Purpose: The University recognizes that some qualified students with disabilities may not be able, by reason of that disability, to successfully manage a full-time course load of a minimum of twelve credits per quarter. Reasons for this commonly include such considerations as the amount of time required by daily living activities, extra time needed for specialized study approaches, or difficulty with studying for extended numbers of hours. In order that these students may continue to participate in and benefit from University programs and services, the University may make available an accommodation of full-time equivalency with a reduced course load.
Policy: Students who are full-time with a reduced course load by reason of disability are entitled to all of the services, benefits, rights, privileges, and responsibilities of full-time status students. The intent of this accommodation is to offer equal opportunity; therefore services based on the number of credit hours (i.e., financial aid or scholarships) may be pro-rated. The student should contact Student Financial Services regarding the particular financial impact to the student. This accommodation need not be permitted to any program or activity in which the University demonstrates that the requirements are essential to the instruction being pursued by the student, or that are directly related to licensing requirements.
Procedure: Requests for reduced course loads are submitted to the assistant director for DSS with supporting documentation. Supporting documentation must meet the documentation guidelines for the particular disability.
- The assistant director for DSS evaluates the documentation and the request in terms of the impact of the disability and the demands of the student’s current or proposed schedule.
- The potential consequences of the reduced course load on progress towards graduation, financial aid, etc., should be explained to the student by the assistant director for DSS.
- If the student chooses to make use of this accommodation, the assistant director for DSS may send a letter to Financial Aid, Housing, and any other departments, as directed by the student, notifying them of the specific number of hours at which the student is considered full-time.
- Based on the billing adjustments and reduced credit load, the student’s financial aid will likely be adjusted. Within the limits of federal financial aid regulations, every effort should be made to ensure that the student does not incur additional costs.