As ADHD dx's increase, colleges rethink support

June 23, 2026, As ADHD diagnoses rise, colleges rethink how they support students - SmartBrief

For many students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, the transition to college is not simply a change of address. It is the sudden disappearance of the support system of their families, teachers and friends.

Parents who reminded them about assignments are no longer down the hall. Teachers who checked in after class are replaced by syllabi, office hours and long-term projects. Formal Individualized Education Programs and 504 plans do not automatically carry over. And college requires more planning, more independence and more sustained self-management than many students have ever had to practice.. . .

In K-12, students often benefit from “structure and scaffolding.” When that support falls away, the executive functioning challenges associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder can become much more visible, she says.

Chugani’s interest in the issue is both professional and personal. She began her career as a counselor in a college counseling center, later became an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and has focused much of her work on the intersection of mental health and higher education. She was diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder at 36, after years of academic success.

“Getting diagnosed for me was life-changing,” she said. “Getting treatment was life-changing.”

A new attitude. . .

“There are a lot of young people out there who have attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, but are also really smart,” she said. “It’s not until they get to college or maybe even into the workforce where their compensatory mechanisms just can’t keep up.”

Joshua Langberg, professor of Clinical Psychology and dean of the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology at Rutgers University-New Brunswick, described the same transition as a systems problem rather than an individual failing. Students with ADHD, he said, are often as academically capable as their peers but may struggle with organization, time management and long-term planning.

“When students transition to college, both informal — parents, teachers, peers — and formal systems of support are no longer available,” Langberg said. “This occurs at the same time that demands on executive functions are increasing.” . . .

For many campuses, the larger question is whether higher education itself is designed in ways that unnecessarily disadvantage students whose brains work differently. . . .