If your student might need accommodations in college — whether they have ADHD, a learning difference, an existing IEP or 504, or you’re just starting to wonder what’s possible — this episode is for you.
EEC Founder & CEO Laura Barr sat down with Julie Scaff, an expert in transition services and Accommodations Transition Advising, for a live Ask Me Anything on the Growing Good Humans podcast. Julie walked families through how accommodations in college actually work — and then opened the floor to whatever was on their minds.
Here’s what most families don’t realize going in: the system changes completely after high school. Colleges don’t follow IEPs. Your student has to self-identify, provide their own documentation, and advocate for themselves. That sounds like a lot — and it’s entirely manageable when you know what’s coming.
Why Accommodations in College Work Differently Than High School
If your family has navigated an IEP or 504 plan, you already know how to work the K–12 system. College is a different environment governed by different laws, and the shift catches a lot of families off guard.
In K–12, schools are required to identify students who need support and provide services proactively. That obligation doesn’t follow students to college. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, colleges must provide access — but only to students who self-identify and request it.
Do colleges have to follow my student’s IEP?
No. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which governs IEPs in K–12, does not apply to colleges or universities. Once your student graduates from high school, the IEP is no longer a legally binding document. What replaces it is a formal accommodations plan through the college’s disability services office — but only if your student initiates that process themselves.
What law governs college accommodations — IDEA or the ADA?
Accommodations in college are governed by the ADA and Section 504, not IDEA. The critical difference: IDEA is an entitlement law — schools must find students and provide services. The ADA is an access law — colleges must remove barriers for students who ask. This distinction matters enormously for how families need to prepare before senior year ends.
What Accommodations in College Are Actually Available
The range of accommodations in college is often broader than families expect — and more variable from school to school. What one institution offers may look very different from what another provides, which is why disability services is worth researching during the college search itself.
Common accommodations include extended time on tests, reduced-distraction testing environments, note-taking support, priority registration, flexibility with attendance policies, and housing considerations. Some schools offer robust learning support programs with dedicated staff. Others offer the ADA minimum.
What kinds of accommodations can students get in college?
Typical accommodations include extended time (usually 1.5x or 2x), separate testing rooms, permission to record lectures, captioning services, accessible housing, and assistive technology. More comprehensive support — like tutoring, executive function coaching, or structured study programs — may be available through dedicated learning centers, sometimes at additional cost. Every school is different, and it pays to ask specific questions before your student enrolls.
Can students get accommodations for ADHD, anxiety, or mental health conditions?
Yes. CHADD notes that ADHD is one of the most commonly registered disabilities with college disability services offices. Anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions also qualify — provided the student has documentation from a licensed professional establishing how the condition substantially limits a major life activity. The standard is functional impact, not diagnosis alone.
How to Access Accommodations in College — Step by Step
The process of getting accommodations in college is more straightforward than it sounds, but it requires advance planning. Here’s how it generally works:
Step 1: Gather documentation. Students need current documentation from a licensed professional — a psychologist, psychiatrist, physician, or learning specialist — that describes the diagnosis, how it was determined, and how it affects the student’s day-to-day functioning. Understood.org has a helpful overview of what colleges typically require.
Step 2: Contact the disability services office. This is done by the student, not the parent. Most schools have an online intake process. Some require an appointment; others review documentation first and schedule a meeting after.
Step 3: Complete the intake process. The student meets with a disability services coordinator, documentation is reviewed, and a formal accommodations plan is created.
Step 4: Notify professors. At most schools, students are responsible for delivering their accommodations letter to each professor at the start of every semester. No one does this for them — which is exactly why self-advocacy skill-building matters before move-in day.
What documentation do students need for accommodations in college?
Requirements vary by school, but most want: a formal diagnosis from a licensed professional, the date of the most recent evaluation, a description of how the condition affects academic functioning, and specific recommendations. AHEAD (the Association on Higher Education and Disability) publishes documentation guidance used by many disability services offices nationwide. If your student’s most recent evaluation is more than three years old, check whether the college will accept it — many won’t.
How does the registration process with disability services work?
Students submit documentation to the disability services office, complete an intake interview, and receive a formal accommodations letter. That letter goes to professors — and the student delivers it. Timing matters: registering before the semester starts gives students the smoothest experience. Waiting until midterms is common and makes everything harder.
The Transition Timeline — When to Start Planning for Accommodations in College
One of the questions Julie hears most often: When should we start this process? The honest answer is earlier than most families think — and the prep work starts in high school, not after acceptance letters arrive.
Junior year: Start gathering or updating documentation. If your student’s last evaluation was more than three years ago, many colleges will consider it outdated. Check whether a re-evaluation makes sense now, while you’re still in a school district that may cover the cost.
