I was born on May 28, 1980 and graduated high school back in the year 1999. In regards to the requirement that all freshman and sophomore students must live on campus, does anybody is there any way I can get an exemption if I decide to attend such University with this requirement? I am diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome (Autism Spectrum Disorder) and my disability precludes me from successfully living in residence halls with a roommate. I am medically not capable at all of resolving roommate conflicts and communicating at this level. In such situations, I do have meltdowns due to being overwhelmed I also can go into meltdown mode if my senses are overwhelmed and I cannoli get away from it. Does anybody know if I go to the disability service office and file the documentation of my disability, is there any way I can get an exemption? I feel the RA’s and the roommates as well as other residents are very ignorant in regards to understanding the Autism Spectrum and RA’s are not trained in regards to understanding those with Autism. I know this based on other past experiences and especially since back in High School in the 1990s and before, I have been a victim of bullying and hate just because of my disability and when I brought it to faculty and administrators, they did absolutely nothing to address it and stop it and the only housing accommodations is to exempt me from the live on campus requirement. If I do apply and get accepted, I plan to bring my travel trailer, rent an RV site with full hookups at the monthly rental rate at an RV park, and set up and live in my travel trailer full time by myself without a roommate.
I believe you would be exempt from on campus living requirements due to your age and status of “non-traditional” student.
Hi Bryan,
I just wanted to say I am really proud of you for taking the step to go back to school! As the previous poster stated, I don’t think you meet the criterion for on campus living. My son has an ASD also and is a second year college student. I know all too well how challenging it can be for others to understand you. I would definitely suggest meeting with disability services of the college you are considering before acceptance to discuss your needs and concerns too. Best of luck!
Thanks for starting my day with such a great example of determination, self awareness, ability and intellect!!! I suspect most schools will be flexible given your circumstances, past experiences and candor.
Once again thanks for sharing and good luck!!
You would have to check the web site of the specific university to see if it has a live-on-campus requirement and whether it would apply to you. Note that many universities do not have such a requirement, or may exempt non-traditional students (often including older students) from it.
You are starting with a lot of misconceptions.
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“Non-traditional” students (ie, those not coming straight from HS) are never required to live in 1st year housing. Nobody wants a 40+ year old living with 18 year olds! Housing options have expanded unrecognizably over the last 20 years. Among other things, single rooms are much more common and there are usually ‘quiet’ floors in dorms- but there are also more options for older students at many universities.
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The general understanding of autism and related challenges has moved on a lot over the last 20 years. Please don’t start out expecting the worst- somehow when we expect the worst we seem to find it more often than when we start with an open mind. That’s hard when you have had bad experiences, but try to allow for the possibility that some things have improved!
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Your biggest limitation is going to be finding campuses with RV parks nearby.
Good luck & congratulations 
Hi Bryan-- my D’22 is also an Aspie and she is currently waiting on news from colleges. She did a lot of research into campuses and was especially impressed with William & Mary’s neurodiversity program-- but I’m sure there are others (Stanford comes to mind). I would spend some time looking into this.
Beyond that, yes, any college’s disability office will require an official diagnosis and documentation of your housing requirements but will be legally bound to allowing you to live in whatever environment is going to ensure your success. One of my daughter’s criteria in choosing which college to attend will be her impression of the colleges’ responsiveness with regard to her unique needs. She was open on her applications and expects if they accept her, they should be ready to accept all of her .
I wish you luck and join in congratulating you on your fortitude!
Congratulations on taking this step; that is awesome!! As a non traditional student, you will not have to live on campus. ADA offices, accommodations, technology and support have come so far since you were in high school. There are ASD programs at many schools; they offer special counseling, academic and executive functioning coaching, social skills training, special career and development help, independent living skills and more. Although you don’t qualify because of age, some colleges even have ASD dorms.
The first step is to contact the ADA offices at each school; they will help guide you through the accommodation process and let you know what documentation is needed. Some colleges require testing within the last 3 years; others only require a letter from your current physician stating current diagnoses, treatments (if any, for things like ADHD) and recommendations of accommodations along with a copy of your original testing.
Here is a list of ASD programs; many have an additional fee that can range from $3-6k/year. Even if you don’t enroll in an ASD program, it may give you an idea of colleges with a supportive culture for ASD.
We’re currently on this journey, so if you have any questions, let me know.