2023 Best Special Education Schools in the Southeast Region
Finding the Best Special Education School for You
Special Education is the #29 most popular major in the country with 36,792 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Special Education Schools in the Southeast Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 164 schools in the Southeast Region to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Special Education Schools in the Southeast Region
Check out the special ed programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.
Top 15% Best Special Education Schools
Our analysis found University of Virginia - Main Campus to be the best school for special education students who want to pursue a degree in the Southeast Region . Located in the suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Full Special Education at University of Virginia - Main Campus Report
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Out of the 164 schools in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Vanderbilt University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Vanderbilt is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Nashville.
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Out of the 164 schools in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Augusta University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Augusta University is a medium-sized public school located in the midsize city of Augusta.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend George Mason University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Special Education Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public college with a very large student population.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means East Carolina University is a great place for special education students. Located in the small city of Greenville, ECU is a public college with a very large student population.
Special Ed majors at ECU take out an average of $26,980 in student loans while working on their egree.
Full Special Education at East Carolina University Report
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University of Georgia ranked #6 on this year’s Best Special Education Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the city of Athens, UGA is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average amount in student loans that special ed majors at UGA take out is $25,000.
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With a ranking of #7, Appalachian State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students. Located in the distant town of Boone, Appalachian State is a public college with a very large student population.
The average amount in student loans that special ed majors at Appalachian State take out is $21,500.
Full Special Education at Appalachian State University Report
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With a ranking of #8, Florida State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students. Located in the medium-sized city of Tallahassee, Florida State is a public college with a very large student population.
While working on their degree, special ed majors at Florida State accumulate an average of around $20,584 in student debt.
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University of Florida landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best special education programs. UF is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Gainesville.
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William & Mary landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best special education programs. Located in the suburb of Williamsburg, William & Mary is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
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With a ranking of #11, Georgia Gwinnett College did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students. Georgia Gwinnett College is a large public school located in the suburb of Lawrenceville.
Full Special Education at Georgia Gwinnett College Report
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Clemson University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Special Education Schools in the Southeast Region list. Clemson is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Clemson.
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Broward College landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best special education programs. BC is a very large public school located in the city of Fort Lauderdale.
After completing their degree, special ed graduates from BC carry an average student debtload of $15,237.
Full Special Education at Broward College Report
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University of West Georgia came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in the fringe town of Carrollton, University of West Georgia is a public college with a fairly large student population.
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Georgia College & State University landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best special education programs. Located in the distant town of Milledgeville, Georgia College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
After completing their degree, special ed graduates from Georgia College carry an average student debtload of $22,866.
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John Brown University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for special education students. It came in at #16 on the list. JBU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Siloam Springs.
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Auburn University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for special education students. It came in at #17 on the list. Located in the small city of Auburn, Auburn is a public college with a very large student population.
Special Ed majors at Auburn take out an average of $22,250 in student loans while working on their egree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $512.
Full Special Education at Auburn University Report
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Miami Dade College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for special education students. It came in at #18 on the list. Located in the large city of Miami, MDC is a public school with a very large student population.
On average, special ed graduates from MDC take out $9,500 in student loans while working on their degree.
Full Special Education at Miami Dade College Report
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Shenandoah University landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best special education programs. Located in the city of Winchester, Shenandoah is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
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University of North Carolina at Charlotte landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best special education programs. UNC Charlotte is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Charlotte.
The average amount in student loans that special ed majors at UNC Charlotte take out is $26,648.
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James Madison University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. JMU is a very large public school located in the city of Harrisonburg.
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Florida Gulf Coast University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for special education students. It came in at #22 on the list. FGCU is a large public school located in the large suburb of Fort Myers.
The average amount in student loans that special ed majors at FGCU take out is $26,000.
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Florida International University landed the #23 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best special education programs. Located in the suburb of Miami, FIU is a public college with a very large student population.
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Bellarmine University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for special education students. It came in at #24 on the list. Bellarmine U is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Louisville.
While working on their degree, special ed majors at Bellarmine U accumulate an average of around $26,737 in student debt.
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These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Special Education Schools in the Southeast Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | Marymount University | Arlington, VA |
| 26 | University of North Carolina at Greensboro | Greensboro, NC |
| 27 | North Carolina State University | Raleigh, NC |
| 28 | Georgetown College | Georgetown, KY |
| 29 | University of North Carolina at Wilmington | Wilmington, NC |
| 30 | University of North Florida | Jacksonville, FL |
| 31 | The University of West Florida | Pensacola, FL |
| 32 | Tennessee Technological University | Cookeville, TN |
Best Special Education Colleges by State
Explore the best special education schools for a specific state in the Southeast region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Georgia | 550 |
| Virginia | 1,238 |
| North Carolina | 477 |
| Florida | 1,103 |
| Tennessee | 354 |
| Kentucky | 608 |
| South Carolina | 266 |
| Louisiana | 103 |
| Arkansas | 351 |
| Alabama | 437 |
| Mississippi | 269 |
| West Virginia | 46 |
More Special Education Rankings in the Southeast Region
Special Education Related Rankings by Major
One of 14 majors within the area of study, special education has other similar majors worth exploring.
Majors Similar 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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