Emotional Support Animals (ESA)

ESA housing accommodations are used by individuals who would be unable or have substantial difficulty attending the university without this housing accommodation.

Students with documented disabilities can apply for an ESA housing accommodation at Mount Marty University. (Mount Marty Disability Services does not exempt students from housing contracts.)

Please be aware that documentation procured by participating in a conversation with an internet-based provider with whom the student does not otherwise have a clinical relationship may not be sufficient documentation. According to guidance issued by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (2020), “such documentation from the internet is not, by itself, sufficient to reliably establish that an individual has a non-observable disability or disability-related need for an assistance animal.”

Procedure for Requesting an Emotional Support Animal

A student who resides or will reside in on-campus residence halls and who wishes to keep an emotional support animal (ESA) in their assigned University residence must complete the following process.

  1. The student must register with Mount Marty Disability Services (DS) as a student with a disability as defined by the ADA and provide medical documentation supporting the disability diagnosis.
  2. The student must contact DS to schedule an interview (phone or in person). During the interview, DS has the right to ask specific questions about the ESA, such as species, breed, size, weight, general description of the animal, etc. DS has the right to request additional information on the student’s disability, and have the student explain the following: What is the barrier the student is experiencing? What is the link between the barrier and the disability? How does the presence of the ESA alleviate that barrier?
  3. After the interview, DS will provide the student with the Request for an Emotional Support Animal Accommodation paperwork. This paperwork must be completed by a professional who can speak at length to the medical necessity of the accommodation (e.g. Doctors, Therapists, Psychiatrists, Licensed Social Workers, and Psychologists). Recommendations must come from off-campus providers not affiliated with Mount Marty. Student Counseling Services cannot provide recommendations for ESAs.

The student must have the completed application process submitted in its entirety to DS by May 1 for a fall semester determination and by December 1 for a spring semester determination.

A student’s completed ESA application includes the following:

  • Registering with DS offices as a student with a diagnosed disability,
  • Completing an ESA interview with D
  • Submitting a completed ESA Request for an Emotional Support Animal Accommodation Form that will be provided to the student after the interview has been completed.

Students will be notified of the decision by May 15 or December 15 for the respective upcoming semesters.

If approved, Residential Life staff will contact the student to schedule a meeting to discuss rights and responsibilities of ESA owners and animals; the student is required to attend this meeting. To learn more about Mount Marty Residential Life, click here

ESAs must be renewed annually. If the animal is returned to campus without proper renewal, the animal may be removed from campus until approval is complete.

The owner must notify DS if the animal is no longer needed or is no longer residing on University property. If the animal will be replaced, the owner must submit a new request.

If a student is denied an ESA request, the student may make an appointment with DS offices to discuss the decision.

  • ESAs must be licensed
  • ESAs must be at minimum 4 months of age

DISABILITY SERVICES, AND/OR THE ESA REVIEW COMMITTEE, IN COLLABORATION WITH RESIDENTIAL LIFE HAS THE RIGHT TO DECLINE AN ESA ACCOMMODATION REQUEST.