Key points
- SUNY Geneseo's ADHD guideline says a full psychoeducational battery, including aptitude and achievement tests, is required, and its documentation page asks for documentation completed within the last five years.
- SUNY New Paltz accepts a psychological or educational evaluation, an IEP or 504 plan, or a Disability Verification Form from a treating professional such as a psychiatrist, and can meet without documentation.
- The University at Albany wants ADHD documentation signed within the past five years; Binghamton wants documentation from age 14 or older.
- Suffolk County Community College says documentation should generally be no more than three years old and that accommodations are not retroactive.
- Oswego and Potsdam require students to request accommodations each semester.
The State University of New York is a system of many campuses, from research universities to community colleges. For students with ADHD, the practical consequence is that there is no single SUNY rulebook for accommodations. Each campus disability office decides what documentation it accepts, how often you must renew and how appeals work, all within the same federal law. This article compares what several SUNY campuses publish, as read in October 2026.
It is general information, not legal advice. For federal rules that apply to every college, see ADHD accommodations at New York colleges, which also covers Stony Brook and Buffalo. CUNY, which does have one systemwide policy, is covered in ADHD accommodations at CUNY.
The federal baseline
SUNY campuses are public institutions covered by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and Title II of the ADA. The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights explains that colleges must provide appropriate academic adjustments, that students must identify themselves and follow the school's procedures, and that an IEP or 504 plan from high school is generally not sufficient documentation by itself. Within those limits, each campus writes its own procedures.
Documentation rules, campus by campus
| Campus | How recent | What it asks for | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUNY Geneseo | Within the last five years | Typed report on letterhead with clinical interview and history, plus a full psychoeducational battery: intelligence or aptitude and achievement tests with standard scores | Says a diagnosis should never rest solely on a checklist or rating scale, and that response to medication alone does not confirm a diagnosis |
| SUNY New Paltz | Not stated | Any of: psychological evaluation, educational evaluation, IEP, 504 plan (plus a diagnosis if the plan lacks one), or a Disability Verification Form from a treating physician, psychologist, psychiatrist or other licensed mental health professional | Can schedule an intake meeting without documentation |
| University at Albany | Signed within the past five years | Documentation on the provider's letterhead explaining how each accommodation addresses the functional impact | May offer provisional services case by case while documentation is gathered |
| Binghamton University | From age 14 or older | Clear confirmation of a diagnosis, not a list of symptoms | Chart notes, prescription notes, screening tools, IEPs and 504 plans generally are not enough on their own; lack of documentation will not stop the office from meeting with you |
| Suffolk County Community College | Generally no more than three years old | DSM diagnosis and a summary of current symptoms; how the condition substantially limits a major life activity; test scores where tests were used | Accommodations are not retroactive; do not delay contacting the office over missing paperwork |
| SUNY Westchester Community College | Not stated | Need can be shown in documentation or during an intake interview with a counselor | Guidelines updated May 2025 |
The biggest difference: testing or a clinician's report
Geneseo's ADHD guideline is the strictest of those reviewed. It refers to an Educational Testing Service policy statement and says a full psychoeducational battery is required, including a complete intellectual assessment (it names tests such as the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale) and a comprehensive achievement battery, with all scores reported. It says professionals conducting the assessment must be licensed, such as neuropsychologists or clinical psychologists, and that professionals should not evaluate family members. The student pays for documentation, according to Geneseo's documentation page.
New Paltz sits at the other end. If you are being treated for ADHD by a physician, psychologist, psychiatrist or other licensed mental health professional, it asks that clinician to complete its Disability Verification Form. Albany usually accepts a letter on letterhead from the treating professional. A psychiatric evaluation can meet requirements like these; it will not meet Geneseo's.
This practice provides psychiatric evaluation and treatment, not psychological or neuropsychological testing. Before you book anything for accommodation purposes, check which kind of documentation your campus wants. The difference is explained in clinical evaluation or neuropsychological testing, and what a clinician's report should contain is in ADHD documentation for work, school and exams.
