Applying To University Autism Uni Toolkit Dublin City University

Leo Migdal

-Dec 12, 2025, 4:14 AM

applying to university autism uni toolkit dublin city university

Tools and tips that will help you with choosing your course and applying to university. Tools and tips to help you make the most of your first year in DCU. Find services and facilities for autistic students at our university Recognise key buildings on the campus and familiarise yourself with room layouts as well as how to get to and from university buildings. Learn from other autistic students' experiences of higher education Find out more about the Nine Principles that our autism-friendly initiative is built.

Campus life can get pretty hectic. Here are some tips to help you find a moment or two of calm. Autism & Uni is a toolkit of resources and advice for autistic students entering University. If you are autistic and want to use a sensory pod contact disability.service @ dcu.ie or DCU's Autism Friendly Coordinator fiona.earley @ dcu.ie. There is a pod on every campus. DCU has become the world’s first designated autism-friendly university.

We are committed to supporting and celebrating our DCU Autistic community. We will be adapting the environment to make it more autism-friendly, raising autism acceptance through training and webinars. We aim to ensure that autistic students and staff have equal access to participate fully in all aspects of university life. Find out more about the many routes into university, whether it be DCU or elsewhere. DCU has become the world’s first designated autism-friendly university through a collaboration between DCU, AsIAm and Specialisterne Ireland (a specialist consultancy that recruits and supports people with Autism). But what does that mean?

DCU provide accommodation for incoming first years on both the DCU Glasnevin & DCU St Patricks Campuses. There are also a number of off-campus purpose built student accommodation options near DCU. DCU offers a range of services and supports for all students with a disability, specific learning difficulty or long term medical condition. This service is coordinated by the Disability & Learning Support Service. Choosing where to go to college can be extremely daunting. What makes DCU stand out from other universities?

Beyond being the World’s first Autism-Friendly University there are many reasons why you should choose to study at DCU. Find out more about the many routes into university, whether it be DCU or elsewhere. There are a wide variety of ways to access higher level education. The CAO, DARE and HEAR schemes and accessing higher education as a mature student are some of the most common ways of getting into university. Learn more about these routes in this post. The most common way of getting into third level education in Ireland is through the CAO.

This is based on Leaving Certificate examination results. Achieving the required number of points qualifies the student for the course of their choice. You can apply to the CAO online at www.cao.ie. Before starting your application, it is advised that you read and understand the CAO Handbook, which can be found here. This will guide you through the application process and give you more information on supplementary admissions such as DARE and HEAR. Your SNA or guidance counselor will be able to go through this with you.

You can watch a video on the CAO process here. Congratulations on earning your place in DCU! We hope you feel a warm welcome into our DCU community. This webpage acts as a toolkit will hopefully provide you with the tools and tips needed to succeed in your time here in DCU. In DCU you’ll be able to study subjects that really interest you, and you’ll be able to find people who share your passions. Student life is about more than just lectures.

You’ll have the chance to explore new hobbies, meet people from other cultures, and take part in campus life. You’ll have a range of ways to take part, whether it’s through joining a club, volunteering, playing sport or getting involved with the student union. You may not feel like being involved in lots of activities beyond your course – sometimes getting coursework done and spending time with classmates can be more than enough to keep you busy. However, if you have time and energy there is bound to be an activity that you’d enjoy. This video was created by AHEAD, an independent non-profit organisation working to creative inclusive environments in education and employment for people with disabilities. Learn more about AHEAD and the work they do here.

When you have an offer of a place at DCU you will receive access to Discover DCU, DCU’s online transition and learning skills programme. Discover DCU is a series of 8 short interactive courses designed to help get you settled in and introduce you to the tools and skills you need to succeed at university. For more info and to access Discover DCU, see here. Each student has their own set of needs when it comes to attending lectures, studying or sitting exams. Students on the autism spectrum may experience particular challenges relating to their sensory environment, communication or task completion. Sometimes, it can be hard to find the words to communicate this to university staff.

