Animals on Campus

The University of Texas at Austin allows individuals to bring animals on UT Austin property in accordance with federal and state laws and in other situations subject to the rules outlined in this policy.

A service animal is permitted on campus grounds and within UT Austin buildings and housing. This practice follows Titles II and III of the American with Disabilities Act, as amended (ADA) and the Fair Housing Act (FHA).

An emotional support animal is permitted on campus grounds and to accompany an individual with a disability into his or her UT Austin housing assignment in accordance with the FHA. However, an emotional support animal is not allowed to accompany the individual into his or her residential dining center or into any other UT Austin building.

A service animal in training is permitted on campus grounds and within UT Austin buildings. The individual accompanying the service animal in training should carry documentation indicating that the individual is an approved trainer as defined by this policy.

Therapy animals are trained to provide comfort to individuals in therapeutic settings (e.g., hospitals, nursing homes).  They are different from service animals and emotional support animals in that they are not trained to perform specific tasks for a person with a disability (service animal) and, while they may provide emotional support to their owner, their primary job is to provide comfort and support to others.  Therapy animals are specially trained to be comfortable in different settings and interact with a wide variety of people. Therapy animals may be allowed on campus for special events (e.g., finals week to provide stress relief for students) or in certain settings (e.g., hospital) with prior approval from the sponsoring department and Environmental Health and Safety.  More information about how to make a request is here.