Savanna Hoffman
Students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) in high school often wonder if their IEP will carry over to university. While IEPs do not transfer to university, universities are legally obligated to provide reasonable accommodations to students with disabilities. Students must self-disclose their disability and request accommodations, and the university's disability office will determine what accommodations are appropriate. Professors are usually informed confidentially about the necessary accommodations, but not about the nature of the student's disability.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| IEP in college | IEPs do not transfer to college, but accommodations will be provided. |
| Responsibility for accommodations | The student is responsible for requesting accommodations and initiating the disability services process. |
| Documentation | The student must provide documentation to support their diagnosis or disability, such as a psycho-educational assessment report, a doctor’s letter, or an evaluation. |
| Notification | Disability offices will notify instructors of students with accommodation plans and what those accommodations are. |
| Changes in accommodations | Accommodations may change from high school to college, and all services may not be free. |
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What You'll Learn
IEPs do not transfer to university
Students with an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) in elementary and secondary school may wonder if they will have an IEP in college. While colleges are obligated to provide reasonable accommodations, students will not have an IEP in college. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) only applies to students until high school graduation or age 21, whichever comes first. After this, students are protected under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
In K-12, the responsibility for ensuring accommodations falls on the school. However, in college, the student must self-disclose and request accommodations. The student is responsible for initiating the disability services process and informing the school of their disability in a timely manner. While the IEP process only applies to students until high school graduation, other laws protect the rights of disabled college students, and their IEP can be used as a starting point in obtaining accommodations.
The disability office will use a high school IEP as documentation and will discuss reasonable accommodations. Professors are usually informed confidentially about the specific accommodations necessary for individual students. However, the notification does not need to reveal the nature of the disability or the reasons for the accommodations. It is still important to be transparent about your needs with your instructors.
While IEPs do not transfer to university, students can expect to receive accommodations in the form of early registration, reduced course load requirements, sign language translators, note-takers during class, and adaptations to computers in public study areas.
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Universities are not required to make accommodations
Students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) are entitled to a free appropriate public education, but are not entitled to a university degree. This means that universities are not required to make accommodations in the same way that high schools are. While colleges are obligated to provide reasonable accommodations, the support received may vary from the student's K-12 experience.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) ensures that students with disabilities aged 3-21 in public schools receive appropriate special education and related services. IDEA only applies to students until high school graduation or age 21, whichever comes first. Therefore, it does not apply to higher education in the same way as it does to public high schools.
Civil rights laws, such as Section 504 and Title II, prohibit colleges and universities from discriminating based on disability. However, this does not mean that universities are required to create IEP plans for students with disabilities seeking degrees. While universities must offer some support services, the specific accommodations and level of support provided may differ from what the student received in high school.
In college, the responsibility for disability advocacy shifts from the school and parents to the student. Students must self-disclose their disability and request accommodations from the disability services office. The disability office will use the student's high school IEP as documentation and will discuss reasonable accommodations based on that information. However, colleges may not accept IEPs as the sole documentation for accommodations, and additional documentation supporting the student's diagnosis or disability may be required.
While universities are not required to make the same accommodations as high schools, students with disabilities can still receive the support they need to succeed in a university setting. It is important for students to be transparent about their needs and to communicate directly with their professors to ensure that their accommodations are met.
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Students must self-disclose and request accommodations
Students with an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) in elementary and secondary school may wonder if they will have an IEP in college. While colleges are obligated to provide reasonable accommodations, the support received may vary from the K-12 experience.
In K-12, the responsibility for initiating the IEP process falls on the school, but in college, the student must self-disclose and request accommodations. This marks a significant shift in responsibility for disability advocacy, which moves from the school to the student. It is important to note that parents and other guardians involved in the K-12 IEP process are no longer privy to students' academic progress or needs in college.
To request disability accommodations in college, students must meet with the disability services coordinator at their school as soon as they commit to the college. This allows ample time to obtain any additional paperwork the disabilities services office may require. The disability services office assists students with a range of disabilities, including learning disabilities, sensory processing disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, and chronic health problems.
When scheduling the initial meeting, students can inquire about the required documentation to receive accommodations. Some colleges may accept a high school IEP as documentation of a disability, while others may request a recent letter from a health provider. It is important to be transparent about accommodation needs with instructors, who are usually informed confidentially and discreetly about the specific accommodations necessary for individual students.
While the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) ensures that students with disabilities in public schools receive appropriate special education and related services, it does not apply to higher education in the same way. Students with IEPs are entitled to a free appropriate public education but are not entitled to a university degree. Therefore, universities are not mandated to provide the same level of accommodations as high schools. However, under civil rights laws, colleges must offer some support services, even if they are not required to write IEP plans for students with disabilities seeking degrees.
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Colleges are obligated to provide reasonable accommodations
Students with an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) in the United States may wonder if they will have an IEP in college. While colleges are obligated to provide reasonable accommodations, these will not be in the form of an IEP. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) ensures that students with disabilities aged 3-21 in public schools receive appropriate special education and related services. However, IDEA and its principles only apply until high school graduation or age 21, whichever comes first.
Colleges are not required to provide the same level of support and services that a student may have received in high school. The responsibility for disability advocacy also shifts from parents and guardians to the student, who must self-disclose and request accommodations. While a high school IEP can be used as documentation to guide reasonable accommodations, colleges will not accept it as the sole documentation.
To receive accommodations, students must register with the disability services office and provide documentation of their disability. Accommodations might include academic adjustments, such as the use of a note-taker for lectures, or non-academic modifications, like a single dorm room. It is important to note that accommodations do not change the content taught or the expectations for student performance. For example, colleges are not required to provide an exemption from course requirements if a student's high school IEP allowed them to skip a semester.
While the support provided by colleges may vary from a student's K-12 experience, taking the time to reassess needs and communicate with professors can help navigate the transition smoothly.
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Students may need to document or prove their disability
Students with IEPs are entitled to a free appropriate public education, but are not entitled to a university degree. Universities are therefore not required to make accommodations in the same way that high schools are. While colleges are obligated to provide reasonable accommodations, the support received may vary from high school experiences.
Students must register as a student with a disability with the disability services office, not the admissions office. They will need to document or prove their disability and may need to provide a copy of their IEP. The type of documentation needed will depend on the disability and the accommodations being requested. For example, a student may need to provide a current psychoeducational evaluation or a report from a doctor.
The student's disability or reasons for their requested accommodations do not need to be revealed to their instructor. However, it is important to be transparent about needs. The student's contact person at disability services will write a letter explaining their accommodations to professors.
It is the student's responsibility to request accommodations and initiate the disability services process. They should research the college's documentation policies, as these may differ between schools.
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Frequently asked questions
No, there are no IEPs in college. However, colleges are obligated to provide reasonable accommodations to students with disabilities. You will need to contact the disability services department at your college to apply for eligibility for accommodations.
Accommodations may include early registration, reduced course load requirements, sign language translators and note-takers during class, and voice recognition software on computers in public study areas. Schools do not have to provide tutors or readers for your study time, and while they may give you longer to take a test, they do not have to change the test content.
You can reach out to your professor via email or by visiting during office hours. Disability offices usually notify instructors of students with accommodation plans, but it's a good idea to also inform your professor yourself about what your accommodations mean in their classroom and how to communicate with them when you need to use them.
