Research & Training Blog

by Alyssa Lawson, Ph.D.

As more neurodivergent students enter higher education (Pino & Mortari, 2014), there’s a growing need for support during the transition from high school to college. Programs designed to ease this transition are becoming more common across the U.S. and worldwide (e.g., Gillespie-Lynch et al., 2017), and postsecondary education as a whole is becoming more inclusive (e.g., Clouder et al., 2020). While there’s still a lot of work to be done to make higher education truly inclusive (McDowall & Kiseleva, 2024), it’s encouraging to see progress.

One area that’s often overlooked, though, is supporting neurodivergent students who want to continue their education after college by pursuing graduate degrees. As more neurodivergent students complete their undergraduate programs, interest in grad school is naturally growing too. But despite this increase in interest, there are still very few programs designed to support neurodivergent students making the transition into grad school. Over the past year, we at Landmark College have been working to change that! Our Exploring Graduate School Program just wrapped up its first year, and we’re thrilled to report that the feedback has been positive.

In this post, I’ll give you a quick overview of the program and share what we’ve learned from students who participated. We hope that by sharing our experiences, we can inspire other schools to create similar programs to support neurodivergent students.

Program Overview

The Exploring Graduate School Program consisted of one panel and five workshops, spread throughout the academic year. The goal was to increase awareness of graduate school opportunities, boost students’ confidence in their ability to succeed, and give practical advice on applying.

In the first semester, we hosted a panel and two workshops. The panel, titled “Neurodiversity in Graduate School: Experiences of LC Students Who’ve Done It,” featured Landmark College alumni who are current or former grad students. They shared their experiences and answered questions about what it’s like to navigate graduate school as a neurodivergent person. The first workshop, “The ‘What’ and the ‘Why’ of Grad School: Understanding the Basics,” covered the purpose of graduate education, reasons to consider it (or not), and the differences between various types of grad programs. Out second workshop, “Undergrad vs. Grad – What Are the Differences?” focused on how graduate school differs from undergrad, including changes in responsibilities and common academic milestones.

The second semester featured three more workshops. The first, “Applying to Grad School: What You Need to Know,” covered key parts of the application process and tips for finding the right programs. Next, “Planning for Your Future: The Timeline for Applying to Grad School” walked students through setting up a timeline to keep track of deadlines and submit applications on time. Finally, “Can I Afford Grad School? Things Applicants Should Consider” explored funding options and how to find relevant funding information online.

Student Feedback

At the end of the year, we asked students who attended at least one session to fill out a feedback survey, and the results were encouraging! Students reported that the program increased their interest in grad school (M = 4.09 on a 5-point scale) and made them feel more confident about being strong candidates (M = 4.00). They also felt a bit more prepared to apply (M = 3.72), a little more confident they could succeed (M = 3.72), and more confident that they belong in grad school (M = 3.90). Unsurprisingly, students who attended more workshops tended to report feeling more prepared and confident. 

When asked about their favorite parts of the program, many students highlighted the practical information they gained. One student shared, “all the workshops and panel provided information that no one really gave me before. Now I have a better view of how it would help me and can set more realistic goals.” Another appreciated the sense of community, saying it was great to be “with other neurodivergent people who were finding success in grad school.”

Students also gave helpful suggestions for future workshops, like offering one-on-one sessions to discuss specific programs, having guided application writing sessions, and creating more opportunities to discuss advocating for neurodiversity in grad school settings.

Looking Ahead

This first year of the Exploring Graduate School Program has been a great start, but we’re already thinking about how to expand. We hope to involve even more students next year and add more individualized support options. If you’re considering starting a similar program at your school, my advice is simple: just go for it! Don’t wait for it to be perfect. Also, collect feedback along the way and let students guide its growth.

If you have any questions or want to learn more about our program, feel free to reach out to LCIRT at [email protected].