Emotional Support Animal

Students who wish to request an Emotional Support Animal (ESA) accommodation must be registered with the Office of Accessibility Resources and Services (OARS) and complete all of the following steps. Please note: Dog and cat ESAs are only permitted in North Village and suite style housing (Arden Village, Lissner, and Heritage).

Emotional Support Animal Process

Step 1: Email oars@bethel.edu to inquire about requesting an ESA and links to all forms will be provided.

Step 2: Submit the following forms

OARS application (if not already registered with OARS)

ESA Request and Information Release form - Once completed, OARS will contact your provider to request their completion of an ESA Provider Questionnaire.

Animal Registration Form and review the ESA Terms & Agreements.

Veterinarian Verification Form - To be completed by your Veterinarian. OARS Vet Verification Form

Copy of Arden Hills License (for Cat or Dog) - A picture of the tag with the license number to verify the license is sufficient.

Photo of the animal.

Roommate Release Form - This form allows OARS to communicate with your roommate to request their consent to live with an approved ESA. All roommates will be required to complete a Roommate Agreement Form.

Step 3: After the student completes submits all required forms and documentation the the student will be guided through the ESA approval process:

Student meets with an Accessibility Specialist to review the ESA request.
Student meets with Residence Life to discuss animal care and responsibilities in the residence halls.
Residence Life and OARS will complete a final review of the ESA request and determine to formally approve or deny the request.
OARS will send the student ESA approval/denial email. Upon receiving an approval email the animal will be allowed to move onto campus. The ESA is not permitted to be on campus until the final approval email is received by the student.

ESA Accommodation Renewal Process:

Students must renew their ESA accommodation each academic school year by completing the following:

Submit the ESA Request and Information Release form. Providers must complete the Provider ESA Questionnaire each school year.
Complete the ESA Animal Registration Form
Submit an updated Veterinarian Verification Form - To be completed by your Veterinarian.
Review and agree to the ESA Terms & Agreements. If the student is not meeting expectations, the accommodation may be revoked.
Submit the Roommate Release Form. All roommate will need to complete a Roommate Agreement form each year even if the student with the ESA is living with same roommate/s as in previous years.

ESA Priority Date and Housing Timeline Considerations

For new ESA requests and renewals, we ask that students submit all required documentation by June 30 to ensure timely consideration in alignment with housing assignments and student needs for the upcoming academic year.

We recognize that some students may submit a new request or experience disability-related or logistical barriers in meeting the June 30 priority deadline. Bethel will continue to consider ESA accommodation requests and supporting documentation submitted after this date, as we are committed to engaging in an interactive and individualized process with each student. However, requests received after June 30 may be subject to a waitlist for a housing option that can allow for an ESA accommodation, and therefore the animal may not be permitted on campus until appropriate housing is available to support the accommodation.

If you anticipate any difficulty meeting the June 30 deadline, we encourage you to contact OARS at oars@bethel.edu as early as possible.