There's quite a bit of room. Superpowers are studied largely as a mean to support the variety that come up all across the world, and there is knowledge of other cities/nations that do research into them.

It's why the training centres exist - to help people understand their powers and also to control them, among also being exercises. Powers can range from 'useless' to extremely powerful, to passive to unstable. It's considered part of one's right to health care to make sure people have support with their powers.

So, it would depend on what angle you would want your character to be studying from in the AU.