Top 20 Colleges for Students: Being a student with a disability means many things. Disabled students need to overcome a stigma regarding their place in society.
Here, we’ve listed some of the colleges that currently offer comprehensive or specialized programs for students who may have special needs.
Many people with disabilities have the means to gain a fulfilling career, but society is not providing for them. Luckily, there are colleges in America that recognize that a disability does not mean that someone should be held back.
What Makes a College Good for Students With Learning Disabilities?
All colleges in the US are required to have a disabilities office, which helps accommodate students with different needs. While disability offices can be helpful for logistical concerns, some students need more of a supportive structure in place for them to feel comfortable.
All the schools listed below go above and beyond what’s required of them when it comes to supporting students with learning disabilities. They offer an array of supportive programs, often operated by learning specialists who are trained in working with students with different needs.
Check Out the Examples of supportive services, programs, and procedures
Top 20 Colleges for Students with Learning Disability
1. Beacon College
Leesburg, FL
Beacon College
When it comes to the best colleges for students with learning disabilities, none holds a candle to Beacon College. As the first accredited school in the nation to cater exclusively to undergraduates with learning differences (including ADHD and dyslexia), Beacon is in a class all by itself.
To help each student make the most of their college experience, Beacon emphasizes highly individualized course plans and plenty of one-on-one support. In addition to small class sizes and assistive technology, learning disabled individuals can also benefit from academic mentoring, peer tutoring, and even life coaching.
Net Price: $38,054/yr
2. Landmark College
Putney, VT
Landmark College
All of the schools on this list offer some sort of learning disabilities college program for students who need extra academic support. But Landmark doesn’t just offer a single program; rather, the entire school is wholly dedicated to undergraduate education for those who learn a little differently.
Academic resources include everything from executive function coaching to assistive technology, while students with ASD benefit from targeted support like the “Social Groups Cluster,” which is designed to help with social interactions and anxiety issues.
Landmark also offers a “Bridge Semester” that can help new/transfer students better understand their learning styles and improve their study habits before applying/returning to a traditional college.
Net Price: $73,700/yr.
Beacon College Best Value Colleges for Students with Learning Disabilities
Beacon, one of the top colleges for learning disabilities, utilizes teaching methods that emphasize the development of critical thinking skills.
3. Mitchell College
New London, CT
The Bentsen Learning Center
Given that more than a third of its undergraduates have a registered disability, it’s safe to say that Mitchell is one of the most popular colleges for students with learning disabilities in the entire country. And it’s not hard to see why.
Indeed, Mitchell’s Bentsen Learning Center provides nearly unparalleled support for undergraduates with unique learning differences and attention deficit disorders. Services include targeted instruction in various learning strategies, designated study areas for BLC members, and content workshops to improve understanding and build good study habits.
On top of all this, program participants receive individualized support from an assigned learning specialist with expertise in organization, comprehension, memory, time management, test prep, and much more.
Net Price: $27,223/yr.
Landmark College Best Value Colleges for Students with Learning Disabilities
Landmark is one of the best colleges for students with disabilities like dyslexia, ADHD, autism, and language processing disorder.
4. Dean College
Franklin, MA
Arch Learning Community
Without a doubt, Dean University offers one of the most innovative learning disabilities college programs on our ranking. This is because the school structures its program as a “learning community,” thus providing a more intimate environment and closer level of support than many other colleges.
LD students who are admitted to the Arch Learning Community benefit from both individual and group academic coaching as well as personalized course advising.
What’s more, ALC undergrads participate in weekly seminars and can enroll in smaller-than-average courses. And of course, Dean also utilizes the popular step-down approach that encourages ALC participants to develop independence over time.
Net Price: $27,417/yr.
Mitchell College Best Value Colleges for Students with Learning Disabilities
Out of the top 10 schools on our ranking, Mitchell is one of the most affordable colleges for students with disabilities.
5. Lynn University
Boca Raton, FL
Institute for Achievement and Learning
Why are approximately one in four undergraduates at Lynn enrolled in disability services? It might have something to do with the school’s Institute for Achievement and Learning (IAL), a recognized leader in academic support and “enhanced learning experiences” for college students.
And although it’s hardly the most affordable college for students with learning disabilities, Lynn University’s IAL is long on value.
In the first year of the program (which is mandatory), undergrads build a strong foundation through specialized academic tutoring and coaching, personalized tutoring and writing help, and diagnostic assessments if needed.
In subsequent years, IAL participants shift their focus away from intensive skill development and more toward self-advocacy, school-life balance, and problem-solving strategies.
