ESA Guidelines
Emotional Support Animals on Campus
Cornell University is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified students with disabilities. Students with disabilities who seek to bring an emotional support animal (ESA) to campus must adhere to the guidelines described in this policy. Students are not permitted to keep emotional support animals in residential buildings without prior approval as a reasonable accommodation through Student Disability Services (SDS).
Definition of Emotional Support Animal: An ESA is an animal that alleviates one or more identified symptoms or effects of a person’s disability. ESAs are distinct from service animals. Cornell University has a separate policy regarding the presence of service animals on campus.
Pets are not permitted in campus buildings, in adherence with Cornell's Pets on Campus Policy.
Request Process
After you start the registration process with SDS, we will review your request for accommodations and let you know when to proceed with the following steps.
- Submit the below information after you hear back from SDS:
- Request for Emotional Support Animal Form (pdf) (completed by you)
- Specific, current, and comprehensive documentation supporting an ESA from qualified mental health care provider via the following forms:
- SDS will review that information, and if the animal is approved, ask you to complete the ESA Agreement (pdf).
SDS will make a decision about the eligibility for the accommodation of having an ESA in residence or on campus. If deemed necessary, SDS may confer with the student’s mental health provider and with qualified consulting clinicians. If approved, an ad hoc committee comprised of staff from SDS, Residential and New Student Programs (RNSP), and Housing will consider the impact of the presence of the animal in residential community (if necessary).
Applications will be reviewed on a timely basis. Applications submitted in the four weeks before the semester begins will not be reviewed until 6-8 weeks into the semester.
SDS will communicate with the student regarding the decision made. If approved, additional time will be needed to inform a student’s roommate(s), floor or suitemates of the presence of an ESA and to make necessary housing changes that may be required based on the presence of the ESA.
An ESA request will be approved with clear evidence that the ESA will ameliorate the symptoms of a disability. Students who are approved for an ESA must complete an ESA Agreement Form with SDS.
If a student wishes to change to a different ESA than the one approved, the student must submit a new Request for Emotional Support Animal Form for review with additional information from their mental health provider that verifies the need for a different animal.
After the ESA is Approved
The student must review the terms of the ESA Agreement (pdf) with SDS. SDS will notify the student’s roommate(s) and/or suitemates to obtain agreement to having an ESA in their living space. Upon notification from SDS, the student is responsible for securing the approval signature of the roommate(s) on the ESA Agreement Form. If the roommate(s) change during the academic year, new roommates will have the opportunity to agree to the presence of the ESA in the room. If roommate(s) do not agree, SDS and the Housing Office will explore possible room changes for the student with the ESA or the non-approving roommate.
Students living within proximity of the room with the ESA will be informed of the presence of the ESA in order to determine if there are any disability-related issues that will be affected by the presence of the animal. If such a circumstance arises, SDS and the Housing Office will attempt to identify possible room changes for the student approved for the ESA or the affected student(s).
ESAs are approved to live with a student in campus housing. They may not be in other buildings on campus.
Cornell will review and evaluate the ESA approval on a yearly basis to determine an on-going disability related need for the ESA. The student must provide updated documentation from their medical or mental health care provider. Cornell’s past approval of an ESA does not guarantee subsequent approvals. The student also must notify SDS in writing if they no longer need the ESA, are moving to a new on-campus living space, or are no longer living in on-campus housing.
The student with an ESA must agree to the following:
- abide by local/state ordinances regarding licensing, vaccinations, and other requirements for the animal, and provide proof of such when asked;
- clean up after and properly dispose of the ESA’s waste in a safe and sanitary manner as determined by the building care staff;
- provide proper care, including food, grooming, and veterinary care for the ESA at all times. Any evidence of mistreatment or abuse of the ESA may result in immediate removal of the ESA and/or disciplinary action against the student;
- pay for any property damage/personal injuries caused by the ESA;
- keep the animal confined in the student’s room when in the building. It must be leashed or contained when it is outside of the student’s room;
- ensure that the ESA is not left unattended beyond the period of time agreed upon in the ESA Agreement; and
- designate an emergency caregiver for the ESA in the event that the student has an emergency and cannot attend to the ESA. The ESA cannot stay in the room overnight if the student is not present.
SDS will inform appropriate campus staff of the presence of the ESA.
Removal of an ESA
Cornell may require the student to remove the ESA from a residential building if:
- the animal poses a direct threat to others;
- the student does not comply with the terms of the ESA Agreement; or
- the animal creates an unmanageable disturbance or interference within the living community.
Grievance Procedure
Student who have been denied the use of an ESA and believe they have experienced disability discrimination have the right to file a grievance under Policy 6.4.
More information about formal and informal complaint processes.