College accommodations after an IEP
By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated
Short answer
An IEP does not follow your child to college, but accommodations can. In college, Section 504 and the ADA protect students with disabilities. Your child must contact the college's disability services office, share documentation and ask for accommodations each term. Colleges provide equal access, not the specialized teaching or changed coursework an IEP can include.
In high school, the school finds your child, writes the plan and makes sure it happens. In college, your child has to start the process. That shift surprises many families, and the first semester is a hard time to learn it.
This page explains what changes, shows how high school supports turn into college accommodations, and lists what to do before graduation.
Why the IEP ends
The IEP comes from IDEA, a law for public schools serving children through high school. It ends when your child earns a regular diploma or ages out. Colleges are not covered by IDEA.
Two civil rights laws still apply. Section 504 covers colleges that get federal money, which includes most of them.[1] The Americans with Disabilities Act covers public colleges under Title II, and private colleges have their own ADA duties too.[2] These laws give students with disabilities equal access. They do not require a college to change what a course teaches or to lower its standards.[3]
College accommodations vs IEP
| Topic | In high school with an IEP | In college |
|---|---|---|
| Who starts it | The school must find and evaluate your child | Your child must go to the disability services office |
| The plan | A written IEP with goals and services | An accommodation letter; no goals |
| Who pays for testing | The school | Usually the student, if new testing is needed |
| What is offered | Specialized instruction, services, accommodations and sometimes modifications | Accommodations for equal access only |
| Who tells teachers | The case manager | Your child, usually by sending the letter each term |
| Your role as a parent | You are part of the team and sign consent | The college works with your child; privacy rules limit what it can share with you |
| Progress reports | Required for each goal | None |
The U.S. Department of Education's transition guide describes these same changes and urges families to plan for them early.[4]
What usually carries over and what may not
Many test and classroom accommodations carry over. Supports that change the work itself often do not.
| High school support | Likely in college? |
|---|---|
| Extended time on tests, such as time and a half | Often, with documentation |
| Testing in a quiet, separate room | Often |
| Text-to-speech or audio textbooks | Often |
| Note-taking help or permission to record lectures | Often |
| A reduced number of test questions | Rarely; it changes the test |
| Modified assignments or grading | Rarely; it changes the course |
| A paraprofessional or one-to-one aide | No; personal services are the student's own responsibility |
| Daily check-ins with a case manager | No, though many colleges offer tutoring or coaching open to all students |
An example, side by side
Here is a made-up example for a senior named Nadia. Hold it next to your child's IEP.
Nadia's IEP accommodations page:
Nadia's college accommodation letter, first semester:
What changed and why:
- Extended time and a separate room carried over. These give access without changing the test.
- "Copy of teacher notes" became a peer note-taker. The college met the same need a different way.
- "Reduced assignments" did not carry over. Doing half the problems changes the course, and colleges do not have to do that.
- The Monday check-in is gone. Nadia will need to use her planner, office hours and the campus tutoring center instead.
Skills to build before graduation
Your child will do the asking in college. The time to practice is now.
- Explain their disability and needs in a few sentences. The page on disability disclosure for students helps with this.
- Name their own accommodations. Many seniors cannot list what is on their IEP. Ask the team to work on it.
- Email a teacher to ask for an accommodation. Practice with high school teachers first.
- Use supports without a reminder. If your child only uses extended time when someone sets it up, start fading that help now.
The postsecondary education goals library has goal templates for these skills, such as registering with campus disability services and booking testing accommodations.
Questions to ask the team
- "Can my child practice leading part of the next IEP meeting?"
- "Which of my child's accommodations are likely to carry over to college?"
- "Can we add a goal for asking for accommodations?"
- "Is my child's latest evaluation recent enough for the colleges we are looking at?"
- "Will the summary of performance list the accommodations that worked?"
- "Can my child try a college class, or visit a disability services office, before graduating?"
- "Who on the team can help us find out what each college asks for?"
The school must give your child a summary of performance when they graduate with a regular diploma.[5] Ask that it list the accommodations your child used and how well they worked. The summary of performance template shows a strong one.
What to do next
- Look up the disability services office at each college on your child's list. Read what documentation it asks for.
- Keep copies of the IEP, evaluations and summary of performance.
- Have your child register with disability services after acceptance, before classes start.
- Expect to step back. Your child will lead. You can coach from the side.
- Get free help. Your state's Parent Training and Information Center can help with transition questions. Find it through the Center for Parent Information and Resources.[6]
For the full high school side of this, see the transition planning guide and measurable postsecondary goal examples.
Frequently asked questions
Does an IEP transfer to college?
No. The IEP ends when your child leaves high school. Your child can get accommodations in college under Section 504 and the ADA by registering with the college's disability services office.
Will the college accept my child's IEP as documentation?
Some colleges accept a recent IEP, 504 plan or summary of performance. Others ask for a recent evaluation. Each college sets its own rules, so check with the disability services office early.
Can I talk to my child's college about accommodations?
The college works directly with your child, who is an adult student. Privacy rules limit what the college can share with you unless your child gives permission. You can help your child prepare and practice.
Use it in IEP Atlas
- Postsecondary education goals (transition)
- ADA in the IEP glossary
- Accommodation in the IEP glossary
- Modification in the IEP glossary
- Section 504 in the IEP glossary
Related guides
- Transition planning in the IEP: what is required and when
- Work accommodations students can ask for
- Measurable postsecondary goal examples
- Transition goals vs postsecondary goals
- Disability disclosure for students leaving high school
- Summary of performance template and examples
Sources
- 29 U.S.C. §794: Nondiscrimination under Federal grants and programs (Section 504), Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
- State and Local Governments (ADA Title II), ADA.gov, U.S. Department of Justice
- 34 CFR Part 104: Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Handicap in Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance, eCFR (National Archives)
- A Transition Guide to Postsecondary Education and Employment for Students and Youth with Disabilities (August 2020), U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services
- 34 CFR §300.305: Additional requirements for evaluations and reevaluations, U.S. Department of Education (IDEA website)
- Center for Parent Information and Resources, CPIR
Written and checked by the IEP Atlas editorial team under our editorial policy. This guide describes general practice and federal rules. It is not legal advice; your state may add requirements, and the IEP team makes the decisions for each student.