Weir, Cate

Postsecondary education programs for students with intellectual disability have a variety of names. The name of a program sets the tone for families and students, and other key supporters, of what to expect from that program. The authors sought to address a lack of guidance on considerations for naming a postsecondary education program for students with intellectual disability by first analyzing the names of existing programs for common words and themes. Using data from the Think College programs directory, the authors coded the words and themes in 310 program names.

In this Insight Brief, we explain Memoranda of Understanding (MOU). An MOU is used to describe an agreement between parties; it outlines each party’s roles and responsibilities and helps to avoid confusion and miscommunication. They are used in inclusive postsecondary education to define relationships between the institution of higher education, employers, school districts, and other relevant parties. This publication describes the core components of MOU, their usage within a college program for students with intellectual disability, and their advantages and disadvantages.

The future is bright! The Think College National Coordinating Center was refunded through 2025, and is looking forward to continuing its work first begun in 2010. In this webinar, you can meet the team and learn how the work of the National Coordinating Center supports higher education professionals, K-12 educators, families and students who are interested in higher education for students with intellectual disability.

Key staff of Center shared their activities and plans for the next five years, including:

This Insight Brief discusses how students with intellectual disability can utilize federal financial aid to help pay for college. This publication was updated in 2025 to reflect current legislation and policy related to federal financial aid for students with intellectual disabilities. Links to relevant resources with the most current information were added. 

A plain language version of this document is available here.

 This guide offers basic considerations for starting the college search, as well as helpful tips. It also includes key questions to ask staff from college programs, covering topics such as academics, employment and student supports, housing, financial aid, and the overall campus and community experience, with room to add questions of your own.

This resource shares a webinar transcript and PPT from a webinar presented by Cate Weir and Clare Papay of Think College in 2018, data are presented on the extent to which colleges and universities are offering credentials to students with ID and the types available. A Credential Action Planning Tool that can be used to develop meaningful credentials for students with ID is discussed.

This 2010 Fast Fact presents the results of a survey of postsecondary education programs on what services are offered for students with intellectual disability. Details on admission, courses and programming, housing, and more are presented. 

Eligible students with intellectual disabilities are able to access federal financial aid when they attend inclusive postsecondary education programs that have been approved as Comprehensive Transition and Postsecondary (CTP) programs. This webinar from 2017 covered what a CTP program is and why programs should consider applying for this approval. It shares practical advice on the application process and tips on how to write a successful application to become a CTP. Resource includes the Power Point presentation slides and webinar transcript.

This free, open access online course provides information to assist programs to complete and submit an application for CTP program approval. A CTP Application Template and a downloadable step-by-step checklist will guide programs through the entire application process. The course also provides examples of key components from successful CTP applications and other related resources.

The FY2013 annual report of data from the Think College National Coordinating Center on the Transition Postsecondary Education Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabiities (TPSID) projects.  These annual reports share data and analysis from data collected from a total of 54 TPSID projects annually from 2010-2015 on the programmatic structures and student characteristics and student outcomes.