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Pregnancy and Parenting Resources for Students

How You Are Protected

UVA prohibits discrimination against students, or exclusion of students from their education program or activity, including any class or extracurricular activity, based on the student’s pregnancy, childbirth, false pregnancy, termination of pregnancy, or recovery.

Your Rights

Your rights as a pregnant or parenting student include: 

Classes and School Activities

  • Continued participation in classes and extracurricular activities while pregnant.
  • Reasonable accommodations, such as a larger desk, elevator access, or the ability to make frequent trips to the restroom, when necessary because of pregnancy.

Excused Absences and Medical Leave

  • Reasonable Modification of Course Attendance Policy due to pregnancy or childbirth for the time period documented as necessary by the student’s physician.
  • Return to the same academic and extracurricular status as before the student’s medical leave, including the opportunity to make up any work missed during the student’s leave.
  • Any special services provided to students with temporary health conditions.
Accommodations
  • How do I request accommodations?  Students with a medical condition related to pregnancy or childbirth, who need academic accommodations or housing-related accommodations should direct their accommodation requests to the Student Disability Access Center (SDAC).
  • What types of accommodations may I request? Specific accommodations are determined after an individualized assessment involving you and appropriate University officials, but examples may include:
    • breaks during class, as needed
    • permitting temporary access to elevators
    • exam rescheduling
    • reasonable modification of course attendance policy
    • reasonable modification of assignment deadlines due to pregnancy or childbirth
    • providing alternatives to make up missed work

Please note that pregnant or parenting students will be held to the same level of academic standards and must meet the learning objectives that have been set as essential requirements for the course. Students must coordinate with SDAC and their faculty to determine what accommodations are reasonable so as to allow the student to complete all work while also achieving course outcomes.

Important Contacts/Resources at the University
  • Temporary parking: If the student’s healthcare professional determines that the student’s pregnancy constitutes a temporary physical disability, they may submit paperwork to the DMV for a temporary placard that will allow them to park on-Grounds in designated accessible parking spots and metered parking spots up to 4 hours. Students may also contact the Student Health Medical Services Clinic if they do not have a healthcare professional off-Grounds for a UVA-specific disability placard. Please note that students who have a pregnancy-related condition that does not qualify as a disability may contact SDAC for additional information about parking.
  • Childcare at the University: The UVA Child Development Center offer services for children from infancy through prekindergarten. Two centers (one located on Copeley Road and the other on Earhart Street) are available to faculty, staff, and students for a weekly fee but enrollment is limited and there is typically a waiting list. Anyone anticipating the arrival of a child should contact the centers as early as possible to inquire about enrollment and complete a wait list application.
  • Student Support and Safety: The Student Support and Safety team is dedicated to assisting students in a number of ways, including serving as support and connecting students with UVA and community resources, offices, and individuals to resolve academic or personal concerns.  ODOS provides 24-hour crisis management and incident response/follow-up services to UVA students. Students may reach the Dean on Call at (434) 924-7133 Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 5pm, or after hours by contacting the UVA Police Department at (434) 924-7166 and asking to speak to the Dean on Call.  In addition, students who live in a residence hall may contact a Resident Staff member after hours.
  • Student Health and Wellness: The UVA Department of Student Health and Wellness serve all UVA undergraduate and graduate students who pay the comprehensive health fees with their tuition.  For more information about their services, please visit the website. 
Confidential Resources for Students
  • Counseling and Psychological Services (“CAPS”) is the primary student mental health clinic on Grounds, provides direct care, as well as consultation and referral services.

  • The UVA Ombuds acts a trusted navigator for current faculty, staff, and students seeking guidance, information, insight, and potential options to overcome an existing conflict or concern. The UVA Ombuds seeks to empower individuals to proactively address their conflict and concerns in a positive, constructive method while assisting in an impartial, independent, informal, and confidential manner. 

  • The Maxine Platzer Lynn Women’s Center offers confidential counseling to UVA students, faculty, and staff member of all genders, as well as members of the Charlottesville community, to assist with a wide of range of personal or academic concerns. 
Lactation Rooms/Break Time

UVA offers nursing mothers’ room locations around Grounds (academic building and UVA Health) for its employees.  These locations may also be used by UVA students.  The current list of locations is available on UVA Human Resources' Prenatal and Postnatal Well-being Resources page.

University Policies for Graduate Students
External Resources