Three to five times more autistic students are enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities than originally expected, new research from Michigan State University found.
It estimated that between 135,400 and 286,254 autistic undergraduates are currently enrolled. With colleges and universities not realizing the prevalence of their autistic student communities, the researchers said it is harder to design necessary supports.
“It’s hard to serve a population you don’t know is even there, because autism is an identity that isn’t always apparent, isn’t always visible,” Brad Cox, associate professor of higher, adult and lifelong education at Michigan State, told Inside Higher Ed. “As a result, this population, despite all of the broader public attention that has come to autism over the last decade or two, in a college environment, these students are still underreported and underrecognized.”
Roughly 43% to 47% of autistic high schoolers go on to pursue higher education, according to the study. Historically, college was seen as far more prohibitive for high school students with autism.
Cox told Inside Higher Ed that the rise in autistic college students comes from earlier diagnoses and improved interventions — along with increased awareness and reduced stigma.
Roughly 3% to 4% of students enrolled in a campus disability service have autism, the research found.
Cox also told Inside Higher Ed that despite the enrollment increase, accessing support in college often relies on self advocacy, which makes it harder for students to access.
“Folks who were diagnosed with autism before college, they don’t actually report that identity or seek academic accommodations through a disability service office,” he told Inside Higher Ed, adding that “even those students who get those accommodations often don’t feel like they’re the ones that are most necessary or important or valuable.”
