By A Stanford undergraduate has publicly acknowledged using her diagnosis of endometriosis to obtain disability accommodations—including a private single dorm room, extra time on exams, flexible deadlines, and leniency for tardiness—adding fuel to a widening debate over the integrity of disability services at elite universities. Nearly 40 percent of Stanford undergraduates are now registered as having a disability.
In an op-ed published in The Times, the student described how, beginning in 2023, she noticed classmates securing what she viewed as meaningful advantages through a process she said involved minimal verification. She recalled an upperclassman mentioning that a coveted single room was granted as a disability accommodation, prompting her to pursue similar support for her own condition—endometriosis, a painful disorder in which uterine-like tissue grows outside the uterus.
“I felt justified in claiming endometriosis as a disability,” she wrote, explaining that a 30-minute Zoom evaluation with Stanford’s Office of Accessible Education was enough to qualify. She added that “everyone was doing it,” and said the accommodations provided tangible benefits in Stanford’s intensely competitive academic environment.
Her account mirrors findings in a December 2025 investigative feature by staff writer Rose Horowitch in The Atlantic, titled “Accommodation Nation.” The article documents a sharp rise in disability registrations across elite campuses. At Stanford University, 38 percent of undergraduates are registered as disabled this academic year, with 24 percent receiving academic or housing accommodations in the fall quarter alone—about 2,850 students out of roughly 7,500 undergraduates. Comparable figures exceed 20 percent at Brown and Harvard and reach 34 percent at Amherst College.
Abnormal is the new normal on elite campuses.
38% of Stanford students now claim a disability—10x since 2014. Ivy Leagues are seeing similar spikes.
Boom in “disabilities” or a billion-dollar government funding grab? pic.twitter.com/m8ICMJF3Ua
— Stephen Moore (@StephenMoore) January 14, 2026
By contrast, community colleges show no similar increase, and national averages for college students with disabilities remain far lower. The growth at elite schools is largely attributed to rising diagnoses of ADHD, anxiety, and depression, combined with streamlined university processes that often rely on brief evaluations and limited documentation.
Faculty and administrators are voicing unease. One anonymous professor told The Atlantic, “It’s rich kids getting extra time on tests.” Others cite mounting logistical strain on testing centers and challenges to grading consistency, with some institutions privately asking, “What if it hits 50 or 60 percent?” before policies are revisited.
Critics argue that a system created under laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act to ensure equal access for students with genuine impairments has drifted into a source of competitive advantage for affluent, high-achieving students. Common accommodations—extended exam time, distraction-free testing rooms, note-taking services, excused absences, and premium housing—can tilt outcomes in admissions pipelines and on grading curves.
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