Renewing every semester
Approval is rarely permanent. SUNY Oswego says students must register with Accessibility Resources every semester they want accommodations, and asks students with internships or student teaching to request accommodations at least one semester before the placement. SUNY Potsdam's syllabus policy, adopted 2 February 2026, tells registered students to submit a Semester Request through the Accommodate portal every semester and warns that accommodations generally are not provided retroactively. Westchester sends accommodation letters to professors through Accommodate after each Semester Request, and a class added later needs a new request.
The pattern is the same across campuses: get documentation in before you need it. Geneseo says it reviews documentation in the order received.
Transferring between SUNY campuses
Because each campus sets its own standard, and no SUNY rule was found that carries an approval from one campus to another, expect the new office to make its own decision. A student who transfers from a community college that accepted a clinician's letter to a four-year campus with stricter rules may be asked for more. Before a transfer, compare the two offices' published guidelines, ask the new office whether it will review your existing file, and request copies of your approval letters from the old one.
Graduate admissions tests and licensing exams apply their own documentation standards again, separate from any college. Those are compared in ADHD accommodations on the bar exam and other exams.
Confidentiality
Oswego says disability-related information is treated confidentially. Ask your campus office who sees your documentation and how long it is kept. Broader privacy rules are in ADHD privacy in New York.
If a request is denied
Appeal routes are also set campus by campus. Westchester's guidelines describe a Section 504/ADA grievance that must be filed within thirty working days of the alleged discriminatory act, with a written determination from the ADA Coordinator within sixty working days. Ask your campus office for its appeal procedure and deadline in writing when you receive a decision.
Outside the college, a complaint to the Office for Civil Rights ordinarily must be filed within 180 days of the act complained of. Other options are in filing a disability discrimination complaint in New York.
A checklist for SUNY students with ADHD
- Find your campus disability office page and its ADHD or documentation guideline.
- Note the recency rule and whether test scores are required.
- Ask whether a form from your treating clinician is accepted.
- Submit before the semester starts; ask about provisional accommodations if documents are delayed.
- Put the semester renewal date in your calendar.
- Keep copies of every decision and letter.
Campus health services set separate rules for ADHD medication, compared in what New York campus health centers will and won't do for ADHD. Students who need an off-campus evaluation or prescriber can read adult ADHD care for college and graduate students. Dr. Shershow sees adults 18 and older located in New York or New Jersey.
Questions
Does SUNY have one ADHD documentation policy for all campuses?
No systemwide SUNY policy was found for this guide. Each campus disability office publishes its own guidelines, and they differ on recency, test scores and accepted forms.
Do SUNY campuses require psychological testing for ADHD accommodations?
Some do. SUNY Geneseo's ADHD guideline requires a full psychoeducational battery with aptitude and achievement scores. Others, such as SUNY New Paltz and the University at Albany, accept a form or letter from a treating clinician.
Can a psychiatrist's letter be enough at SUNY?
At some campuses, yes. New Paltz lists psychiatrists among the treating professionals who can complete its Disability Verification Form, and Albany usually accepts a letter on letterhead explaining how each accommodation addresses the functional impact. Check your campus's current rules.
Do I have to reapply for accommodations every semester at SUNY?
At many campuses you must at least renew. Oswego requires registration every semester, and Potsdam and Westchester use a Semester Request through the Accommodate portal.
Can I get accommodations for an exam I already took?
Generally not. Potsdam and Suffolk both say accommodations are not provided retroactively, so contact the office before you need them.
Sources
- SUNY Geneseo: Office of Accessibility Services, Documentation
- SUNY Geneseo: Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder documentation guidelines
- SUNY New Paltz Disability Resource Center: Disability documentation guidelines
- University at Albany: Register with Disability Access and Inclusion Student Services
- Binghamton University: Services for Students with Disabilities, Documentation
- Suffolk County Community College: Documenting a disability
- SUNY Westchester Community College: Accessibility Services guidelines and procedures (updated May 2025)
- SUNY Oswego: Accessibility Resources policies
- SUNY Potsdam: Policy on Accommodative Services statement for course syllabi (adopted February 2, 2026)
- US Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights: Students with Disabilities Preparing for Postsecondary Education
- US Department of Education: How to File a Discrimination Complaint with OCR
