Students may require residence accommodations for a variety of reasons. Trent Student Housing makes every effort to support the diverse and unique needs of students living in residence.
If you have a medical, disability, religious, dietary or service animal need that may require specific residence accommodations, you must indicate this in your Residence application.
Residence accommodation requests are used only for residence room assignment purposes and are not used to determine eligibility or admission to Trent residence. We cannot guarantee specific residence room types or buildings based on preference; however, we will work to ensure that reasonable accommodations are provided based on your documented needs.
How to complete an Accessibility & Unique Needs in Residence Request form
Students seeking specific accessibility needs in residence for pre-existing circumstances must complete the accommodation request form on the Student Housing Portal in the application process. Steps on how to do so can be found below.
Apply for residence online
- All responses and documentation for accommodation requests are completed within the Student Housing Portal. Click here for instructions on how to complete a residence application.
- Once in an application, proceed to the Accessibility in Residence Section
- Select ‘Yes’ if you have an accommodation request
- Select the type of Accommodation Request:
- You will be asked to indicate the type(s) of accommodation you are requesting:
- Medical (Examples: environmental sensitivities, immunocompromised, mental health related, etc.)
- Disability (Examples: hearing impairment, mobility related accessibility needs) Religious (Examples: access to smudging, ceremonial objects, dietary related religious needs, etc.)
- Dietary-related needs (including food-related allergies, anaphylaxis, etc.)
- Service Animal (with required supporting documentation) For more information, please refer to the Service Animals on Campus Policy
- Upload your completed medical attestation form for Medical, Disability, Dietary, and Service Animal related needs. For Religious-based needs, you will not require a medical attestation form but will need to provide a declaration of Religious-based need.
Required Documentation
Medical, Disability, and Dietary Requests
You must upload a completed Attesting Professional Supporting Documentation Form.
Please have your medical professional fill out the following form:
Download the Attesting Professional Supporting Documentation Form
The Attesting Professional Supporting Documentation Form is used to gather information for the purpose of:
- Confirmation of the accommodation request.
- Evaluation of how or if the identified need will impact and/or limit the student’s ability to successfully participate in the room self-selection process;
- Recommendations for room types and amenities that will best meet the student’s needs.
- Obtaining additional information that is related to the student’s appropriate housing needs.
Please note that Trent Student Housing does not require disclosure of a diagnosis; however, sufficient information must be presented for the department to provide reasonable accommodations for the student.
Service Animals in Residence Requests
To request to bring a Service Animal to residence, you must be registered with Student Accessibility Services (SAS).
Information on how to register with SAS can be found on their website.
To request to bring a service animal into residence, students must:
- Register your service animal with Trent Student Accessibility Services, including having your medical health professional complete a Service Animal Recommendation Form. Refer to the Service Animals on Campus Policy for more information.
- Upload a completed Attesting Professional Supporting Documentation Form to your Student Housing Application.
- Upload a completed Service Animal Recommendation Form to your Student Housing Application.
Students approved to have a service animal in residence will be required to review, agree to, and sign a Service Animal in Housing Agreement, which outlines expectations, responsibilities, and community living standards related to the animal within student housing.
Only the completed Attesting Professional Supporting Documentation form will be accepted by Student Housing.
Declaration of Religious-based Need
Religious based requests do not require a medical attestation form.
Instead, you must submit a Declaration of Religious Based Need, which includes:
- An explanation of the creed-based requirement
- How the religious practice directly relates to the accommodation being requested
Submission Deadline
- All documentation must be uploaded through the Student Housing Portal by June 5, 2026, before 11:59:59 P.M.
- Documents sent by email will not be accepted
- Late submissions may be subject to a $50 Late Documents Fee and may not be reviewed
Completed forms must be returned to the student by the Attesting Professional.
First year incoming students and international students must follow applicable deadlines to maintain eligibility for guaranteed residence. Additional details are available on the Applying to Residence page.
Room assignments
Room assignments related to accessibility and accommodation needs are completed before the general self-selection process.
All assignments are subject to the applicable residence fee for the assigned room type and location
Students on the residence waitlist who have identified an accessibility need may receive an offer if a suitable space becomes available
In some cases, an interim or alternative accommodation may be provided until a more appropriate option becomes available
Upper Year Students
Upper year students can visit the Student Housing portal to complete their Residence Application and be placed on the Residence waitlist.
Residence is not guaranteed for upper year students.
The presence of a disability alone does not qualify a student for priority consideration. Documentation must clearly demonstrate that:
- The student’s functional limitations require on campus housing, and
- Those needs cannot be reasonably accommodated off campus
Current Residents with New or Previously Undisclosed Needs or Temporary Accessibility Needs
If you are a current resident with a new or previously undisclosed medical, disability, religious, dietary, or service animal need, or if you require with a temporary accommodation need (such as a broken limb) please email residence@trentu.ca.
For medical, disability, temporary, and dietary-related needs, Student Housing requires a completed Attesting Professional Supporting Documentation form. No other documentation will be accepted. Once completed, the form must be uploaded and submitted to Student Housing through the Student Housing Portal.
If a room transfer is required to support an accessibility need in residence, and subject to availability, the change will be made on a permanent basis for the remainder of the academic year. The room assignment will be subject to the applicable residence fee for the assigned room type and building.
