Why is it so Hard to Get Accommodations in College?
In my work with young adults, I’ve noticed a frustrating pattern: students with ADHD often know they’re struggling, but they don’t know where to turn for help. Even when they’re legally entitled to accommodations, figuring out how to get them can feel like solving a puzzle with no instructions. It’s time-consuming, stressful, and often designed in a way that works against the very people it claims to support.
A 2025 study by Kennedy and colleagues sheds light on this experience. The researchers spoke to 74 college students with ADHD and analyzed their stories. Their findings confirm what many of us in the field already know: the system is challenging to navigate, and the support often doesn’t fit.
Accommodations Are Protected by Law, But Often Inaccessible
In higher education, students with disabilities are protected by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). These laws are intended to guarantee access to accommodations, such as extra time on exams, reduced-distraction testing environments, and flexible assignment deadlines.
But in practice? Many students:
Don’t realize they’re eligible
Feel ashamed, afraid, or exhausted by the process
Worry they won’t be believed
Can’t afford the paperwork or wait out the delays
The very challenges ADHD creates, executive functioning, overwhelm, and emotional regulation, are the same things that make accessing support feel impossible. For many students, the process becomes yet another barrier.
What Students Said About Trying to Get Help
Kennedy et al. (2025) identified four major themes in students’ experiences:
1. The System Feels Like a Maze
Students described the process as unclear, slow, and difficult to follow. Some didn’t even know their school had a disability office. Others felt stuck in a cycle of unclear steps, unreturned calls, or overwhelming paperwork.
2. They Felt They Had to “Prove” Their ADHD
To access accommodations, students were often required to provide extensive and expensive documentation. Many said it felt like they were being disbelieved or punished for asking for help. Long waitlists, high assessment costs, and inconsistent policies added to the stress.
One student said: “It’s like I had to be failing before they’d listen.”
3. The Accommodations Often Didn’t Fit ADHD
Even when students received support, it didn’t always match their actual needs. Accommodations were often generic, irrelevant, or poorly explained. Students wanted more individualized choices.
As one participant said, “A menu would be sweet.” They wanted to choose what actually helped, not accept a one-size-fits-all offer.
4. Faculty and Staff Often Didn’t Understand ADHD
Many students reported feeling dismissed, disbelieved, or stigmatized. Some said instructors acted like ADHD wasn’t real or accused them of making excuses. These reactions made students less likely to self-advocate or trust the system.
What Needs to Change
This study echoes what I hear from my clients: getting help shouldn’t be harder than the classes themselves. The researchers suggest that schools:
Simplify the process so students know where to go and what to do
Stop requiring excessive proof or forcing students to “earn” their accommodations
Offer a flexible menu of supports rather than a one-size approach
Train faculty and staff to understand how ADHD affects students emotionally, socially, and academically
These are not just procedural tweaks. They’re issues of access, equity, and belonging.
Have you or someone you love struggled to get accommodations in college? What would it look like if the system supported you instead of testing you?
Kennedy, L. J., Richdale, A. L., Gore, K. E., & Lawson, L. P. (2025). “A menu would be sweet”: A framework analysis of the disclosure and supports experiences of higher education students with neurodivergent or mental-health conditions. Neurodiversity, 3, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1177/27546330251352326
I’m Kristen McClure, a 30-year veteran therapist and also an ADHD group coach.
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The title of this surprised me. I know that all schools are different, but as a pediatrician I feel that if a college student goes through the school's process, it is easier to get accommodations than it is for high school students. I often help them find the right page on the school website and have them give me a list of what they struggle with and what accommodations they feel they need. I write a letter with their diagnosis and information about needs. Of course if they have accommodations from earlier, I encourage them to include that information with whatever they give to the school. One key accommodation needed is to take tests during the day -- many schools have evening tests, which is when medication wears off unless they change their dosing strategy or already have a booster for evenings. This also means they take tests in a quieter setting because the bulk of the class is taking the test separately.