Housing & Dining Accommodation
General Information
Learning—and practicing—to live, work, and spend time with others is an essential component of the Northwestern experience. There is no better place to do this than in our campus residences.
The goal of the accommodation request process is to allow a student to fully participate in the Northwestern residential experience. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Fair Housing Act, students with disabilities may be eligible for medical accommodation or exemption from the residency requirement. Additionally, students can request an accommodation or exemption based on religious identity, family situations, financial reasons, transfer policy, or other situations.
Examples of accommodations could include a physical alteration to a room, a specific room type or location, an emotional support animal, or an adjustment to the meal plan. Housing accommodations may be based upon space availability at the time of the requested accommodations. All requests will be processed in the order they were received.
The meal plan contract does not permit exceptions based on religious dictates, personal food choice or preferences (e.g. vegetarianism), or other non-medically-based, dietary requirements. If a request for a meal plan accommodation is received, the University’s dietitian will be consulted and recommend a final decision.
In rare instances when the University cannot identify an appropriate accommodation, then there may be consideration of a request for an exception to the University’s two-year residency requirement and/or meal plan contract. This may be considered for medical or psychological conditions, financial reasons, family, age, or other situations.
Submitting an Accommodation Request
Disability/Medical Accommodation Requests
To start the process for a disability-related housing accommodation determination with AccessibleNU, complete the following steps below:
- .
- Review the disability documentation guidelines and submit applicable documentation to ANU.
- Once your application and documentation are submitted, ANU will review it. ANU will notify you via university email of the determination on your request within 10 business days of the submission of the application and supporting documentation. If ANU has questions about your request, you may be asked to meet with an advisor. Note that during peak periods, the wait to receive a determination may exceed 10 business days.
- Rising second-year, third-year, and fourth-year students are encouraged to submit accommodation requests for the new academic year by February 1. Incoming first-year and transfer students are encouraged to submit accommodation requests by June 1.
Non-Disability/Medical Accommodation Requests
To start the process for non-disability/medical housing accommodations complete the following steps below:
- Complete the online Housing & Dining Accommodation request form on the . Be sure to include proper supporting documentation for your request.
- Your request will be reviewed by a representative from one or more of the following offices: Undergraduate Financial Aid, Religious & Spiritual Life, Residential Services, Northwestern Dining, the Dean of Students Office, and other campus partners depending on the primary and/or secondary reason for your request.
- Decisions will be communicated via university email to the student within four (4) weeks of submission. All decisions by the reviewer are final though you may be encouraged to reach out to your reviewer for additional context.
- Rising second-year, third-year, and fourth-year students are encouraged to submit accommodation requests for the new academic year by February 1. Incoming first-year and transfer students are encouraged to submit accommodation requests by June 1.