Housing and Animal Accommodations

Columbia Health provides Housing and Animal Accommodations for students registered with Disability Services (DS). If you’re interested in receiving accommodations through DS, begin by registering with DS or attending DS Drop-in Hours. 

Housing and Animal Accommodations with Disability Services 

DS provides accommodations for housing, including service and assistance animals. 

Housing accommodations are based on disability-related needs and are determined on a case-by-case basis. These accommodations may help students who need accessible rooms and for those who need extra support in their traditional housing setting. Some examples may include (but are not limited to): 

• Wheelchair-accessible room and bathroom
• Flashing fire alarms
• Bed shakers
• Reduction in number of roommates or single room
• Semi-private or private bathroom 

Service and assistance animal accommodations help provide people with disabilities more autonomy and independence. Service animals are generally allowed in all campus spaces if they’re with the person who is approved for this accommodation and do not require registration with Disability Services. The University may prohibit service animals in certain spaces due to health and safety restrictions. As such, our office typically encourages students with service animals to submit a registration form so we can facilitate accommodations to restricted spaces where needed. 

Assistance animals, on the other hand, are typically only allowed in a student’s housing, as they do not assist with activities of daily living. If a student wishes to bring a service or assistance animal into University Housing, registration with DS is required (and the information and forms to complete are outlined further below). 

Who is eligible? 

Any Columbia student with a disability or temporary injury on the Morningside, Manhattanville, and Medical campuses are eligible to submit requests for housing accommodations from Disability Services. 

How do I access these accommodations? 

To access accommodations for housing, you must submit a housing accommodation request form and documentation about the specific accommodation. 

To request housing accommodations, you need to complete two separate application processes. First, please check the deadlines for your school or program to know when you must submit your housing application to your school. This is the same date by which you will need to submit your housing accommodation request paperwork to DS.  

To request housing accommodations, you will need to submit: 

• A Housing Accommodations Form specific to your school
  • Columbia College and Columbia Engineering
  • General Studies, Graduate and Professional Schools
  • Columbia University Medical Center
• A personal statement that includes all relevant information related to your request, how these accommodations will mitigate the impact of your disability, and why they are necessary for you to live in University housing.
• If you’re requesting based on asthma or allergies, a Disability Verification for Asthma and Allergies form completed by your doctor
• A Service and Assistance Animal Registration form (in lieu of the housing forms above) and disability documentation, if you’re only requesting a service or assistance animal accommodation. Please also note the following: (1) You cannot bring a service or assistance animal into campus housing before requesting this accommodation; and (2) students who submit a request for a service dog / animal in campus housing, do not need to provide disability documentation.  

Once these materials are submitted, a committee with staff from the Disability Services and graduate and undergraduate housing departments reviews the requests. Housing accommodation requests are reviewed regularly, generally on the first Tuesday of the month. For a housing request to be reviewed in that meeting, all materials must be received no later than 12 pm the Monday prior or by the deadline indicated by your school (whichever is first). 

How much will it cost? 

There are no additional costs to request accommodations. If you have a service or assistance animal, you are responsible for obtaining the animal and for its care.  

What else do I need to know?  

The committee that reviews accommodations decides about a student’s request after they have determined:  

• A student’s disability status
• Whether the disability requires adjustments to their housing
• Potential alternative accommodations, and what, if any housing accommodations would be appropriate
• Available housing options 

If your application is incomplete, it will not be reviewed. If your application has been submitted after the first Tuesday of the month, it will be reviewed at the following month’s meeting.  

You will be notified about the decision on your eligibility for housing accommodations within one week of the meeting date.  

Frequently Asked Questions