Rather, higher education carries with it necessary costs, and students with disabilities must pay the same as their nondisabled peers. In higher education, then, FAPE is not regarded as a part of 504's nondiscrimination prohibitions. It means that students must meet academic standards. In public schools, this refers only to the age of the individual as being appropriate for elementary or high school. In higher education, it ultimately refers to a student's academic proficiency and ability to demonstrate learning.
Integration is the order of the day.
Some services provided to high school students under Section 504 may not be provided in higher education, because they in fact reduce the academic standards. Perhaps the most important result of these differences lies in the changes in expectations for students with disabilities. In other words, they aren't always expected to learn as much. Or, perhaps a student with learning disabilities which limit her reading comprehension is provided an aide for her tests. The aide's job is to explain the questions in different words to the student.