When to Update Your Assessment

If you have a psycho-educational assessment for an LD and/or ADHD, it is in your best interest to have it updated well before you come to campus.  It has been our experience that students who arrive with a current assessment get the semester off to a much stronger start, make a smoother transition, and have the best chance of a successful university experience.

Note that a current assessment is one that was completed at age 18 or older; or within the last 3 years and using adult normed tests.

Some Important Considerations

A current psycho-educational assessment is needed when registering with SAS.

If you will be applying for funding to support a new or updated psycho-educational assessment in the fall using the Bursary for Students with Disabilities and/or Canada Study Grant you must:

1. Apply and be eligible for OSAP, and
2. Obtain prior written approval from SAS before beginning the assessment.

Timing Your Assessment and Possible Funding Options

Option 1

Timing: After applying to U of G and before accepting an offer of admission.

Advantages: You would have all of the documentation in place for registering in the summertime or as soon after you accept an offer of admission.

Disadvantages: Assessments completed before April 1st are not eligible for funding to reimburse the costs.

Option 2

Timing: After accepting an offer of admission and before the beginning of classes in the fall.

Advantages: You know you will be attending the University of Guelph, and your assessment will be relevant to the requirements of the post-secondary setting.

Disadvantages: You may not know whether you are eligible for OSAP, and as a result will not know if you are eligible for the Bursary for Students with Disabilities, which can help to offset the cost of the assessment. In addition, delaying the assessment could mean that your accommodations will not be fully in place by September.

Option 3

Timing: After classes begin in the fall.

Advantages: You will know whether you are eligible for OSAP and for funding through the Bursary for Students with Disabilities.

Disadvantages: You may be eligible to receive some limited accommodations while the reassessment process is underway based on the submission of an outdated report confirming the presence of a specific Learning Disability. Interim accommodations would be general, and not necessarily tailored to your specific learning needs.  While every effort is made to facilitate a comfortable process, the uncertainty associated with going through an assessment (and the time involved) can be challenging when you are also trying to adjust to life as a university student.