Introduction
The College of St. Benedict and St John’s University provide equal access in residential living spaces by identifying reasonable accommodations reasonable accommodations to students with disabilities who have a verifiable need for a reasonable accommodation. A reasonable accommodation is an exception to the usual rules, policies, practices, or services that a resident with a disability may need to have an equal opportunity to use and enjoy campus housing.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has established the need for housing providers to consider “Emotional Support Animals” (or ESAs), as an appropriate accommodation within one’s place of residence under the Fair Housing Act (FHA).
Eligibility and Documentation
The Fair Housing Act defines disability as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. Under this definition, an impairment is a disability if it substantially limits the ability of the person to perform a major life activity as compared to the average person in the general population.
Under the Fair Housing Act, a housing provider may request reliable documentation when an individual requesting a reasonable accommodation has a disability and disability-related need for an accommodation that are not obvious or otherwise known. While housing providers may ask for documentation for ESAs, they may not ask for specific diagnoses.
Avoid online documentation: Many websites sell certificates, registrations, and licensing documents for support animals to anyone who answers certain questions or participates in a short interview and pays a fee. Letters purchased from the internet for a set price rarely provide the information necessary to support an ESA request. Generally, we accept documentation for ESAs from providers who practice in the state of Minnesota or the student’s resident state.
Additional Considerations?
Timelines: As of May 2024, requests for emotional support animals (ESAs) must be complete 60 days prior to move in. CSB+SJU cannot guarantee it will be able to meet the individual's accommodation needs during the same term of occupancy with in-semester requests or requests received less than 60 days prior to the beginning of a semester.
Student Accessibility Services will review all in-semester requests until May 12. Please be advised that in-semester requests can take up to ten business days for review.
Deadlines for the 2025-2026 Academic Year:
· Fall Semester 2025: Friday, June 27, 2025.
· Spring Semester 2026: Monday, November 24, 2025.
Age of animal: Dogs must be at least one-year old, and house trained before they are eligible for approval.
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