Autism and Educational Attainment

What we want to find out

This project explores whether autistic people are as likely to finish school and receive educational qualifications as non-autistic people. This may include taking A-level exams, finishing university, or undertaking postgraduate degrees such as a Master’s or Doctorate. We also want to find out whether people without an autism diagnosis, but who have high levels of autistic traits, have similar educational outcomes as people with low levels of autistic traits. 

Why we’re doing this research

Many autistic people describe school as a challenging environment, but there is very little research on how many autistic people finish school and complete educational qualifications. Finishing school and receiving educational qualifications is linked to many other areas of life and wellbeing, including mental health and employment opportunities. This project aims to fill these gaps and build a clearer picture of educational outcomes for autistic people and people with high autistic traits. 

Method

The study analyses anonymised responses to a large survey of over 230,000 people in the UK, which was carried out in collaboration with Channel 4.  

Community engagement

As this study used survey data that had already been collected, the researchers met with five autistic adults in an online focus group after the initial analysis. We discussed the findings and their own personal experiences, which helped us interpret and describe the results. These discussions also helped to identify important areas that could not be examined in this study, allowing us to recognise its limits and identify priorities for future research.

Potential impact

The findings will provide us with important information about whether autistic people experience different educational outcomes compared to non-autistic people. This is the first study on this topic in the UK, and we hope that it can influence the educational policies that we have in place to support autistic people in schools across the UK.

Results

We anticipate sharing the results in Spring 2026. When ready, the key findings will be shared on this page. 

Staff

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