What Is an Emotional Support Animal?
An emotional support animal (ESA) is an animal that provides therapeutic emotional support for a student with a diagnosed mental health disability. An ESA’s support comes from its presence and interaction with the student — unlike a service animal, an ESA is not trained to perform specific disability-related tasks.
ESAs are a reasonable accommodation under the Fair Housing Act and are permitted only in University housing. They are not allowed in classrooms, dining halls, libraries, or other campus facilities.
ESAs Are Not Pets
Although ESAs are not trained like service animals, they are not pets. An ESA is an accommodation approved by Disability Services for a student whose mental health disability creates a documented functional need for the animal’s presence in their living environment.
ESA vs. Service Animal — What’s the Difference?
Service animals are dogs (or miniature horses) individually trained to perform specific tasks for a person with a disability. They are permitted in all public areas of the University under the ADA and do not require DS approval.
Emotional support animals provide therapeutic emotional support through their presence. They are permitted only in University housing under the Fair Housing Act and require an accommodation request and approval through Disability Services.
If your animal has been trained to perform a specific task related to your disability (guiding, alerting, retrieving, providing balance support), it may be a service animal, not an ESA.
How to Request an ESA
To request an ESA, you must:
- Live in (or plan to live in) University housing. ESAs are a housing accommodation only.
- Apply and request accommodations through Disability Services. If you have not yet started this process, review the information below on this page, as well as the Overview of the Accommodation Determination Process
- If you already have accommodations on file with DS and are seeking an ESA as an additional accommodation, please review the information below and reach out directly to your Access Coordinator for next steps.
You’ll need documentation from a licensed clinician (psychologist, psychiatrist, licensed clinical social worker, or other qualified mental health provider) that:
- Establishes that you have a mental health disability as defined by the ADA/ADAAA
- Describes how the disability affects your daily functioning
- Explains how an ESA would alleviate the functional impact of your disability (i.e., this should not just be a broad statement about how ESAs are shown to help disabled individuals, generally speaking – it should be specific to you and your disability)
- Describes the specific support or comfort the animal provides relevant to your disability-related needs
A note about internet-purchased letters:
Some websites sell ESA letters, certificates, or registrations to anyone who pays a fee and answers a few questions. Generally, documentation from these sources is not sufficient on its own to establish a disability or support the need for an ESA. Reliable documentation comes from a licensed clinician with an established clinical relationship who can speak to your diagnosis, symptoms, and functional needs.
Submit your clinician’s documentation to Disability Services. If you already have the animal, you may also consider submitting veterinary records for the animal you’re requesting to bring as an ESA; if approved, these records will be required (see Step 5 below) and submitting them early may help move the process along more quickly.
A DS staff member will meet with you to discuss your request as part of the interactive process. This helps DS understand your needs and how an ESA would support you in the housing environment.
You should be prepared to discuss:
- How your disability affects your daily life and your experience in campus housing
- What type of support the ESA would provide
- What type of animal you’re considering
Disability Services reviews each request individually, considering whether the ESA is necessary to give you an equal opportunity in University housing, and whether the animal’s presence is reasonable without posing a health or safety risk.
You will receive a written determination from DS via email. If approved, you’ll move to the next step. If your request is not approved, you have the right to appeal (see Section 8: Appeals below).
Once your need for an ESA is approved, you’ll need to provide documentation for the specific animal before it can come to campus. This includes:
- Age verification: Dogs must be at least 12 months old and fully house-trained. Cats must be at least 6 months old.
- Emergency contact: You must designate someone who is not a UMass student living in campus housing and who can remove the animal from the residence hall within 6 hours of notification if you become unable to care for it.
- Veterinary care: Proof of ongoing veterinary care (required for dogs and cats).
- Spay/neuter: Proof that the animal has been spayed or neutered (required for dogs and cats).
- Vaccinations: Documentation of current vaccinations, including date of vaccination and due date of next dose:
- Dogs and cats: current rabies vaccination
- Cats: FVRCP (distemper, calicivirus, rhinotracheitis) and FeLV (feline leukemia) vaccines
- Dogs: DHLPP (distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis, parainfluenza, parvovirus) vaccine
- Animals in Residence Agreement Contract: You must sign this contract before your animal can enter University housing. It outlines the detailed expectations for care, control, and housing of the animal.
Timeline
DS will consider ESA requests at any time, but you should submit your request and documentation as early as possible — ideally at least 60 days before you plan to move in. Requests submitted fewer than 60 days before move-in may not be finalized before your move-in date.
If the need for an ESA arises while you are already living in University housing, initiate the request and provide documentation as soon as possible.
Important: You may not bring your animal to campus housing before receiving formal approval from Disability Services. Having an unapproved animal in your residence is a violation of the Student Code of Conduct.
Living with Your ESA on Campus
ESAs can provide valuable support for students with mental health conditions. At the same time, it’s important to understand your responsibility in caring for your ESA, and how this might look different in a communal residence hall environment.
