College Applications and your Disability or Neurodivergence: To disclose or not to disclose on the Common Application

Should I disclose my disability or neurodivergence on my college application?

The truth of the matter is: you get to choose if you disclose a disability or neurodivergence in your college application. I know this isn’t a very satisfying answer, but the reality is this topic is complex and doesn’t have a “yes” or “no” answer. 

If you want some expert coaching in making this decision, consider working with a College Counselor or Independent Educational Consultant who can see how the parts of your application work as a whole and can help you decide if disclosing is a good fit for you.

How do I make the choice to disclose or not?

Two conditions should be met if a student is considering writing about their disability or neurodivergence on their application.

The student should:

1. Be comfortable and willing to write about their disability or neurodivergence
2. Consider how their disability/neurodivergence informs their identity and can be discussed as a part of their larger story

Where do I Disclose my Neurodivergence or Disability on the Common Application?

On the Common Application (taken by over 1000 public and private colleges and universities), there are five options for disclosing your neurodivergence or disability. Think through your options, and pick a strategy. If you are submitting applications through individual schools or the University of California system, the application structure will be different, and you’ll have to decide where in the application it’s best to disclose your disability. 

1. Personal Statement 

The Personal Statement on the Common App is a single 650-word maximum essay where students choose from a list of prompts with the aim of writing something that shows who they are beyond grades and test scores. Students may want to consider disclosing their neurodivergence or disability in the personal statement if they feel that it is an integral part of their identity. The best essays that engage with this content aim to show one’s neurodivergence or disability as an informing part of the whole. The goal would be to demonstrate how this identity is a vital component of who you are. If you are struggling with what to write about in your personal statement, consider using a College Essay Coach.

2. Challenges and Circumstances

The Challenges and Circumstances section on the Common App (new as of the 2025 application cycle) is an optional 250-word paragraph where students provide context for any situation or circumstance that negatively impacted their grades, test scores, or activities. If this is the case, you may want to mention that in this section.

3. Supplemental Essays

Some schools require supplemental essays on topics of their choice. Often, this supplemental essay asks students to discuss an aspect of their identity or explain why they want to attend that institution. Disclosing in one of these essays may be a good option for students if identifying themselves as a person with a disability directly answers an essay prompt or if they are selecting the university in part for the disability support services. 

4. Letters of Recommendation

Many schools require one to two letters of recommendation from your school counselor and/or teachers. You may give the counselor and/or teachers permission to talk about how your neurodivergence or disability has impacted your performance. A counselor may be able to speak specifically to growth over time, informed by their knowledge of your 504 or IEP and your transcript. A teacher may speak to your performance in academics or self-advocacy. Please note, not all colleges use or review letters of recommendation as a part of the application process. 

5. Additional Information

The Additional Information section on the College Application is an optional 300-word section where students provide any information they’d like the college to know. Importantly, if you want to discuss a negative impact on grades, test scores, or activities, this information should go into Challenges and Circumstances. This is a good option for students who haven’t discussed their disability or neurodivergence in other sections, but want to include it in their application. Be careful not to repeat information mentioned in other sections, and note that most students leave the additional information section blank. 

Thoughtful Reasons to Disclose

1. It’s part of your identity
Disability has a complicated intersection with other parts of identity and experiences. When done thoughtfully, it can be a vehicle to showcase who you are to the admission committee. This might fit best with the personal statement or supplemental essays.

2. Helps explain a pattern 
Was part of your academic record or activities impacted by your neurodivergence or disability? This information fits best in the Challenges and Circumstances section. 

3. Demonstrates growth 
Managing disabilities or neurodivergence in societies that weren’t made for us requires significant person advocacy and extra work. This can be a good fit for the personal statement, additional information, or letters of recommendation.

4. Informs an experience
If there is a particular experience that showcases who you are and involves a neurodivergence or disability, it might be worth telling the full story in your personal statement or in a school-specific supplemental essay.

Brainstorming how to Write about your Neurodivergence or Disability

• How does it contribute to what makes you uniquely you?
• How has it affected your values? 
• Has your experience with it taught you to persevere in the face of challenges and be open to other ways of thinking? 
• Did learning to manage it result in discovering other conditions for leading a better life?
• Can you share your unique perspective on neurodivergence in a way that only you can?
• Is it your superpower? If so, why? 
• What are you uniquely able to do, and what do you bring to the table?

Are you interested in more guidance in crafting the specific section of your application that discloses your neurodivergence or disability? Book a session with a college essay coach or college counselor to get personalized feedback and guidance.