Net Price: $36,880/yr.
Dean College Best Value Colleges for Students with Learning Disabilities
Dean University is one of the top colleges for learning disabilities such as ADD and dyslexia as well as sensory processing and executive function disorders.
6. Lesley University
Cambridge, MA
The Threshold Program
Lesley University’s innovative Threshold Program goes well beyond the standard services that most of the top colleges for students with disabilities offer.
Forget personalized tutoring — Threshold is a truly comprehensive, two-year program that tailors every aspect of the college experience to individuals with “special needs and diverse learning challenges.” Most importantly, the curriculum emphasizes the skills necessary to get a job and live independently.
As such, the program limits members to one of just two majors — Early Childhood Education or Business Services — to maximize their chances of success.
Upon graduating from Threshold, most participants complete either a post-grad “Transition Year” (focusing on paid employment) or a “Bridge Year” for continuing undergrads to live on campus and pursue internships.
Net Price: $30,940/yr
Lynn University Best Value Colleges for Students with Learning Disabilities
The IAL has become a leader in LD education in part by recognizing that there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach to helping students with learning disabilities in college.
7. High Point University
High Point, NC
Learning Excellence
At High Point University, students with unconventional learning needs can get the help they need not just to survive college, but to achieve “extraordinary academic excellence.”
Although the “Learning Excellence” program is open to any undergraduate who wants to improve their study habits, individuals with cognitive impairments such as ADD/ADHD perhaps stand the most to gain from its services.
From weekly meetings with a learning specialist to required study hall sessions, this program sends a clear message about what makes High Point one of the best colleges for students with disabilities.
What’s more, LE participants benefit from targeted tutoring sessions in specific skill areas (e.g. reading and math) as well as their course content.
Net Price: $36,927/yr
Lesley University Best Value Colleges for Students with Learning Disabilities
As far as learning disabilities college programs go, Lesley’s Threshold Program is easily one of the most comprehensive and supportive available.
8. Curry College
Milton, MA
Program for Advancement of Learning (PAL)
When it comes to helping students with learning disabilities succeed, Curry College takes a proactive approach. It all starts with Summer PAL, a transition program for incoming freshmen to help them develop effective learning habits, self-understanding, and self-confidence before the fall semester begins.
During the year, members of the PAL learning disabilities college program continue to receive support through individual and small group course options that focus on functional tasks — like time management and organization — as well as skills like reading and language comprehension.
PAL members also have the option to join a designated living-learning community (LLC) or participate in a PAL cohort with other learning disabled students who share similar interests/majors.
Net Price: $31,104/yr
High Point University Best Value Colleges for Students with Learning Disabilities
Students eager to learn about how to deal with their learning disabilities in college can enroll in an abbreviated summer version of the Learning Excellence program.
9. College of Charleston
Charleston, SC
REACH Program
The goal of the REACH Program at the College of Charleston is to provide learning disabled students — as well as those with mild developmental disabilities — with a traditional and enjoyable experience on campus.
REACH members live in dorms with other students, attend regular classes, and can participate in all campus activities and clubs. At the same time, this affordable college for students with disabilities offers special REACH courses in topics like “Writing Comprehension,” “Interpersonal Communication,” and “Career Exploration.”
Undergrads with certain emotional/social impairments (such as those with autism spectrum disorder or ASD) can also take advantage of social skills training workshops and will have access to a “social mentor” who will help them meet and get to know other students.
Net Price: $18,677/yr
Curry College Best Value Colleges for Students with Learning Disabilities
On top of everything else, Curry College also offers a learning disability college program specifically for multilingual and international students.
10. Westminster College
Fulton, MO
Learning Difference Program (LDP)
Of the nearly 10% of Westminster undergrads who are formally registered with the school’s disability services center, about half participate in the Learning Differences Program (LDP).
Ideal for individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders such as ADHD, dyslexia, and Disorder of Written Expression, the LDP provides extensive support services that help LD students realize their academic potential.
Of course, as one of the best colleges for learning disabilities, Westminster’s program has all the standard features, like one-on-one advising and accommodations (e.g. note-taking and extended time on tests).
But what sets this program apart from the pack is that it also offers supplemental courses in core areas — like the humanities and natural sciences — that are specifically designed to promote effective study habits.
Net Price: $20,473/yr
College of Charleston Best Value Colleges for Students with Learning Disabilities
To help mitigate the obstacles associated with learning disabilities in college, REACH requires all freshmen to participate in special “learning community” courses.
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