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The University is committed to providing an academic and work environment that is respectful of religious beliefs in accordance with state and federal laws and regulations. This commitment includes embracing religious diversity and cultivating a community of inclusion and respect. Reasonable accommodations will be provided to individuals whose sincerely held religious beliefs conflict with a University policy, procedure, or other academic or employment requirement, unless it is determined that doing so would cause undue hardship to the University.

A religious accommodation is a reasonable change in the work or academic environment that enables an individual to practice or observe a sincerely held religious belief or practice, but which does not fundamentally alter the academic or work environment, or cause undue hardship to the mission or operations of the University.

Religious accommodation requests will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Relevant factors include but are not limited to: the fundamental requirements of the applicable academic program, technical standards of the program, essential functions of the individual’s position, duties, and obligations of the department, impact on operations of the department, impact on operations of the University, duration of the accommodation, and feasibility of an alternative accommodation.

In evaluating and processing a religious accommodation request, the University will strive to protect the requesting individual’s privacy to the extent allowable by law. Upon receipt of a religious accommodation request, the appropriate University officials will discuss and review the request for purposes of evaluation and potential implementation of the requested accommodation. 

Requests for Religious Accommodation 

• Students who would like to request a religious accommodation should contact the applicable faculty in advance. 
• Other Beneficiaries of University programs, services, or activities who anticipate a need for religious accommodation should complete and submit the Request for Reasonable Religious Accommodation Form to the program or department offering the service or activity. 
• Prospective and entering students may request a religious accommodation during admission, orientation, and enrollment events and activities. 
  • Undergraduate students may complete and submit the Request for Reasonable Religious Accommodation Form to the Enrollment Services Office.
  • ³ÉÈËÍ·Ìõ students may complete and submit the Request for Reasonable Religious Accommodation Form to a member of the admission process for the program, college, or school for which they are applying.    
• ³ÉÈËÍ·Ìõ employees can initiate a request for religious accommodation by completing and submitting the Request for Reasonable Religious Accommodation Form to their respective department head. The request must be submitted and approved in advance to observe a religious holy day, and must specify whether applicable paid leave will be taken due to the observance of a religious holy day. 
• Applicants for employment may request a religious accommodation for the employment application process by completing and submitting the Request for Reasonable Religious Accommodation Form to the department in which they will be interviewing, or to the chair of the search committee.  

For more information about the religious accommodations process, please contact or visit the Equal Opportunity (EO) Office.

Equal Opportunity Office
Kelly Hall, 3rd floor, Room 302
Email: eoaa@utep.edu

Additional Resources

• Religious Accommodation Policy
• Request for Reasonable Religious Accommodation Form