The number of college students reporting disabilities rose more than 50 percent over the last decade across a wide swath of schools, including at some of the most selective universities in the nation, according to a New York Times analysis of government data.
The rise, which has corresponded with an increase in A.D.H.D., autism and other diagnoses, has also meant an increase in the number of students requiring accommodations, such as more time to take tests. While some colleges and students have embraced the trend, saying it shows schools are opening their doors to students who might previously have been shut out, it has raised worries that some could be gaming the system.
The increases have occurred at all kinds of institutions, from small liberal arts colleges to large research universities commanding global reputations.
At some colleges, more than a third of students have registered physical or mental disabilities, signed off on by doctors. For those students, the schools generally provide the students legally required accommodations that others may not receive, such as special testing rooms and note-taking services.
The proliferation in accommodation plans, known as 504 plans after a section of federal law that prohibits discrimination based on disability, has made even the most academically rigorous universities more welcoming to students with disabilities. Among the top 100 schools that saw the biggest increases in students with disabilities are several in the group known as “Ivy Plus,” some of the most difficult schools in the nation for a student to get into, including Harvard, Cornell and the University of Chicago.
At all three of those schools, 21 percent of students registered as having disabilities in 2024, according to government data. Harvard and the University of Chicago reported less than 3 percent in 2015, the data show. Cornell University increased from 6 percent.
What is causing the increase is not entirely clear, but experts named a number of factors, including a rise in A.D.H.D. and autism diagnoses, as well as an uptick in diagnoses of severe anxiety, particularly since the Covid pandemic.
Students and their families are also getting better at understanding the law and pursuing accommodations, many starting when students are in grade school.
And stigma around mental illness, which might have discouraged a student in the past from registering a disability, has fallen.
The rising numbers have concerned some.
Graham Hillard, who had written on the issue for the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal, a conservative policy group, said the current “incentive structure” to secure accommodations has led to more diagnoses.
“Is this fair?” he said. “Obviously not. But it will presumably sort itself out when kids who’ve never worked under a deadline or concentrated in a busy room attempt to join or stay in the work force.”
Most of the top 100 schools showing the biggest increases over the past decade are not the country’s most famous, selective or exclusive universities.
Among the top 10, Pace University in New York reported that 37 percent of students had a registered disability in 2024; in 2015 the school reported 5 percent. Hampshire College, a liberal arts school in Massachusetts, reported that its percentage climbed to 38 percent from 10 percent in a decade. Scripps College, a women’s liberal arts school in Claremont, Calif., saw increases from 11 percent to 36 percent.
Many of the college students arrive on campus after having a 504 designation in their high school years; data shows those accommodations are offered more liberally in affluent areas.
College administrators and many students say the trend is a sign of progress. Officials at Pace, for example, said they were proud of the school’s reputation as “disability friendly.”
“We understood that students were coming from the K to 12 system where you have to fight for accommodations,” said Elisse Geberth, director of student accessibility services for Pace. “We wanted to change the experience for the students. Yes, you have to go through the correct protocols of providing documentation and meeting with us. But the whole goal is, how can we provide this service?”
“I think a lot of universities have started to look at that model as well,” she added, “which is why we’re partly seeing these increases.”
Macalester College, a private liberal arts school in St. Paul, Minn., reported that 29 percent of students in 2024 had a disability, up from 5 percent a decade ago. Shammah Bermudez, head of the Center for Disability Resources at Macalester, said the needs that students are reporting now are more complicated than in past years.
“You used to see students with a singular diagnosis — A.D.H.D. or something physical,” Mr. Bermudez said. “Now we’re seeing a lot more students where there’s maybe A.D.H.D., and mental health and a learning disability and anxiety or depression. So it’s becoming much more complex.”
But, he added, schools should be doing what they can to “invest in what the students need on campus.”
Sidney Belleroche, 20, a student at Ursinus College in Pennsylvania, where the percentage of disability designations has climbed to 36 percent from 12 percent in the past decade, said he struggled a bit before receiving disability accommodations, such as a quiet testing room.
“The smallest distractions that may not affect another person can really trip me up, sensory-wise,” he said. “Let’s say someone’s constantly clicking a pen. I’ll pick up on that. Going to a distraction reduced room, that eliminates a certain obstacle for me when it comes to taking these tests.” His grade point average, he said, was 3.971.
Mr. Belleroche added that while it was possible some people receive accommodations they don’t really need, “if one person’s doing that and there are six who aren’t, who are you going to stop?”
Cole Cochrane, a Harvard junior, said he wouldn’t be surprised if the intense pressure on campus meant some people look to help themselves by seeking accommodations. If there is anyone gaming the system, “it’s a product of stress and desperation,” he said.
But adding more restrictions on accommodations could hurt people who really need them, he said. A possible alternative: “Realize it’s OK to have less than a 4.0 at one of the world’s top universities.”
Pranav Moudgalya, a Harvard senior, said disability accommodations have become a topic of conversation on campus chat apps recently, but he can’t see how he’s harmed if someone else gets a little extra time to complete a test. “I don’t think it’s a big problem,” he said.
The disability figures reported by colleges to the government do not break down the nature of the disabilities among the student body. Several school officials said they generally cover a mix of mental and physical disabilities, including temporary conditions, such as for broken bones, or for students who may be light sensitive after a concussion.
Some reported disabilities are not related to academics but might call for housing or classroom accommodation, such as for a student on crutches or using a wheelchair.
Schools may also provide dining hall accommodations for those with certain food allergies. Accommodations could be offered for students who need to leave class periodically to check their blood sugar, or who are sometimes late or unable to attend class because of flare-ups of other medical conditions. Certain medical diagnoses have also been on the rise among young people in recent years, including autoimmune diseases and eating disorders.
To apply, students submit documentation from a medical professional, and discuss possible accommodations with school staff.
Harvard recently established a centralized testing facility for students requiring accommodations during exams, so that professors do not have to scramble to find rooms for students who need them, said Steven Pinker, a Harvard professor of psychology.
Dr. Pinker added that as more people cite disabilities, the label “is being stretched into meaninglessness.”
“Everyone benefits from more time and fewer distractions, though to varying degrees along a continuum,” Dr. Pinker said by email, adding, “An exception may be some students with a form of autism that makes them unusually sensitive to peripheral sound or motion.”
Keith Altman, a lawyer who leads a firm specializing in education matters, said he has done thousands of consultations related to students with disabilities.
“I don’t think people are trying to game the system,” he said. “But I do think there are people who may not need accommodations at all times.” These people would “rather register and not necessarily need it than need it and not be able to get it for half a semester.”
Trevor Kalb, a Vanderbilt University pre-med student, said he was diagnosed with ADHD and autism as a child. He sometimes gets distracted, or thinks out loud during tests.
“It’s something I do to help me visualize when going through a problem, and obviously you can’t do that during an actual test,” Mr. Kalb said.
Throughout his education, Mr. Kalb has been approved for accommodations from his schools, which he said help keep him on track. That has continued at Vanderbilt, where the percentage of students with disabilities is 15 percent, up from 8. On test days, for example, he is permitted to take his test separately from his classmates, in a monitored private or semiprivate room, where there are fewer distractions and his self-talking won’t bother anyone or give away his answers.
“It definitely helps me,” he said.
Mark Arsenault covers higher education for The Times.
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