The Accommodations Office works alongside Residence Life in accordance with their room registration timelines. To ensure that Residence Life receives adequate notice of any accommodations that the Accommodations Officer has approved, students must submit their accommodation requests (and supporting documentation) by the priority deadline listed below.
The housing accommodation process is intended to be a fair and effective means to address housing needs that likely cannot be met through the general Housing Selection Process.
Housing accommodations are based on disability-related needs. Please be advised that requests for particular housing assignments based on a student’s preference, rather than a necessity, will not be honored for a specific type of living environment or location (e.g., a student seeking a single room to serve as a quiet, undisturbed place to study represents a preference, but not a necessity). Rochester Christian University makes available many spaces (library, study rooms, and resources such as Testing Center and ACE for quiet, reduced distraction, for private study. Accordingly, single room accommodations are reserved for individuals whose documentation illustrates exact and substantial needs and for whom a standard housing assignment with a roommate is not viable.
Please note that the Accommodation Officer does not assign specific housing locations. The Accommodation Officer validates the need for and determines the housing accommodation(s) necessary for accessibility and makes the recommendation to the Office of Residential Life, who then determines the location will meet the accommodation.
If you have not yet applied for housing or have questions about the housing application process please visit:
Examples of housing-related accommodations:
This list is not comprehensive. If you would like to request one of these or other accommodations, please see below for information on how to request housing accommodations.
Students can begin the process by submitting an accommodation request form, along with medical and/or mental health documentation of their disability, by the dates listed below.
From there, the Accommodation Officer and students engage in an interactive and individualized process to determine appropriate accommodations for each student. In some cases, a request for additional information or documentation or an appointment may be needed to discuss a student’s needs further and review available options. Students will be contacted via their rochesteru.edu email if an appointment or additional information is needed.
When a student is approved for housing accommodations, the Accommodations Officer will send a notification email to both the student and to Residence Life. Please note that all students seeking on-campus housing must register for housing through Residence Life, including students with approved disability accommodations.
The Accommodations Office works alongside Residence Life in accordance with their room registration timelines. To ensure that Residence Life receives adequate notice of any approved housing accommodations, students must submit their accommodation requests (and supporting documentation) to the Accommodations Office by the following priority deadlines:
Priority deadline for returning students to request housing accommodations for the following academic year
Priority deadline for incoming students to request housing accommodations for the following academic year
If the priority deadline has passed, students are encouraged to submit their accommodation request forms as soon as possible. The Accommodation Officer will reach out to discuss what options may be available.
At times, new or changing circumstances may lead a student to seek housing accommodations outside of the timelines described above. Suppose a student receives approval for housing accommodations mid-year or outside of the usual room registration timeline. In that case, Residence Life will strive to meet the student’s accommodation needs within the available housing inventory. Students are welcome to complete the accommodations request form to begin the housing accommodation request process at any time of year.
Housing accommodations are typically approved for up to one academic year at a time, after which students may submit a new accommodation request if they require continued use of disability housing accommodations. While the students’ original disability documentation remains on file, in some cases, updated or more recent documentation may be needed to help assess a student’s current needs and ensure their accommodations are a good fit for their current needs.
Rochester Christian University does not allow students to have pets in University-owned and operated housing. However, Rochester Christian University recognizes that an Emotional Support Animal’s reasonable accommodation is sometimes necessary to afford a student with a disability an equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling or participate in the housing service or program. Emotional Support Animals do not qualify as Service Animals under the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendment Act (ADAAA). As a result, they are not entitled to the same protections or right of access as Service Animal. However, under Fair Housing Act (FHA), ESA’s are considered a reasonable accommodation, and students with disabilities can request this accommodation by providing the necessary documentation to the Accommodations Office. FHA only applies to the dwelling unit, not the campus at large (Areas include hallways, lounges, lobbies, laundry rooms, refuse rooms, mailrooms, recreation areas, and passageways among and between dwellings).
As with any accommodation request, an Emotional Support Animal (ESA) request is determined on a case-by-case basis. To evaluate a student’s request for an ESA as a reasonable accommodation, appropriate documentation is required by a qualified professional.
Please review the ADA & Rochester Christian University Accommodation Policy: Service Animals & Emotional Support Animals and complete the Assistive Animal request form if students request an ESA or need a service animal in housing. Once a service animal or emotional support animal has been approved, the student will meet separately with Residence Life for additional paperwork, policies, and to set up a move-in date for the animal.