Your ESA is permitted only in your assigned residence hall room. Your ESA is not allowed in:
- Common spaces, hallways, or lounges in your residence hall
- Other students’ rooms
- Dining facilities
- Libraries
- Academic buildings, classrooms, and labs
- Athletic and recreational facilities
- Any other non-residential University facility
- Campus vehicles of any kind
When transporting your ESA between your room and the outdoors (for relief, veterinary visits, etc.), the animal must be leashed, harnessed, or in an appropriate carrier (e.g., backpack, stroller) at all times.
When you are not in your room, your ESA must be contained in a cage or crate. This is for the safety of your animal and for University personnel who may need to enter your room for maintenance, inspections, or emergencies. The University reserves the right to inspect the crate or cage.
You are responsible for cleaning up after your animal and disposing of waste safely and sanitarily. If your animal uses outdoor relief areas, you are encouraged to use the lawn (grassy) areas. Landscaped areas with mulch or rocks are not appropriate for animal relief.
Waste must be picked up using a bag and disposed of in the pet waste receptacles provided around campus. If you have questions about relief areas near your residence, contact Disability Services.
You may not bathe your animal or clean its cage/enclosure in communal bathroom facilities on campus.
Your ESA may not be left unattended for extended periods or overnight. You may not leave the animal in the care of another resident for extended periods or overnight. If you are going to be away from your room overnight, you are responsible for making arrangements for your animal’s care off campus.
Your ESA must be removed from University housing during any recess or break period where you have not been permitted to remain in campus housing. This includes winter break, spring break, and summer recess (unless you have a summer housing assignment).
Plan ahead for breaks by arranging for your emergency contact or another off-campus caretaker to take your animal.
You are responsible for developing an evacuation plan for your ESA. In an emergency or fire drill, emergency personnel may or may not be able to assist with your animal and cannot be held responsible for the care, damage to, or loss of the animal.
Contact Environmental Health & Safety to create an individual evacuation plan that includes your ESA.
If you become unable to care for your ESA in the residential setting, the University will contact your designated emergency contact and ask them to remove the animal within 6 hours. If your emergency contact cannot or will not pick up the animal, the ESA will be removed to a local boarding facility at your expense.
What Animals Can Be ESAs?
ESAs are typically common household pets, meaning, animals that people normally keep in their homes. The most common ESAs are dogs and cats, but other animals may be considered depending on the circumstances.
- Dog (most common)
- Cat (most common)
- Small bird
- Rabbit
- Hamster, gerbil, and similar small animal typically kept in the home that can live independently without a companion animal
- Fish
Reptiles, barnyard animals, monkeys, insects, and other non-domesticated animals are not considered common household animals and are generally not approved. All requests will be considered on an individualized, case-by-case basis by Disability Services, through the interactive review process.
DS typically approves one ESA per student, and generally only one animal per housing unit is permitted. This is an important consideration when choosing what type of animal to request.
Some species of animals require a companion of the same species and cannot live alone — for example, certain birds, guinea pigs, or rabbits that experience distress without a bonded partner. If the animal you are considering requires a companion, this may be a reason that DS cannot approve that specific animal for campus housing, since it would require two animals in the unit. DS may ask you to consider a different animal that can thrive independently in a single-animal housing environment.
If you have questions about whether a particular animal would be appropriate, contact DS before finalizing your request.
Approval for an ESA is a two-step process: first DS determines whether you have a disability-related need for an ESA, and then separately evaluates whether the specific animal is appropriate for University housing. If your specific animal is not approved (for example, because it is too large for the available space, poses containment challenges, or is not a common household animal), DS may ask you to identify an alternative animal.
This means your need for an ESA is recognized, even if a particular animal is not. You are not starting over — you just need to find an animal that works in the housing environment.
What If My Request Is Not Approved?
Disability Services reviews each request individually. A request may not be approved if:
Your documentation does not sufficiently establish the presence of a disability. Examples include but are not limited to: if a provider’s letter is too vague, does not identify a specific diagnosis, does not come from a qualified healthcare provider, or comes from an internet-based service without an established clinical relationship.
Your documentation does not establish a clear connection between your disability and your functional need for the animal. The documentation needs to explain not just that you have a disability, but specifically how an ESA addresses the impact of your disability on your daily functioning.
The animal does not meet the required health, safety, or age standards. Examples include but are not limited to: a puppy that is not yet house-trained, an animal without current vaccinations, or an animal that has not been spayed or neutered.
The animal’s species, size, behavioral characteristics, or containment needs make it unreasonable for a shared campus living environment. Examples include but are not limited to: an animal whose cage is too large for the available space, an animal that produces excessive noise or odors, an animal that poses zoonotic disease risks, or an animal of a species that requires a companion and cannot live alone in a single-animal housing unit.
The animal has caused excessive property damage beyond normal wear and tear, or is unable to coexist with other residents in a reasonable manner.
