condition, supported by recent medical evidence, you may be able to access reasonable adjustments and support to help you engage in your studies. This could include liaising with academic schools about student support recommendations and also with the examinations’ office regarding additional examination arrangements.
The mental health team work with students who have long-term mental health difficulties – this means the difficulties are ongoing and that they have either:
• been apparent for a period for at least 12 months; or • are likely to last for an overall period of at least 12 months
This may, for example, include students who have one or more of the following diagnoses: psychosis, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, bipolar disorder and personality disorder.
If you’re a UK student, you may also be eligible to apply for Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSAs). The mental health team can help with this process and can assist you with any questions that you may have.
The mental health team don’t offer specialist treatment for students with long-term mental health conditions as these are provided by specialist mental health services in the NHS. If you are accessing input from the team, you may be offered advice about how to access external specialist mental health assessment and treatment services.
If you’re applying to study at Newcastle University and have a long-term mental health condition for which you may require support while studying, please contact the Student Wellbeing Service prior to commencing your course. Advice, information and guidance is available at all stages of your university career.
In order to access support from the mental health team, you’ll need to provide recent medical evidence from a relevant professional (eg GP, psychiatrist or psychologist) of your mental health disability, including, for example:
a diagnosis
whether the condition is long-term (usually lasting over a year or likely to do so)
whether the condition is fluctuating – if so, what the triggers are and when it’s at its worst (eg stress at exam time/deadlines)
the effect the mental health condition has upon learning/attendance at university
Disabled Students' Allowances (DSA) are non-means tested and are available to disabled students who are applying for, or are attending, a course of Higher Education (UK students only). The allowance can cover any additional study-related costs that you may incur because of a long-term mental health condition.
We would encourage you to contact your funding body to start your application for Disabled Students' Allowances (DSA) as soon as you can. The mental health team can help with this process and can assist with any questions you may have.
UK students facing financial hardship are eligible to apply for assistance from the Hardship Fund. Requests for financial help via the Hardship Fund from disabled students who are not eligible for standard sources of funding, are treated sympathetically. To find out more about funding from the Hardship Fund contact us.
Support without funding
You may be able to access a range of support, subject to availability and suitability, without applying for any additional funding. This could include:
advice and guidance to your school about the reasonable adjustments and support required to facilitate your engagement in your studies
extended library loan facilities so that you can keep library books for longer or access to private study rooms
modified exam arrangements, such as extra time, rest breaks or being able to sit your exams in a smaller venue
Consideration of what reasonable adjustments may be possible will be determined on a case by case basis according to each individual set of circumstances.
To access support from the mental health team, you will need to provide recent medical evidence from a relevant professional (eg GP, psychiatrist or psychologist) detailing how your difficulties might impact on your studies and confirming that the difficulties are ongoing (ie that they have either been apparent for a period for at least 12 months or are likely to last for an overall period of at least 12 months).
