Recommendations for ADHD Friendly Colleges

There are many Colleges and Universities throughout the nation that offer excellent services and support to students with the ADD/ ADHD brain type. That means offering personal assistance and mentoring, innovative teaching styles, tips and strategies for better organization and, above all, working with students to set goals for their academic progress.

Here are some of the top schools in the nation that offer programs and services for ADD students:

Landmark College, Putney, VT
Landmark College prides itself on “taking a different path,” according to its website. Its program is centered upon properly educating students with dyslexia, ADHD and other learning types or disabilities. Students receive individualized attention from classroom instructors and meet frequently with advisors who track their progress. In addition, students are graded by trained professors–not teaching assistants or “teaching fellows.”

Not only does Landmark offer Associates Degrees and high school sessions, but it also has study abroad opportunities. First-year students are placed into one of four programs in the college’s First Year Academic Programming, each of which helps students surmount their academic weakness and manage their learning types. The student in any program has access to assistive technology training for students.

Students can also drop in or schedule appointments at the Center for Academic Support or contact Coaching Services for additional assistance.

University of Arizona, Tuscon, AZ
University of Arizona’s Strategic Alternate Learning Techniques uses innovative strategies designed to motivate students with learning disabilities to excel in their college education and support the University of Arizona community, according to the SALT website.

Students with ADHD and learning disabilities must submit an additional application, but the extra work is worth the service. SALT offers students with a first year program that focuses on students’ independence, expression and decision-making skills, a blog post on the Prince Review website reported. While the University of Arizona has a whopping 30,346 students, those with ADHD and learning disabilities won’t be seen as simply a number. Currently, SALT works with about 565 students and provides them individualized assistance.

Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY
Rochester Institute of Technology provides support for students with ADHD ranging from simple tip sheets to individual, personal assistance, according to its website. The Learning Development Center, Disability Services and Learning Support Services all focus on helping students transition well into the college environment–in essence, managing their responsibilities.

RIT offers frequent check-in with specialists who coach in organizational skills, study strategies and advocacy, according to the Princeton Review. Other opportunities include one-hour workshops on particular study topics, including procrastination, test prep, time management and study skills. Students are not required to send additional application for access to these resources.

American University, Washington, D.C.
Based in the heart of the country’s political workings, a school so grounded in the political culture would naturally face several disruptions to students’ academic lives. Students with ADD /ADHD benefit particularly from AU’s Learning Services Program, Academic Support Center and Disability Support Services–all designed to help students adjust to college and explore their interests, according to the website.

Students may receive additional assistance in college writing and math, along with a general course on academic strategies and other services. According to the Princeton Review, 175 to 200 students take advantage of AU’s services.

Dean College, Franklin, Mass.
Dean College, which ranked 20th in the 2012 U.S. News and World Report for “Best Regional Colleges,” offers students assistance through its Personalized Learning Services. Although the program requires an additional fee, PLS is open to any student who requests one-on-one academic coaching. The goal, according to the website, is for students to develop strategies for note taking, time management , organization, test prep, test taking and academic topics (e.g. writing/reading, math).

Aside from those objectives, tutors also strive to help students in PLS acquire self-confidence and academic independence over the course of their college education. Students and their families receive a final progress report at the end of the semester, which they believe should foster communication between students and their parents about their academic difficulties.