Dyslexia at college and university: accommodations and extra time

By the team at Verba Manent IA · updated October 28, 2026 · 9 min

At school there was a plan written by the teachers, and someone checked that it was followed. At college or university nobody comes looking for you: you have to ask for the support you are entitled to. The good news is that the law still protects you, and every college and university has a service whose job is exactly this.

This guide explains what a student with dyslexia or another specific learning difference can get, for students in the United States and students in the United Kingdom: who to contact, which documents you need, which accommodations are common in lectures and exams, and how to study with dyslexia during the semester. For the tools themselves, see the guide to assistive tools for dyslexia.

Rules and procedures differ between colleges and universities. The guide explains the general framework; sources are at the end.

In short: the steps in order

The big change from school

• You start the process. Nothing happens until you contact the service: no one is told about your dyslexia unless you choose to disclose it.
• The aim is equal access, not a different course. Accommodations change how you learn and are tested, not what you must learn.
• It is confidential. Instructors usually receive a list of accommodations, not your diagnosis.
• It is not a weakness to ask. Disability services see many students with dyslexia every year, and instructors are used to accommodation letters.

In the United States

1. What the law says

The IEP ends with high school: the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) does not apply at college. What still applies is civil rights law: Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (for colleges that receive federal funding, which is almost all of them) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Under these laws a college must not discriminate against you and must provide reasonable accommodations, but it does not have to design a special program for you or lower its academic standards.

2. Contact the disability services office

The name changes from college to college: Disability Services, Office of Accessibility, Disability Resource Center, Student Accessibility Services. Look it up on the college website as soon as you are admitted, not after your first bad test. Many offices have an online form for new students.

3. Documentation

You will be asked for documents that show your disability and how it affects learning. Requirements vary by college: some accept your previous IEP or 504 plan together with a meeting, others ask for a recent psycho-educational evaluation by a qualified professional. Colleges are not required to pay for a new evaluation. Read your college’s documentation guidelines before booking an expensive private assessment.

4. The interactive process

With your documents, you meet a disability specialist. Together you look at your needs and the demands of your courses and agree on the accommodations: this conversation is called the interactive process. Bring a list of what worked for you at school.

Typical accommodations for dyslexia:

The office then gives you an accommodation letter (or an online notice). It is usually up to you to share it with each instructor, often at the start of every term.

5. Graduate admission tests

Accommodations at college do not carry over automatically to graduate admission tests. The GRE (ETS), LSAT (LSAC) and MCAT (AAMC) each have their own request process, documentation rules and deadlines. Requests can take weeks to review, so apply well before the test date.

6. If something goes wrong

First talk to the disability services office; most colleges also have an internal grievance procedure or an ADA/504 coordinator. If the problem is not solved, you can file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR). There are time limits for complaints, so do not wait months.

In the United Kingdom

1. What the law says

Under the Equality Act 2010, universities must not discriminate against disabled students and must make reasonable adjustments so that you are not at a substantial disadvantage. Dyslexia is often covered by the Act’s definition of disability. Adjustments must not change the academic standard of your degree, only how you access it.

2. Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA)

The DSA is extra funding for the costs of studying with a disability, including a specific learning difference such as dyslexia. You do not pay it back, and it does not depend on household income.

What usually happens:

1. You apply, with evidence. For dyslexia this is usually a diagnostic assessment report by a specialist teacher or psychologist; check with your funding body whether an older report from school is accepted, as reports done after 16 are often expected.
2. If you are eligible, you are invited to a needs assessment: a meeting with an assessor to discuss how you study and what would help.
3. The assessor writes a report, and your funding body tells you what the DSA will pay for.

What the DSA can fund:

• assistive software: text-to-speech, mind-mapping, dictation, note-taking and recording tools;
• equipment, such as a computer or a digital recorder, when needed for your course;
• specialist study skills support: one-to-one sessions with a tutor trained in specific learning differences.

You can apply before your course starts: it takes time, so do it as soon as you have a place.

3. The university disability service

The DSA pays for tools and support; exam adjustments are arranged by the university. Register with its disability service (it may be called Disability and Dyslexia Support, Wellbeing or Student Support) and bring your report. Common adjustments:

The service usually writes a support plan and shares it with your department. Check before each exam period that your adjustments are on the exam timetable.

Talking to your instructors

An accommodation letter opens the door; a short conversation makes it work. Within the first weeks of each course:

• write a short email or go to office hours: introduce yourself, say you have an accommodation letter and ask how the instructor prefers to handle tests;
• ask about readings early: if you know the reading list in advance, you can get the texts in digital format and listen to them;
• tell them you will record lectures, if that is one of your accommodations: most instructors prefer to know;
• confirm exam arrangements a few weeks before the exam, not the day before.

You do not have to explain your diagnosis. Saying “I have dyslexia, and these are the arrangements that help me” is enough.

Studying with dyslexia during the semester

Accommodations in exams help, but your method during the semester makes the difference:

• record your lectures and listen again, instead of rereading pages of notes taken in a hurry. Here is how to take notes in college;
• one map per lecture, made the same day: by the end of the course you already have your review material. Here is how to make concept maps;
• listen to readings with text-to-speech while you follow the text with your eyes;
• review at intervals, a little every day, instead of everything the week before. Flashcards help;
• practise with your exam timing, including the extra time you are allowed: knowing how long you have per question reduces anxiety.

The most common mistakes

• Waiting for the first bad grade before contacting disability services.
• Assuming the school plan carries over: in the US the IEP ends, in the UK the university needs its own evidence.
• Applying late for the DSA or for graduate test accommodations: assessments and reviews take weeks.
• Not giving the letter to instructors (US): accommodations that nobody knows about do not happen.
• Giving up the support for fear of being judged: it is your right, and it is confidential.

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