Medical Housing Accommodations

Housing Accommodations Overview

Merrimack College is committed to providing students with access to the full residential experience. In alignment with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Fair Housing Act, the College offers reasonable housing accommodations to students with documented medical, psychological, or disability-related needs. It is important to note that the purpose of housing accommodations is to ensure access, not to fulfill personal preferences or to provide personal attendants, individually prescribed devices, readers for personal use or study, or other devices or services of a personal nature including assistance in eating, toileting, or dressing.

The deadlines for completed requests for the 2026-2027 academic year are as follows:

Important Information About Requesting Medical Housing Accommodations

All housing accommodation requests must be submitted by the deadline listed above. All requests are reviewed after the deadline by the Medical Housing Accommodations Committee. While each request will be reviewed, some requests may not be considered reasonable and may therefore be denied. Also, in some instances, a request will be approved, but a student may be placed on a waitlist until an appropriate space is available. 

Complete requests submitted after the deadline will be reviewed by the committee during the following semester. 

All housing accommodations must be requested and approved annually.

Please note that approved housing accommodations are granted solely to the qualifying student and do not extend to any potential roommates. Additionally, such accommodations apply exclusively to the student’s assigned living space. For example, a reduced roommate accommodation pertains only to the qualifying student’s designated bedroom.

If a student is approved for a housing accommodation, they will be notified and placed into a room that meets their approved accommodations prior to the general housing selection process. If a student is denied or waitlisted for an accommodation, they will participate in the general housing selection process.

Medical Housing Accommodation Decisions

Decisions regarding Medical Housing Accommodation requests are based on the following criteria and are made to address access barriers, not personal preferences:

• Was the request made by the deadline for housing requests?
• Can space be adapted to meet the needs without undue financial burden to the institution?
• Are there other housing configurations and/or options that can achieve reasonably similar results?
• How does meeting a request affect housing arrangements for other students?

Medical Singles 

There are a limited number of medical single rooms located on-campus. These medical singles are all designated true single-occupancy rooms and a medical single will not be subject to any surcharges, i.e., medical singles will cost the same as standard doubles in the same building. At this time, the College is unable to convert multi-occupancy rooms into single rooms. 

Medical single rooms are located within shared residential facilities, so a completely quiet or distraction-free environment cannot be guaranteed. Students are encouraged to use designated study spaces across campus and resources offered by the Office of Counseling and Wellness Education, including a reservable telehealth room.

Specific Roommates

Requests for specific roommates do not qualify as a disability-related housing accommodation. The College cannot guarantee that a preferred roommate can provide disability-related support. All students are welcome to indicate roommate preferences through the general housing selection process.

Air Conditioners

If approved for air conditioning as an accommodation, it is the responsibility of the student to supply their own A/C unit that meets the College’s requirements outlined in their written approval as well as any additional technical requirements set by the College. The College strongly encourages students approved for this accommodation to remove their A/C unit during the winter months.

Procedures for Requesting Medical Housing Accommodations:

1. Apply for Housing: 
   • All returning students who wish to receive housing must apply for housing and submit a deposit to indicate their intention to participate in the room selection process. For more information, please visit the Office of Residence Life website.
   • Incoming students who will be starting at Merrimack (as first-years and transfers) commit to Merrimack with a resident student enrollment deposit. 
   • Any questions about the specifications on rooms, Residence Halls, or housing placements, students can reach out to Office of Resident Life ([email protected]). Questions about the medical housing process and accommodations can be sent to the Office of Accessibility Services  ([email protected]), and the Office of Accessibility Services is  available to discuss and answer all questions..
2. Submit the Non-Academic Accommodation(s) Request Form and attach the completed Medical Provider Form
   • For students who are not registered for accommodations 
     • Submit the Merrimack Accommodation Request Form 
     • Select YES to “Are you requesting nonacademic accommodations?”
     • Select YES to “I’m requesting medical housing accommodations.”
     • Answer the remaining questions
   • For students already registered for accommodations 
     • Please log into Accommodate
     • Click Accommodation
     • Click Supplemental
     • Click Add New
     • Answer Yes to “I’m requesting nonacademic accommodations.”
     • Answer Yes to “I’m requesting medical housing accommodations.”
     • Complete the remainder of the form
   • Attach an updated and complete Medical Provider Form 
3. Review: After the deadline, the student’s request will be reviewed by the Medical Housing Accommodations Committee, which consists of staff from the Office Accessibility Services, the Dean of Students Office, Office of Counseling and Wellness, Office of Residence Life, and the Office of the General Counsel. 
4. Notification: Following the review of each request, Accessibility Services will notify all students of their housing accommodation decision.                               

Appealing Housing Accommodation Decisions

Students who wish to formally appeal a housing accommodation decision must submit a written request to the Dean of Students within seven (7) days of receiving their accommodation decision. Written appeals can be emailed to [email protected].

Appeals will only be considered under the following circumstances:

• There was a procedural error by the Committee during the accommodations review process that impacted the outcome of the decision.
• There is new medical information or documentation that did not exist at the time of the initial request that has the potential to alter the outcome. 
• There is evidence of error on the part of the Committee that prevented them from considering the accommodation request objectively.

A student looking to appeal their housing accommodation decision must submit an appeal letter. This letter must be in the student’s own words and include the following information:

1. The accommodation they were denied
2. The reason for appealing the decision 
3. An explanation of why the request meets the above criteria to appeal
4. Any other relevant information that the student feels is important for the reviewer to consider
5. Additional documentation from a medical professional (*Applicable if appealing based on new medical information or documentation that did not exist at the time of the initial request)

Please note, the student’s initial request form and medical documentation will be shared with the Dean of Students as a part of the appeal review. All appeal requests must meet the above criteria and include all of the required information in order to be considered. All appeal decisions are final.

Requesting an Emotional Support Animal

There is a separate and specific process for this rare accommodation. Please contact us for further details.