Course Substitution Accommodation

The University of Colorado Denver recognizes that certain disabilities may preclude a student from successfully completing a specific course requirement for a degree, even with appropriate accommodations. In adherence with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the most recent guidance from the Department of Justice (DOJ), the following process outlines the steps for requesting a course substitution on the basis of disability. 

• Students seeking a course substitution on the basis of disability shall present appropriate documentation to the Disability Resources and Services office. Documentation should be completed by an evaluator who is qualified to make the diagnosis and with whom the student has a professional medical relationship.
• Already registered students should make an appointment with their designated DRS Coordinator through their Accommodate portal, emailing disabilityresources@ucdenver.edu, calling (303)315-3510, or visiting the Student Commons Building Suite 2116. Non-registered students can request to register for accommodations through our online registration form. Completing this form will create an account with Accommodate, our online accommodation request system. Please make sure to register with Accommodate using your @ucdenver.edu email address.

Requests for course substitutions will be considered on an individual basis depending on the academic requirements and the student’s documentation of the disability. Documentation must substantiate that the disability can be reasonably expected to prevent the student from learning the course material, thus preventing meeting degree requirements, admissions to a program of study, or graduation requirements.

A student may request a course substitution at any time during their academic career at CU Denver; to allow adequate time to process the request and ensure it meets the student’s degree requirements per their declared major, it is recommended that the student request after they have declared their major, but with a minimum of 3 semesters before projected graduation. The University retains the right to revoke a substitution if the student changes majors and the substituted course is found to be essential to the newly declared major field of study.

This substitution request will be reviewed by a committee, including the Director of Disability Resources and Services (DRS), the Department Chair of the substituted course’s program, the student’s academic advisor, and the student’s college's Dean, Associate Dean, or Program Director. The request will be submitted to DRS, and the DRS Director will present the request to the committee for review. The course substitution request has four parts:

1. Completed Course Substitution request form
2. Personal statement written by the student
3. Signed Release of Information
4. Documentation review

These documents are provided to students once the request for a course substitution is initiated.

Once the request form and personal statement are submitted, the student will then sign a release of information to be able to share the full request packet and discuss the documentation that is on file with the Disability Resources and Services office with the committee. The date of this committee review meeting is subject to committee member availability but will be reviewed within 30 days of the full request submitted.

The final decision regarding a course substitution lies with the Dean of the student’s college except when the request involves a core requirement. In the case of a core requirement, the final decision will be made by the campus Core Curriculum Oversight Committee (CCOC). If the student has declared multiple majors, the final authority regarding the course substitution rests with the Dean of the college whose course requirement is in question.

The student will be informed of the committee’s findings and the Dean’s decision in writing, typically via email. If the substitution request is not determined to be a reasonable accommodation and as a result, is denied, the student has the right to appeal the decision by following the grievance procedures through the Disability Resources and Services office.