Disabled students were still waiting before Christmas for the Students Loan Company (SLC) to clear a backlog of applications for the Disabled Students Allowance (DSA).
Thousands of students, who can qualify for just over £5,000 for equipment and £20,000 for a helper under the £90m DSA scheme, have been left without vital hardware and software to carry out their studies.
Over 90% of students entitled to DSA grants had to start their courses this year without their funding. By the end of November SLC figures revealed that only 3,294 applications for the DSA had been fully processed out of 15,371 applications.
This academic year the SLC took over administration of the DSA from local education authorities, starting with first year students.
However, students reported lost documents confusion over new procedures and poor communications with the SLC. New technology, supposed to manage the thousands of documents submitted to verify applications, failed at a critical point.
Delays were also caused by tighter requirements for medical evidence and new rules requiring quotes from two suppliers for IT systems.
"Disabled students maybe disproportionately affected compared with other students because going through the DSA means they have to go through additional processes," says Nicola Martin, chair of the National Association of Disability Practitioners, which represents 600 disability professionals.
"It's a scandal that disabled students who have worked hard to secure a place at university are not getting the support they need. Many are still waiting for funding to buy special equipment so they can do their course," said Lord Addington, the Liberal Democrat peer.