All students must be otherwise qualified to participate in any program of academic study with or without reasonable accommodations. Students with disabilities are not excused from course prerequisites, GPA requirements, or degree requirements. However, in some limited circumstances a course substitution may be appropriate.

The Office of Disability Services (ODS) makes considerations of course substitutions on a case-by-case basis and only after a specific request by a student. Course substitutions are made only when it is clear that the student's disability makes completion of the requirement impossible and that the course requested for substitution is not an essential component of the academic program and, thus, the substitution does not alter the integrity of the academic program.

Students must submit documentation and other evidence of a disability that affects the skills needed for the course requested for substitution to Disability Services. Disability Services will consider course adaptation or accommodation before recommending a course substitution. Disability Services will determine whether the request is reasonable based on the student’s disability and supporting documentation on file at Disability Services.

If a students’ documentation is insufficient to establish a clear need for the requested course substitution, the course substitution will not be granted (e.g., a student requesting course substitutions for the foreign language requirement needs to provide a recent comprehensive psychoeducational test report with evidence indicating significant language learning difficulties). If a student subsequently provides additional relevant documentation, the course substitution request may be reconsidered.

If ODS determines that the requested course substitution is reasonable, Disability Services will then send a letter of approval to the appropriate academic dean’s office.

The academic dean will determine whether the course requested for substitution is an essential component of the academic program of the student. If the course is determined not essential, the course substitution will be granted and the academic dean will work with the student to determine which course or courses may be used as substitutions.