DCU have an online profile form specifically for autistic students which offers you the chance to share the small things that may have a huge impact on their ability to engage fully with student... Consider sharing it with staff from the Disability & Learning Support Service by completing the online form. There are approximately fifteen short questions. Click here to start writing your personal profile. How are are CAO offers made for university and college places? Find out more about applying to University generally, and about our university’s admission process.

Once you have chosen which course(s) you would be interested in studying you need to make an application to your chosen University. Depending on the course your application will need to be made through the CAO. You should also think about applying to the Disability Access Route to Education (DARE) scheme, which requires you to declare your autism on your CAO form, this will not impact on the college’s decision... Knowing more about the application and admissions process will enable you to prepare, and think about whether you require any support or adjustments through this process e.g. extra time for interviews. It is a good idea to read the information on the Admissions website.

If you have any concerns about the admissions process and would like to talk about your options for support, you can contact the Disability Service team. Find out more about applying to University generally, and about our university’s admission process. Once you have chosen which course(s) you would be interested in studying you need to make an application to your chosen University. Depending on the course your application will need to be made through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) or directly to the University. Applications procedures will differ depending on the University and the course you have chosen to study but you may be invited to attend an interview, complete tests or submit examples of your work as... You should also think about declaring your autism on your application form, this will not impact on the Universities decision to offer/not offer a place but it will enable you to access support and...

Knowing more about the application and admissions process will enable you to prepare, and think about whether you require any support or adjustments through this process e.g. extra time for interviews. If you have any concerns about the admissions process and would like to talk about your options for support, you can contact the Disability Advice team. Dublin City University was recognised as an autism-friendly university by AsIAm, Ireland’s National Autism Charity and Advocacy Organisation, in 2017. The designation marked the conclusion of an 18-month research project. Research findings by DCU showed that autistic students in third-level often experience greater levels of difficulty settling in and adapting to university life than do their peers.

Frequently cited issues were discomfort in noisy environments; difficulties in managing schedules, deadlines and workload, challenges in participating in group work and unease in new social situations and extracurricular activities. To achieve the autism-friendly university designation, DCU must address eight generic principles that were established as part of the research study. To read the full report click here. One of the principles is: Encourage and enable autistic students to transition and participate in university programmes; So the opportunity to participate in the Autism&Uni project was a timely one as it specifically addressed transition.

We had created a lot of resources which were on our main webpage, but the volume of information can make it difficult to filter. The structure of the Autism&Uni toolkit is clear and concise. It really helped us collate information specific to new students in an autism-friendly way. It highlighted gaps in our information and also information duplication. The pages “student voices” and “professional interviews” were particularly welcomed by us as we have a strong autistic student voice in DCU. We used video and transcript to get student and staff perspectives from the NeuroDSoc and dcu.ie/disability.

This is something we will continue to develop. For universities to adapt – give your autistic students the best possible start. Co-created with autistic students, tutors and disability support staff. The Greek versions of the Autism&Uni Best Practice Guides were presented at the 9th Panhellenic Autism Congress held in Athens 10-12th October 2025. The Greek Version of the three Autism&Uni Best Practice Guides were printed and made available to all participants free of charge with sponsorship from Grigoris publications. All guides were well received and…

As a largely online institution, it is vital to ensure our online presence reflects the University’s core values of excellence, passion, integrity, and support. It is this thread that runs through all aspects of our disability support service, ultimately leading to our adoption of the Autism&Uni Toolkit. As the leading online university in the built… After a few months of setting up the Autism&Uni toolkit, the University of Chichester launched it to their new intake of autistic students in August 2025. Helen Dignum, Disability Advisor in the Student Support team, alongside Ella Knight, Student Journey intern, spent time between January and July 2025 adapting and personalising the toolkit, including linking…

Applying To University Autism Uni Toolkit Dublin City University

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