As autism diagnoses rise across the United States, a new study highlights the heightened mental health challenges autistic individuals face during a critical transition: entering college.
Research led by Binghamton University, part of the State University of New York system, finds that autistic college students experience significantly higher rates of anxiety and depression than their non-autistic peers.
The study analyzed data from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), which surveyed 149,783 undergraduate students across 342 universities. Respondents reported both autism status and any diagnosis of anxiety or depression. Researchers then compared the rates of mental health conditions between autistic and non-autistic students.
“What we found is truly staggering—autistic individuals report far higher rates of anxiety and depression than their peers,” said Diego Aragon-Guevara, lead author of the study and a PhD student in psychology at Binghamton University.
Aragon-Guevara, whose research focuses on improving quality of life for autistic adults, emphasized that autistic college students remain an underrepresented population in mental health research.
“We wanted to fill this research gap and understand the challenges autistic students face, especially regarding mental health, which is such a critical issue in college,” he said.
Autism was added as a self-identifiable category in the NSSE survey in 2021, allowing for more robust research on autistic college populations. Jennifer Gillis Mattson, co-author and professor of psychology, said this inclusion enables meaningful comparisons between autistic and non-autistic students.
“This was a significant opportunity to examine the data and understand the unique experiences of autistic students,” said Mattson, co-director of the Institute for Child Development at Binghamton University.
The findings underscore the urgent need for enhanced mental health support tailored to autistic students.
“Colleges need to ensure autistic students can thrive academically while also receiving the mental health support they require,” said Aragon-Guevara.
The study also noted a potential gap in existing support systems, which often focus on autism without fully addressing co-occurring mental health conditions such as anxiety or depression.
“If institutions only focus on autism, they risk overlooking these critical mental health needs,” Mattson said. “We have a responsibility to provide comprehensive support that goes beyond autism alone.”
The researchers see this study as a starting point. Future work aims to identify factors that contribute to mental health challenges among autistic college students, including social dynamics, faculty support, and campus accessibility.
“There are many elements that influence comfort and success in college,” Aragon-Guevara explained. “We want to pinpoint areas where autistic students face challenges so institutions can develop targeted supports to improve quality of life.”
This research is part of a broader initiative at Binghamton University to better understand and support autistic students in higher education. Hyejung Kim, assistant professor in the Department of Teaching, Learning, and Educational Leadership, emphasized the need for further study.
“This population often skews male, and factors like anxiety, depression, and field of study—particularly STEM—interact to shape overall well-being,” Kim said. “We need more research to understand these influences and how institutional environments impact autistic students’ mental health.”
The team plans to collaborate with campus partners to study these factors in depth and develop strategies to help autistic students thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.
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