Autistic students considering third-level education often face unseen challenges that can have serious negative effects on their college experience. There are five accredited autism-friendly HEIs in Ireland, (DCU, NCI, ATU Sligo, IT Dundalk and RCSI) with more in the pipeline. Inform the college: Letting the college Disability Support Service know you are autistic means they can put supports in place. Defer to prepare: “Some students defer their college place and do a level 5 to prepare for college. Many HEI’s have online resources like maps to orient and information to support autistic students like UCC’s Autism & Uni Toolkit or UCD’s Campus Explorer app.

Source: Irish Examiner January 15, 2026 12:18 UTC