ADHD, or Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, is a neurological syndrome that causes executive functioning challenges (EFCs). These include important mental processes like concentration, attention, and motivation. As a result, people with ADHD may have difficulty managing their time or following through on tasks. They may also be forgetful and disorganized. (Find out more about ADHD here.)
The symptoms of ADHD can cause challenges in every area of life. They can be especially harrowing for undergrads dealing with ADHD in college. These students often struggle to meet the demands of their classes and keep up with assignments. There are steps you can take to take care of your mental health, while also find a school that is right for you. Fortunately, some schools have developed special academic support programs that provide much-needed assistance for individuals struggling with a documented learning disability or attention deficit disorder on campus.
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Top 20 Value Colleges for Students with ADHD
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The 20 Best Value ADHD College Programs Methodology
First, we created a list of all the four-year, public and private (non-profit) colleges and universities in the U.S. that offer supplementary assistance programs for individuals with learning- and/or attention-based disabilities. Next, we conducted a thorough analysis of the types of resources available at each school, paying close attention to services that specifically benefit ADHD students.
We gave programs 15 points (up to 105 total) for each category of support service they cover:
Academic coaching or study skills counseling
Skill-development workshops or groups in topics like time-management, learning strategies, organization, etc.
Content tutoring for specific courses (not including free peer-tutoring available to all undergraduates)
Required study halls
Supplementary academic advising
For-credit courses/seminars to help build good study habits
Peer mentors
Schools earned an extra 15-point boost if at least one component of their program focused specifically with EFCs and/or ADHD in college. Those with a slightly broader focus (on all language- and attention-related learning disabilities, for example) earned a 10-point boost.
Finally, we factored in annual expenses by looking at net price and participation fees* (if any) associated with the learning disability/ADHD college program. We subtracted points from each school's overall score based on these figures. For example, a school with an annual net price of $30,000 and program fees of $3500/semester would lose 3 + 3.5*2 = 10 points, while a school with a moderate net price of $20,000 and free services would only lose two points.
*A few of the fee-based programs did not list specific cost information. For consistency, we assigned these schools an average fee of $2,200/semester based on the data available from other colleges.
Sources:
Attention Deficit Disorder Association
College Navigator
NCES IPEDS Data Center
