Citation: Syriopoulou-Delli, C.; Sarri, K.; Papaefstathiou, E.; Filiou, A.-E.; Gkiolnta, E. Educational Programs Supporting Higher Education Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Literature Review. Trends High. Educ. 2024, 3, 710–724. https://doi.org/10.3390/ higheredu3030040 Academic Editor: Heather Kanuka Received: 15 April 2024 Revised: 19 July 2024 Accepted: 8 August 2024 Published: 21 August 2024 Copyright: © 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). Systematic Review Educational Programs Supporting Higher Education Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Literature Review Christine Syriopoulou-Delli *, Kyriaki Sarri, Elpis Papaefstathiou, Areti-Eirini Filiou and Eleni Gkiolnta * Department of Educational and Social Policy, University of Macedonia, 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece; sarrikiki@uom.edu.gr (K.S.); papaelpi@uom.edu.gr (E.P.); aretifiliou@uom.edu.gr (A.-E.F.) * Correspondence: csyriop@uom.edu.gr (C.S.-D.); egkiolnta@uom.edu.gr (E.G.) Abstract: Young individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) seem to attend higher education more frequently. Yet, the academic performance of students with ASD and the graduation rate appear to be poorer than those of typical development students. Moreover, college students with ASD face several challenges in their everyday and social lives. Students with ASD seem not to receive the appropriate social and educational support in higher education. This article reports the results of a systematic literature review of research programs and services designed to meet the needs of students with ASD enrolled in higher education. Several interventions are available and appear to be effective in supporting students with ASD in higher education (e.g., social planning intervention, focus groups, coaching paired with behavioral skills training, video feedback, visual framework, peer mentoring, and virtual reality). In addition, this article shows that colleges and universities face the challenge of preparing for these students and the need to provide psychological support for them. Moreover, studies of experiences and opinions of college students with ASD from their perspectives are included. Keywords: autism spectrum disorder; university; college; students; interventions 1. Introduction Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by impairments in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication deficits, and restricted and repetitive interests and behavior [1]. The severity of these symptoms ranges from mild to severe, and they persist throughout the lifespan. Current data suggest that the prevalence of ASD in the USA is approximately 1 in 36 individuals [2], while it was 1 in 54 [3]. In Europe, the prevalence of ASD appears to be 1 in 89 individuals [4]. Given the increasing prevalence of ASD over recent decades, there are many adolescents with ASD transitioning to adulthood. Many of them face several difficulties including socialization with their peers, vocational rehabilitation, and entry into society [5,6]. Data indicates that students with ASD undertake higher education studies [7]. Yet, aca- demic outcomes are often poor (fewer than 20% of students with ASD graduated or were even on track to graduate five years after high school; [8]), and there is awareness of the challenges, that students with ASD have to face [9]. While more young adults with ASD are continuing to post-secondary education and higher education (approximately 35–40% of individuals with ASD pursue higher education; [10]), they seem to be fewer in number than individuals with other types of disabilities (e.g., speech/language, hearing, or visual impairments; [9]). Compared with their peers with other disabilities, students with ASD are less likely to take steps to prepare for college while in high school and more likely to enroll in a 2-year college (32%) than a 4-year college (17%) [11]. Colleges and universities face the challenge of preparing for these students, while autistic students do not receive the appropriate social and educational support in higher education [12,13]. Trends High. Educ. 2024, 3, 710–724. https://doi.org/10.3390/higheredu3030040 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/higheredu