Exploring the perspectives of Australian neurodivergent university students

Abstract More Australian students who are neurodivergent are entering post-secondary education. Experiences of higher education varies for these students. We investigated the university experience of 33 neurodivergent undergraduates in higher education through individual semi-structured interviews. Participants were enrolled in Education or Health Sciences. Data were analysed using thematic analysis and three major themes were identified: lived perspectives at university, connections to learning at university, and achieving academic success at university. Experiences at university included mixed results, with some students enjoying university and achieving academic success but for others, higher education is challenging. Findings identify reported benefits that contribute to student academic success in post-secondary education and recommendations to further enhance the university experience for neurodivergent students. The findings link to the growing body of research in this important area to ensure that neurodivergent students flourish in higher education.