In high school, the system comes to you. The school identifies students who may have a disability, evaluates them at no cost and brings together a team, including parents, to decide on services. In college, that changes. Your rights continue, but you start the process, and you’re treated as an adult.

Students who understand the shift early tend to have a much smoother first year. Here’s what changes and how to prepare.

Why the rules change

In K–12 public schools, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) guarantees eligible students a free appropriate public education, including special education and an Individualized Education Program (IEP). IDEA ends when you graduate with a regular diploma.

In college, two civil rights laws apply instead: Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. They prohibit discrimination and require colleges to provide appropriate academic adjustments, so you have equal access. They don’t require colleges to lower or fundamentally change essential requirements, and they don’t require the individualized services of an IEP, such as personal tutoring.

What’s different in college

  • You self-identify. The college won’t seek you out. You contact the disability services office and request accommodations.
  • You provide documentation. Neither your high school nor your college is required to pay for a new evaluation. Your state vocational rehabilitation agency may provide one if you’re eligible.
  • You’re the decision-maker. Parents generally aren’t part of the process. The college works with you directly.
  • You notify instructors. Typically, disability services gives you accommodation letters to share with each instructor, each term.
  • Disclosure is voluntary. You never have to disclose a disability. But you can’t receive accommodations without telling the college you need them.

What documentation colleges look for

The U.S. Department of Education says an IEP or 504 plan is generally not sufficient documentation on its own, because college demands differ from high school. But it’s still valuable, and many colleges consider several kinds of evidence together:

  • Your own account of how your disability affects you and which accommodations have worked.
  • Your educational records: IEPs, 504 plans, evaluations and your history of accommodations, including on the SAT or ACT.
  • Reports from qualified professionals describing your condition and its effects.
  • Your Summary of Performance, which IDEA requires high schools to give students whose special education eligibility ends at graduation. It summarizes your achievement and functional performance and includes recommendations for meeting your goals.

Every college sets its own standards, so check each disability office’s documentation guidelines, ideally before you apply.

A transition timeline

  1. By age 16 (earlier in some states): your IEP must include transition planning with postsecondary goals. Be part of those meetings. Practice explaining your disability and what helps.
  2. Ninth or tenth grade: request accommodations for the PSAT, SAT, AP Exams and ACT through your school, well before your first test.
  3. Junior year: research disability services as part of your college search. Ask whether your most recent evaluation meets the documentation guidelines of the colleges you’re considering. Ask your school whether an updated evaluation is planned.
  4. Senior year: gather copies of your IEP or 504 plan, evaluations and testing approvals. Ask for your Summary of Performance before you graduate.
  5. After you commit: register with disability services right away, ideally over the summer, so accommodations are in place on day one.
  6. Every term: request your accommodation letters, share them with instructors early and check in if something isn’t working.

Questions to ask disability services

  • What documentation do you require, and do you accept my IEP, 504 plan or Summary of Performance?
  • How long does it take to set up accommodations?
  • What accommodations are commonly provided for students with my disability?
  • How do testing accommodations work, and where are exams given?
  • Are tutoring, coaching or learning strategy support available, and do they cost extra?
  • How do accommodations work in labs, internships, clinical placements or study abroad?
Required access vs. extra support. Colleges must provide appropriate academic adjustments at no extra cost. Some also offer comprehensive, fee-based support programs with coaching and tutoring beyond what’s required. Knowing which is which helps you compare schools fairly.

Graduate and professional school

The same laws apply in graduate school, and the same advice holds: register early and bring your history. Medical, nursing, physical therapy and other clinical programs publish technical standards, describing the abilities students need with or without reasonable accommodations. Ask early how accommodations work in clinical rotations. Licensing and board exams, such as the USMLE and bar exams, have their own accommodation processes and timelines, so plan ahead.

If something goes wrong

If a request is denied or accommodations aren’t provided, start with the disability services office and ask about its appeal process. Every college covered by Section 504 must also have grievance procedures, often through a Section 504 or ADA coordinator. You can also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.

Returning as an adult learner

Your rights don’t expire. Adults returning to school have the same protections. If your last evaluation is years old, or you were never formally diagnosed, ask the disability office what documentation it accepts before paying for a new evaluation. Your state vocational rehabilitation agency may also be able to help.

Our learning differences and disabilities hub covers testing accommodations, disclosure in applications and support at every stage.