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  • UT welcomes Service Animals in all of its facilities when the animal is accompanied by its handler.
  • What is a Service Animal?
    • A service animal is a dog (or miniature horse) that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability.
    • Examples of such work or tasks include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medication or performing other duties.
    • Service animals are working animals, not pets. The work or task a service animal has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person’s disability. 

  • Emotional support animals (ESA) are those whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support.
  • ESA’s are welcome in all of the UT Residence Halls, but are not allowed in non-residential buildings on campus.
  • If a student is assigned to a room that has an animal and they would like to move, the student is able to request a room change the following ways:
    • During Open Room Change
    • After Open Room Change, students can meet with their RA or Area Coordinator to talk about their situation and request a move.
    • You may also contact the Residence Life Administrative team by emailing housingassignments@ut.edu with questions about the room change process.

The University of Tampa is not responsible for providing an individual with a disability with services of a personal nature, such as assistance in eating, toileting or dressing. If a student is planning to reside in University housing and requires personal services, the student must provide SAS with documentation from an appropriate agency or service that confirms the necessary assistance will be in place effective on the date of residency, and they have passed a background check before moving into the residence hall. If a non-University individual serves as a personal attendant for a student with a disability, they may reside in the same room with the student for whom they are providing attendant services. This individual will be required to adhere to all University policies, procedures and regulations.

  • A separate low-distraction living environment accommodation. If a student needs to live or sleep in a near-silent environment we cannot guarantee this environment.
  • A different bed. We can remove the existing bed from the room if it is deemed medically necessary so a student can bring their own bed.
  • Accepting documentation that names a specific building in which the accommodation is to be provided.
  • Assigning or moving a preferred roommate along with a student for which special accommodations are being offered, unless the roommate would otherwise be eligible for the space.
  • A dust or allergen-free environment.