Housing

It is very important for students to be aware that communal living is an essential element of all housing options offered by UNM Residence Life. Communal living refers to a situation where a group of people live together, sharing space as well as other amenities.

Residence Life and Student Housing works in partnership with the UNM Accessibility Resource Center to provide accommodations to self-identified students with disabilities. To receive a housing accommodation based on disability, students must be registered with the Accessibility Resource Center.

To request a disability accommodation for accessible campus housing, students are advised to contact the Accessibility Resource Center as soon as they have submitted their housing application to Residence Life. Some accommodations, such as a single room with no suitemates, have very limited availability. Housing accommodations are provided on a first-come, first-served basis, so it is best to submit the housing application and contact the Accessibility Resource Center as early as possible. Residence Life provides Housing assignments based on the accommodations approved by the Accessibility Resource Center.

The following are examples of housing accommodations that can be provided if they are needed because of a disability. All decisions regarding accommodation requests, including others not listed below, are made in consultation with the student's Accommodations Specialist and in accordance with UNM Policy 2310. 


  • Single room (as part of a suite of single rooms with a shared common area)
  • Single room (traditional dorm-style, no suitemates)
  • Wheelchair-accessible room

Meal Plan Exception

There are two avenues for students requesting a release from the food plan. The Meal Plan flowchart explains the process. The formal process for requesting an exemption from the meal plan due to a medical condition begins with a meeting with the Executive Chef from La Posada. The chef will talk with the student about their dietary needs and how they can best be met. If, after that meeting, the Chef and student agree that the dietary needs cannot be accommodated, the next step is to meet with ARC. At this stage, it is necessary for the student to provide documentation of the chronic health condition to ARC. Once we have the medical documentation, the student meets with the appropriate staff to discuss specific details related to the meal plan and the results of the meeting with the chef. The Lobo Card office is then notified regarding the outcome of the meeting.


Service Animals

Consistent with federal and state law, the University of New Mexico recognizes its responsibilities to extend equal access to individuals with disabilities who use a Service Animal on University property. A service animal means a dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, or other disability. The work or tasks performed by a service animal must be directly related to the handler's disability. Providing emotional support, well-being, comfort, or companionship do not constitute work or tasks for the purposes of this definition. Please see UNM Policy 2295: Service and Assistance Animals/a> for full details.

Per UNM policy, before a Service Animal may enter the University residence halls, the student must register with the Accessibility Resource Center and receive approval from ARC to reside in UNM Student Housing with the Animal. Students are advised to contact the Accessibility Resource Center directly to request the accommodation of having a service animal reside with them in on-campus or other UNM-affiliated housing.

The student is responsible for the care and supervision of the service Animal. Additionally, a service Animal may be removed from UNM Student Housing if the animal is out of control and effective action is not taken to control it, if the animal is not housebroken, or if the animal poses a direct threat to the health or safety of others.


Emotional Support Animals (Assistance Animals)

UNM Student Housing, including Student Family Housing, is subject to the federal Fair Housing Act, which extends accommodation to Assistance Animals as well as Service Animals. An Assistance Animal provides emotional support, comfort, or therapy that alleviates one or more identified symptoms or effects associated with its owner's disability.

Unlike a Service Animal, an Assistance Animal need not be individually trained or certified to perform any disability-related task. Assistance Animals are sometimes referred to as therapy, comfort, companion, or emotional support animals. We will refer to them as emotional support animals on the remainder of this page.

Emotional support animals are limited to animals commonly kept in households, such as a dog, cat, small bird, rabbit, hamster, gerbil, other rodent, fish, turtle, or other small, domesticated animal that is traditionally kept in the home for pleasure rather than for commercial purposes. Reptiles (other than turtles), barnyard animals, monkeys, kangaroos, and other non-domesticated animals are not considered common household animals.

Per UNM policy, before an emotional support animal may enter the University residence halls, the student must register with the Accessibility Resource Center and receive approval from ARC to reside in UNM Student Housing with the Animal. Students are advised to contact the Accessibility Resource Center directly to request the accommodation of having an emotional support animal reside with them in on-campus or other UNM-affiliated housing.

A student seeking to reside in UNM Student Housing with an emotional support animal not otherwise permitted under the UNM Student Housing no-pets policy must meet the following criteria:

  • The student has a disability under federal law, and the University is made aware of the disability;
  • The emotional support Animal is necessary to give the student an equal opportunity to access and fully use and enjoy the residence;
  • There is a direct relationship between the student’s disability and the assistance that the emotional support Animal provides; and
  • The request to have the emotional support Animal is reasonable.

The student is responsible for the care and supervision of the emotional support animal.  Additionally, an emotional support animal may be removed from UNM Student Housing if the animal is out of control and effective action is not taken to control it, if the animal is not housebroken, or if the animal poses a direct threat to the health or safety of others.

Please see UNM Policy 2295: Service and Assistance Animals/a> for full details.