Northwood University is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to students with disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.*

Based on these laws and University policy, the University:

• Does not engage in discrimination based on student disabilities.
• Does not impose eligibility criteria that will screen out disabled students.
• Reasonably accommodates students through an interactive process.

Process for Obtaining Accommodations

All current and newly admitted students can request academic accommodations following this disability services intake process.

You can start the process on your own, or work with an academic advisor, program center manager or other trusted Northwood employee.

1. Fill out the online intake form. The intake form will be available via your student portal.
2. Collect your documentation. 
   Please provide official documentation for academic accommodations to the Disability Services Director at or fax to (989) 837-4111.
3. Set up an intake appointment. You will be prompted to book your appointment when we receive your intake form.

At your intake appointment, you will discuss your accommodation request. Then, the disability services representative will begin to determine the accommodations for which you are eligible. You will also receive specific procedures for requesting accommodations during your studies at Northwood, and how to access other student support at Northwood.

Required Documentation

In general, students need to provide documentation from:

• A physician, psychologist or other qualified specialist‚ or
• An Individual Education Plan (IEP) or 504 Plan provided by the student’s high school.

Content must be current within the last twelve months and should include:

• Onset, history, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of disability and related symptoms, and the last date of physician contact.
• A practical but detailed description of how the disability currently affects learning or access to learning, including functional and behavioral limitations and special considerations such as the side effects of medicine.
• Description of accommodations and services used in the past and recommendations or a range of recommendations for academic accommodations going forward.

The University may require additional information or an independent evaluation or diagnostic interview in addition to the information listed above.

Please provide official documentation for academic accommodations to the Disability Services Director at or fax to (989) 837-4111.

Services Offered

Northwood University has a variety of accommodations for eligible students. These include, but are not limited to:

• Testing in a quiet room with reduced distractions.
• Testing with extra time.
• Having quizzes, tests and exams read aloud.
• Having a classmate serve as a volunteer note taker.
• Using audio versions of texts.

Eligibility for Accommodations

Enrolled students who present appropriate documentation for disabilities that affect learning or access to learning are eligible for accommodations.

Limits on Accommodations

Northwood University is not required to provide accommodations that would:

• Fundamentally alter the nature of educational services.
• Result in major program modifications.
• Decrease academic or grading standards.
• Disregard core course requirements or materially compromise the standards of the curriculum.
• Provide personal health care assistants or devices.
• Impose an undue financial or administrative burden to the department or university.

In general, whether and when these limits apply are unique to each case.

Importantly, students should be aware that the need for disability accommodations does not exempt any student from compliance with student conduct policies or from appropriate discipline for violations of such policies, and in particular, conduct requirements that are essential to University operations and the programs in which the student is involved.

Website Accessibility

We are auditing our website to discover ways in which we can improve accessibility and navigability for users with disabilities. To ensure the highest level of service to all users and compatibility with assistive technology, we are checking our web content against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 level AA standard.

Once complete, we will be able to take steps to enact any changes necessary to ensure every part of the website is navigable and viewable by non-graphical, text-only browsers, which improves usability and accessibility. We thank you for your patience and understanding while our site undergoes this extensive technical audit.

Additional Academic Help

Any Northwood student may participate in free programs offered through the Timberwolf Learning Center. These include:

• Tutoring in accounting and mathematics during Drop-in Tutoring hours, 34 hours per week.
• One-on-one tutoring appointments.
• Tutor-led study groups in frequently-requested subjects.
• Guidance on study, time management, college reading and test-taking skills through:
  • Learning Strategy Workshops on specific topics, offered throughout the year as one-time, optional workshops;
  • Individual study advice with a tutor or Tutoring Director by appointment.

If you have any questions about our disability services, want to send documentation or would like to arrange for accommodations, please contact us anytime.

* Northwood University is not required to provide accommodations which would compromise the standards of the curriculum or which would pose an undue financial or administrative burden to the department or university.