You are unwilling or unable to fulfill the terms of the Animals in Residence Agreement Contract.
The request does not establish a functional connection between your disability and your need for the specific animal. An example of this (but is not limited to): a request based solely on general companionship without a documented therapeutic function would not meet the standard for an ESA accommodation.
If your request is not approved, you have the right to appeal. See the section about Appeals below.
Financial Responsibility
You are financially responsible for all costs associated with your ESA, including food, veterinary care, and supplies. You are also financially responsible for any property damage caused by your animal — including repairs, replacement, or cleaning of University facilities and furnishings — and for any injury your animal causes to another person.
If your animal causes a flea, tick, or pest issue in your residence, you will be billed for treatment costs beyond standard pest management.
The University will not charge you a pet fee or surcharge for an approved ESA.
What Happens If There’s a Problem?
If your ESA or your behavior as an ESA owner violates the policy or the Agreement Contract, Disability Services and/or Residential Life may take action. Depending on the severity, this could range from a conversation about the issue to removal of the ESA from campus.
The University may remove an approved ESA when:
- The animal poses a direct threat to the health or safety of others
- The animal’s presence fundamentally alters the University’s programs
- You are not complying with the policy or the Agreement Contract
- The animal or its presence creates an unmanageable disturbance or interference with the University community
If your ESA is removed, you are still expected to fulfill your housing contract obligations for the remainder of the term.
Providing false information about an ESA to Disability Services or any University personnel — including misrepresenting approval status — may result in a referral to the Student Conduct Office.
If an ESA-related concern is referred to the Student Conduct Office, Disability Services may be consulted to provide context about the ESA policy and the student’s accommodation. However, DS cannot serve as an advocate or representative for the student in the conduct process. DS’s role is to administer the ESA accommodation — the conduct process is a separate University function with its own procedures and protections.
If you are facing a conduct matter related to your ESA, you are encouraged to contact the Dean of Students Office for information about your rights and options in the conduct process.
ESA Appeals and Complaints
If you disagree with a decision related to your ESA, there are several paths depending on the type of concern:
You may appeal through the Accommodation Appeals Process. Your animal must remain off campus during the appeals process.
If you believe you were discriminated against on the basis of your disability, you may file a complaint with the Office of Equal Opportunity and Access (EOA).
If your ESA was removed following a policy violation, you may appeal through the University Appeals Board process. Contact the Dean of Students Office for more information.
Please note: While Disability Services may be consulted by the University in conduct matters relating to ESA policy violations, DS cannot advocate on behalf of a student or act as a student’s representative in a conduct hearing. Students who wish to have support or representation in a conduct proceeding should contact the Dean of Students Office for information about their options.
University Village Family Housing: Spouse & Dependent ESA Requests
University Village is family housing on campus, typically provided to graduate students or non-traditional students who are married or have dependents. If you live in University Village and your spouse, domestic partner, or dependent needs an ESA, the request is reviewed and processed in the same manner as other ESA requests. The same documentation standards, interactive process, and behavioral expectations apply.
Because the accommodation request system requires a UMass Spire ID, the UMass student will need to submit the request form on behalf of the spouse or dependent. From there, DS will engage directly with the spouse or dependent through the interactive process — they will still need to provide their own supporting documentation from a licensed clinician and participate in the review.
The ESA will appear in DS records as part of the student’s accommodation file, and the student is the responsible party for policy compliance.
Most ESA expectations are the same in University Village as in other campus housing. However, because University Village apartments are self-contained family units (not shared with non-family residents), a few things work differently:
- Crating is not required when family members are home. In a family unit, it is reasonable for the ESA to be in the care of other family members residing in the apartment. The animal does not need to be crated when the ESA owner is absent if other family members are present.
- Overnight care by family members is permitted. Other family members in the unit may care for the ESA overnight. However, the animal should not be left completely alone in the apartment overnight if the entire family will be away.
All other policy expectations apply equally in University Village:
- Animal behavior, cleanup, and relief-area requirements
- Vaccination, spay/neuter, and veterinary care documentation
- Financial responsibility for any damage caused by the animal
- Break-period removal (the animal must leave during any recess/break where the family is not permitted to remain)
- Emergency contact designation and evacuation planning
- The ESA is not permitted in non-residential areas of campus
If you have questions about the ESA process for University Village, contact Disability Services
Fieldstone Apartments and ESAs
Fieldstone Apartments are privately owned and operated and are considered ‘off-campus’ housing. As such, Fieldstone has their own approval process for ESA requests, separate from Disability Services. Fieldstone will similarly require students to submit supporting documentation from a provider and veterinary records for the animal. Students living in Fieldstone seeking to request an ESA should reach out to @email.
Related Links and Resources
- Nearest 24-Hour Animal Hospital: Veterinary Emergency & Specialty Hospital, 141 Greenfield Rd, South Deerfield, MA 01373, (413) 665-4911
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CURRENT STUDENTS
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- Emotional Support Animals (ESAs)
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