Policy 3-3-8: Full-time Enrollment Equivalency for Students with Disabilities

Policy: Policy 3-3-8: Full-time Enrollment Equivalency for Students with Disabilities Date Adopted: Nov 15, 2005
Department: Academic & Student Affairs Contact: Dean of Student Services
Statement: All students with disabilities are eligible to apply for full-time enrollment equivalency status, which if approved, allows them to take a reduced course load while maintaining full-time status (no less than six (6) credits). The approval of a reduced course load with full-time status is not a permanent status; students are not automatically eligible for this accommodation each semester. The request must be submitted and evaluated each semester to determine the impact of the student's disability in terms of the demands of his/her proposed course schedule.

Section 1: Guidelines and Procedure

  1. Requests for full-time enrollment equivalency are submitted to the coordinator for Disability Support Services along with supporting documentation. Documentation must include a diagnostic evaluation from an appropriate professional (i.e., medical doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist, audiologist, physiatrist, or other qualified professional), which is recent enough (no more than 3-5 years for learning disabilities, 3 years for ADD/ADHD and 6 months for psychiatric/psychological disorders) to evaluate the current impact of the disability.
  2. The coordinator evaluates the documentation and the request in terms of the impact of the disability and the demands of the students current or proposed schedule and any recommendations or concerns on the part of any department.
  3. If the request is denied, the student may appeal the coordinators decision through the standard accommodation grievance procedures.
  4. If approved, the coordinator of Disability Support will submit a recommendation for full-time enrollment equivalency along with complete documentation to the dean of Student Services for final action.
  5. Students awarded full-time enrollment equivalencies who have been awarded a scholarship may continue to receive funding with the approval of the donor.
  6. Approval of full-time enrollment equivalency may result in adjusted Federal financial aid package in accordance with regulations. If aid has been disbursed prior to the reduced course load approval, consultation between the coordinator of Disability Support Services and the director of Financial Aid will determine whether or not a credit deficiency exists.
  7. A decision to allow the student to be designated full-time with less than the standard full-time load shall allow the student all benefits and privileges assigned to full-time students at the institution, including but not limited to eligibility for Deans List, participation in extracurricular activities, athletics (subject to approval of NJCAA or NIRA), and verification of student status for insurance purposes.
Date(s) Revised Sep 2, 2008; Date(s) Reviewed