For so many of us in the food allergy and celiac community, the word college stirs up a strange mix of excitement and fear. On one hand, it’s the launchpad for independence, learning, and lifelong friendships. On the other, it’s a minefield: navigating dining halls, dorm kitchens, late-night study snacks, and campus events where food is everywhere.

Until now, figuring out how supportive a school would be for students with food allergies or celiac disease meant hours of research, countless phone calls, and often relying on word of mouth. But that just changed in a big way.

FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education) has launched the Food Allergy College Search — the first and only tool that lets you search U.S. colleges and universities by their food allergy and celiac accommodations. You can explore it right now at college.foodallergy.org.

This is huge news for students, caregivers, and educators. Let’s break down why this matters, what the directory offers, and how you can use it to make smarter, safer college choices.

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Why Choosing the Right College Is Extra Hard with Food Allergies

Picture the typical student heading off to college: new dorm, new roommates, late nights in the library, weekends exploring campus life. Now add the reality of severe food allergies or celiac disease. Suddenly, normal college stress collides with life-or-death questions like:

• Will the dining hall have safe options I can eat every day?
• What if my friends order pizza to the dorm—can I trust that it’s safe?
• Does the health center know how to respond to anaphylaxis?
• If I need epinephrine, will campus staff know what to do?

For many families, these questions overshadow everything else about the college search. Academic programs, scholarships, and sports teams matter, of course. But if you can’t eat safely, it’s hard to focus on calculus or creative writing.

Until now, families often had to call each school individually, hoping to connect with someone in dining services or student accessibility. Some schools had robust programs, while others barely understood the needs. It was a patchwork, with no central place to compare.

That’s why this new tool from FARE is such a breakthrough.

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What Is the Food Allergy College Search?

Think of it as a one-stop directory for food allergy and celiac awareness on U.S. campuses. Here’s what it brings to the table:

1. Searchable Database

You can browse colleges and universities across the country and filter by the accommodations that matter most to you. Instead of starting from scratch at every campus website, you can now compare schools side by side.

2. Dining Options

Learn how each school’s dining services handles food allergies and celiac disease: dedicated kitchens, allergen labeling, cross-contact prevention, gluten-free options, and staff training.

3. Emergency Protocols

Does the campus have clear procedures for anaphylaxis? Are staff trained in epinephrine administration? How close is emergency medical support?

4. Student Services

Find out what offices or departments support students with dietary needs, from disability accommodations to peer support groups.

5. Consistency Across the Map

This tool creates a level playing field for students. Instead of guessing, you can see which colleges take allergies and celiac seriously, and which may need more advocacy.

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Why This Matters for Students and Families

Peace of Mind for Parents

Sending your child off to college is emotional enough. Add severe allergies, and it can feel terrifying. This directory offers a starting point for confidence: you’ll know whether the school has systems in place before you write the deposit check.

Empowerment for Students

For teens with allergies or celiac, the transition to college is a crash course in independence. Having a trusted resource means students can take ownership of their search, ask informed questions on campus tours, and advocate for themselves.

Support for Schools

This isn’t just about families—it’s about campuses too. Schools can use the directory to benchmark their policies, see how they compare, and identify gaps in student support. The more schools that engage, the better the future looks for everyone.

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A Day in the Life: Imagining the Difference

Let’s put this in perspective with two scenarios.

Without the FARE directory:
Maya, a high school senior with severe nut allergies, spends hours researching colleges. Each website feels vague. She and her parents cold-call five schools, getting transferred from admissions to housing to dining to health services. Some staff are helpful, but others don’t seem to understand her questions. By the end, Maya feels exhausted and uncertain.

With the FARE directory:
Maya plugs her preferences into the Food Allergy College Search. Within minutes, she’s narrowed her list to ten schools with strong dining safety protocols and trained emergency staff. She brings the list to her college counselor, who helps her evaluate academic fit alongside allergy safety. When she tours campuses, she already knows what questions to ask and which offices to visit.

Same student, totally different journey.

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How to Use the Directory in Your Search

Here are a few practical steps if you or your student are starting the college process:

1. Visit college.foodallergy.org
   Explore the database and bookmark schools that stand out.
2. Make a Two-Column List
   On one side, jot down your academic “must-haves.” On the other, list your food allergy or celiac “must-haves.” Use the directory to see which schools hit both lists.
3. Prepare Questions for Tours
   Even if a school looks great on paper, in-person conversations matter. Ask dining staff about cross-contact, or the health center about epinephrine response.
4. Connect with Current Students
   If possible, talk to students who are already managing food allergies or celiac at that school. They’ll give you the inside scoop.
5. Don’t Be Afraid to Advocate
   If your dream school isn’t perfect yet, use this tool as a conversation starter. Sometimes schools improve when they realize how much prospective students care.

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Looking Ahead

FARE’s Food Allergy College Search is more than just a directory. It’s a milestone in recognizing that food allergies and celiac disease are serious medical conditions that deserve structured, transparent accommodations.

The more families use this tool, the more pressure schools will feel to improve—and the more confident students will feel about leaving home. In time, we may see stronger national standards for allergy and celiac safety across higher education.

For now, this is an incredible step forward.

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Final Thoughts

If you’re a student with food allergies or celiac disease—or the parent of one—the college journey no longer has to be such an uncertain leap of faith.

With the Food Allergy College Search, you can compare schools not just by their academics and sports teams, but by the safety, dignity, and peace of mind they offer every day in the cafeteria, dorm, and classroom.

Big news? Absolutely. Game-changer? Without a doubt.

Start your search today at college.foodallergy.org, and take one giant step closer to a safer, more empowering college experience.

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