During the college search: Research each school’s disability services office. Look at what’s available, what documentation they require, and whether they offer any enhanced support programs. This information belongs in your college list conversation — and it’s something EEC’s college consulting team factors in when helping families build a balanced list.
After enrollment: Don’t wait until orientation week. Contact disability services as soon as your student commits — summer registration is often available and puts your student in the best position heading into fall.
Before move-in: Make sure your student knows not just that accommodations exist, but how to actually use them. Knowing and doing are two different things.
Building Self-Advocacy Skills Before Move-In Day
This is the piece that trips up the most families — and the one parents have the most influence over before their student leaves home.
Self-advocacy is what allows students to actually use accommodations in college. It means your student can identify what they need, ask for it directly, and follow through on the process. It’s a skill, and like any skill, it develops with practice. Research on self-regulation and resilience consistently shows that students who practice advocating in low-stakes environments are better equipped to do it when it counts.
Julie’s approach is to start small. Have your student call to reschedule their own appointment. Have them email a teacher when they have a question instead of routing it through you. Have them sit in on — or better yet, lead — their own IEP meeting if one is coming up. These aren’t dramatic gestures. They’re low-stakes repetitions of the same skill your student will need when they walk into the disability services office alone.
How do I help my teen advocate for themselves in college?
Start by stepping back in situations where they can practice. Let them make their own appointments, send their own emails, and navigate small bureaucratic moments with you nearby but not intervening. For students who find this genuinely hard — not just inconvenient — executive function coaching can help build the underlying skills that make self-advocacy possible. Our EF Coaching program works specifically on the planning, initiation, and follow-through skills students need to manage systems like disability services independently.
What conversation starters work with a resistant teen?
Lead with curiosity rather than logistics. Instead of “We need to talk about your accommodations,” try “What do you think school is going to feel like without the support you have now?” or “What’s one thing that makes studying hard that you wish someone could fix?” The goal isn’t to have the whole conversation in one sitting — it’s to open a door your student can walk through when they’re ready.
Frequently Asked Questions About Accommodations in College
Do you need a new evaluation to get accommodations in college?
Not always, but often. Most colleges want documentation that is current — typically within three to five years, though requirements vary. If your student’s evaluation is older than that, a re-evaluation before senior year is worth considering. Some schools are flexible; others are strict. Check with each college’s disability services office directly.
What happens if a student doesn’t register with disability services?
They won’t receive accommodations — it’s that simple. Colleges cannot provide support they don’t know is needed. A student who struggles without registering has no legal recourse after the fact. This is one of the most common and avoidable problems in the transition to college.
Can parents contact disability services on behalf of their student?
Generally, no. Under FERPA, colleges treat students as independent adults once enrolled. Disability services offices typically require the student to initiate contact, sign releases, and manage their own accommodations in college. Parents can help students prepare for those conversations — but the student has to show up and have them.
How are accommodations actually delivered in college?
After a student registers with disability services and receives an accommodations letter, they share that letter with each professor at the start of every semester. Extended time testing typically takes place in a testing center separate from the classroom. Other accommodations — like note-taking support or captioning — are coordinated between the student, disability services, and sometimes the professor directly. The student manages this process every semester.
Is there a difference between accommodations and a learning support program?
Yes, and it’s an important one. Standard accommodations in college (extended time, quiet testing, etc.) are provided at no cost through disability services under the ADA. Learning support programs — structured tutoring, mentoring, skills coaching, and similar services — are often offered separately, sometimes at additional cost. Families researching colleges should ask about both.
One More Resource Before You Go
If this episode raised questions specific to your student’s situation, Julie Scaff offers individual Accommodations Transition Advising sessions for families navigating the high school to college transition. She works with students who have IEPs, 504 plans, ADHD diagnoses, learning differences, and mental health documentation — helping families understand what to gather, when to gather it, and how to set their student up to actually use the support available to them.
You can also read our step-by-step family guide for a full walkthrough of the process. And if your student needs support building the executive function skills that make college independence possible, learn more about EEC’s EF Coaching program here.
The transition to college is a big shift — for your student and for you. Understanding how accommodations in college work before you get there makes the whole thing a lot less overwhelming.
About the Authors
Laura Barr is the founder and CEO of Emerging Educational Consulting, a college consulting and executive function coaching practice based in Denver, CO. She works with families of high school students navigating the college process — including students with ADHD, learning differences, and existing accommodations plans. Julie Scaff is EEC’s Associate Partner and Accommodations Transition Advising specialist, supporting families through the complex shift from K–12 services to college disability systems. Learn more at emergingconsulting.com.
