Emotional Support Animals (ESAs)

Emotional Support Animals (ESAs)

Accepted students and fall semester transfer students who will be attending Messiah University for the first time in the fall of 2024 may now request an emotional support animal for the upcoming academic year. Emotional Support Animal (ESA) requests for the fall 2024 semester for returning students have closed. If you have questions about special housing, please send an email to specialhousing@messiah.edu. 

Applying for an Emotional Support Animal (ESA) at Messiah University

Procedures, Guidelines, and Deadlines

Procedure for requesting an ESA at Messiah University 

1. Complete the online Emotional Support Animal Request Form by the appropriate deadline listed below. Students must be logged into Google with their Messiah University credentials to complete the application. The best way to ensure access to the Emotional Support Animal Request Form is to open an Incognito Window in a browser and then sign into Google with Messiah credentials. If an error occurs regarding access, please confirm that a Messiah student Google account is being used.

   • The online request form will ask if the request is being made by a first-time ESA applicant or by a student who currently has a previously approved and legally vaccinated ESA on campus.  First-time applicants will need to complete both steps of the ESA application process which include the online application request form and the Disability Documentation Form (DDF). 

   • Students who are requesting to return to campus the next academic year with their previously approved ESA only need to complete the online request form and submit the associated ESA forms listed below.  Unless contacted by the Office of Academic Accessibility or the Dean of Students, students who wish to return to campus with their previously approved and legally vaccinated ESA are not required to resubmit the DDF each year.

2. Send the Disability Documentation Form (DDF) to your healthcare provider for completion and confirm that the completed form is submitted to the Office of Academic Accessibility before the application deadline.

   • The mental healthcare provider (psychologist, psychiatrist, or therapist) must be licensed and qualified to make a diagnosis and recommendation for an emotional support animal (ESA). 

   • Although the DDF will be submitted to the university by the healthcare provider directly, it is the student’s responsibility to make sure the DDF is sent to Messiah University by the ESA application deadline.  

   • Students who wish to return to campus with their previously approved and legally vaccinated ESA are not required to resubmit the DDF each year unless they are contacted by the Office of Academic Accessibility or the Dean of Students.

   • Failure to submit a completed DDF by the ESA application deadline will result in a denial of the ESA request.

   • Note: The Disability Documentation Form is an online, fillable PDF document designed for ease of use by healthcare providers using a PC in an office setting. For this reason, some mobile devices, particularly iPhones, may not be able to open the DDF.

Guidelines regarding Emotional Support Animal (ESA) paperwork 

1. If a student is approved for an ESA, or if a student is planning to return to campus with a previously approved and legally vaccinated ESA, four other forms must be submitted to the Office of Academic Accessibility prior to the ESA's move to or return to campus.  Following approval, the student will receive an email notification with a link to an online ESA Information Form which will provide a means for the following paperwork to be submitted electronically.

   • Residential Animal Agreement 

   • Roommate Agreement

   • Veterinarian Verification Form

   • Liability Waiver and Release Agreement

2. For the health and wellbeing of Messiah community members, ESA forms must be completed, signed, and submitted before the ESA is brought to campus. Student ESA handlers should review Messiah University's Animal Assist Policy to learn more about the expectations for animals on campus.

3. The ESA Information Form, which is accessed through a link sent directly to students who are approved to bring an ESA to campus for the first time or who are approved to return with their ESA, will request specific details about the ESA, including animal type and name, and require an upload of a current photo of the ESA.  This information will be shared with pertinent campus community partners and offices.

Deadlines for an ESA at Messiah University

Under normal circumstances, ESA requests are considered before the start of each academic year. The deadline for ESA applications for returning students is March 3, while the deadline for accepted students and fall semester transfer students is May 15.  For students commencing studies or requesting a change mid-year, the application deadline is November 11. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the required forms are submitted to the Office of Academic Accessibility prior to the application deadline. The Disability Documentation Form is to be completed, downloaded, signed, and submitted to Messiah University by the applicant’s licensed healthcare provider (psychologist, psychiatrist, or therapist). 

Beginning of the academic year application deadlines 

• Returning Messiah University students – March 3
• Accepted and fall semester transfer Messiah University students – May 15

Mid-year application deadline –

• All students – November 11

Important note about ESAs on campus

Per the Fair Housing Act (FHA), the University provides reasonable accommodations for emotional support animals in residential housing. An emotional support animal is an animal that provides necessary therapeutic benefits to its owner through companionship. Unlike service animals, emotional support animals are only allowed in the student’s room/apartment and designated outside areas. Emotional support animals are not permitted in all areas of campus.

Contact Us

You may email us at specialhousing@messiah.edu.  Our fax number is 717-691-2304.  If you'd like to contact us via US Mail, you may use the following address:  
Office of Academic Accessibility, Messiah University, One University Ave. Suite 3059, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055.