2023 Best Special Education Bachelor's Degree Schools
Finding the Best Special Education Bachelor's Degree School for You
In 2020-2021, 36,792 people earned a degree or certificate in special education, making the major the #29 most popular in the United States.
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Special Education Bachelor's Degree Schools to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 395 schools in the United States to see which bachelor's degree programs offered the best educational experiences for students. The factors used to develop this ranking include those related to how in-demand the school is, the overall quality of the school, and post-graduation wages, and more.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the United States
The colleges and universities below are the best for special ed majors pursuing a bachelor's degree.
Top 25 Top Schools for a Bachelor's in Special Education
Our 2023 rankings named Gonzaga University the best school in the United States for special education students working on their bachelor’s degree. Gonzaga is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Spokane.
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Out of the 395 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, The College of New Jersey landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of Ewing, TCNJ is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Western Washington University is a great place for special education students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Bellingham, WWU is a public college with a fairly large student population.
While working on their Bachelor's Degree, special ed majors at WWU accumulate an average of around $25,415 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $168.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Lebanon Valley College is a great place for special education students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the small suburb of Annville, LVC is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $313.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Towson University is a great place for special education students working on their bachelor’s degree. Towson is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Towson.
The average amount in student loans that special ed majors at Towson take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $19,088. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $216, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Texas Christian University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for special education students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #6 on the list. TCU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Fort Worth.
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Central Washington University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. CWU is a fairly large public school located in the distant town of Ellensburg.
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With a ranking of #8, Syracuse University did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the midsize city of Syracuse, Syracuse is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
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With a ranking of #9, Hope College did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students working on their bachelor’s degree. Hope is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Holland.
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With a ranking of #10, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public school with a fairly large student population.
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Illinois State University landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree special education programs. Illinois State is a very large public school located in the suburb of Normal.
While working on their Bachelor's Degree, special ed majors at Illinois State accumulate an average of around $19,363 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $201.
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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public school with a very large student population.
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With a ranking of #13, York College of Pennsylvania did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the midsize suburb of York, YCP is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
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Baylor University landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree special education programs. Located in the medium-sized city of Waco, Baylor is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.
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Juniata College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for special education students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #15 on the list. Juniata is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Huntingdon.
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Dakota State University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Dakota State is a small public school located in the distant town of Madison.
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With a ranking of #17, Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students working on their bachelor’s degree. Ship is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Shippensburg.
Special Ed majors at Ship take out an average of $24,639 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.
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Minot State University landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree special education programs. Located in the remote town of Minot, MSU is a public school with a small student population.
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Saint Joseph’s University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Philadelphia, St. Joe's is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.
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Seton Hall University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Seton Hall is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of South Orange.
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West Chester University of Pennsylvania came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. WCUPA is a large public school located in the suburb of West Chester.
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Saint Martin’s University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for special education students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #22 on the list. Saint Martin's is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Lacey.
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Millersville University of Pennsylvania came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the suburb of Millersville, Millersville is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Special Ed majors at Millersville take out an average of $28,347 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $205, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Kean University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the large suburb of Union, Kean is a public school with a fairly large student population.
While working on their Bachelor's Degree, special ed majors at Kean accumulate an average of around $25,905 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $264, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire ranked #25 on this year’s Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the small city of Eau Claire, UW - Eau Claire is a public college with a large student population.
The average amount in student loans that special ed majors at UW - Eau Claire take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $25,063.
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Remaining Award Winners
This list represents the remainder of the schools awarded a Best Special Education Bachelor's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 395 different United States special education schools we analyzed.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | University of Georgia | Athens, GA |
| 52 | University of Wisconsin - Whitewater | Whitewater, WI |
| 53 | Southern Illinois University Carbondale | Carbondale, IL |
| 54 | Southwest Minnesota State University | Marshall, MN |
| 55 | East Carolina University | Greenville, NC |
| 56 | Hood College | Frederick, MD |
| 57 | Huntington University | Huntington, IN |
| 58 | University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point | Stevens Point, WI |
| 59 | Eastern Illinois University | Charleston, IL |
Additional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional great schools for Special Education students that almost earned our Best Special Education Bachelor's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 60 | University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh | Oshkosh, WI |
| 61 | Saint Edward’s University | Austin, TX |
| 62 | Thiel College | Greenville, PA |
| 63 | Lock Haven University | Lock Haven, PA |
| 64 | University of South Dakota | Vermillion, SD |
| 65 | Elmhurst University | Elmhurst, IL |
| 66 | SUNY Geneseo | Geneseo, NY |
| 67 | Salve Regina University | Newport, RI |
| 68 | Martin Luther College | New Ulm, MN |
| 69 | Providence College | Providence, RI |
| 70 | Arizona State University - Tempe | Tempe, AZ |
| 71 | Concordia University, Wisconsin | Mequon, WI |
| 72 | Loyola University Chicago | Chicago, IL |
| 73 | Florida State University | Tallahassee, FL |
| 74 | Bradley University | Peoria, IL |
| 75 | Indiana Wesleyan University | Marion, IN |
| 76 | Whitworth University | Spokane, WA |
| 77 | Chadron State College | Chadron, NE |
| 78 | Hastings College | Hastings, NE |
| 79 | University of Minnesota - Twin Cities | Minneapolis, MN |
Special Education by Region
View the Best Special Education Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Special Education Rankings
Rankings in Majors Related to Special Ed
Special Education is one of 14 different types of programs to choose from.
Most Popular Majors Related to Special Ed
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Teacher Education Grade Specific | 110,226 |
| Educational Administration | 46,469 |
| Teacher Education Subject Specific | 43,297 |
| General Education | 29,810 |
| Curriculum & Instruction | 19,832 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to woodleywonderworks.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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