What’s the situation with student service dogs?

Service dogs are generally welcome at SDU, but please be aware of any local guidelines in connection with teaching and exams.  

A service dog (or guide dog) is a dog that is certified to be a service dog. Often, the dog will wear a special vest that clearly marks that the dog is working.

Teaching in ‘dry’ rooms: Guide and service dogs are allowed

‘Dry’ rooms are rooms that are designed for written and oral communication, typically auditoriums and classrooms.

Out of consideration for other students and staff, SDU expects that guide or service dogs will be wearing some kind of visual marking (e.g. a harness) to indicate that the dog is working. In addition, the student must be in full control of the dog at all times.

Consideration for the equality of the student who needs a guide dog or service dog outweighs any allergies or anxiety that others may have.

Contact
Students are advised to contact the local programme administration to discuss how this can be done in the best possible way. Contactinformation can be found on the student’s study page on MySDU (opens MitSDU in a new tab).

Teaching in ‘wet’ rooms: Guide dogs and service dogs have restricted access

‘Wet’ rooms refers to rooms such as experiment and research rooms.

For reasons of hygiene, sterility, safety and out of consideration for any other animals in the rooms, guide dogs and service dogs have restricted access only.

Specific permission will be assessed during the programme, as it depends on which courses the student is enrolled on and may vary depending on the circumstances.

Contact
Students should contact the local programme administration prior to participating in courses that may involve teaching in ‘wet rooms’ to agree on how this can be done in the best possible way. Contact information can be found on the student’s study page on MySDU (opens MitSDU in a new tab).

Exam situations: Students must apply for special exam conditions

If a student wishes to bring their guide dog or service dog to the exam, the student must apply for special exam conditions from their study board.

Contact
Students must contact their own study board and can find information at mitsdu.dk/studyboard (opens MitSDU in a new tab).

Other situations

If a student wishes to bring their guide dog or service dog to group work or supervision, for example, in the University buildings, the student is requested to make an agreement with the person(s) they are meeting with.

For internships and projects or similar, the guidelines at the internship/project site apply.

Would you like to know more?

The guidelines regarding bringing guide dogs and service dogs to class have been discussed and approved in SAK ADM in the autumn of 2024. They can be found in SDU’s educational law regulations (in Danish, opens in a new tab), and questions can be directed to Educational Law, SDU Education at uddannelsesjura@sdu.dk.