2023 Best Value Special Education Schools in Washington
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Special Education School for You
Special Education is the #75 most popular major in Washington with 238 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. 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 Value Special Education Schools in Washington to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 10 schools in Washington to see which programs offered the best value experiences for special ed students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 10 Best Special Education Schools
Our analysis found Western Washington University to be the best value school for special education students who want to pursue a degree in Washington. Located in the city of Bellingham, WWU is a public college with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WWU are $8,703 per year. While working on their degree, special ed majors at WWU accumulate an average of around $26,870 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $168.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Central Washington University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Special Education Schools in Washington list. CWU is a fairly large public school located in the distant town of Ellensburg.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at CWU are $8,685 a year.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Eastern Washington University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Special Education Schools in Washington list. EWU is a large public school located in the fringe town of Cheney.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at EWU are $7,922 a year. After completing their degree, special ed graduates from EWU carry an average student debtload of $18,333.
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Out of the 10 schools in Washington that were part of this year’s ranking, Seattle University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Seattle U is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Seattle.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Seattle U are $49,335 per year.
Seattle U also claimed a spot on our Best Special Education Schools in Washington list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Washington State University is a great value for special education students. Located in the distant town of Pullman, Wazzu is a public school with a very large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Wazzu are $12,417 per year.
In addition to its great value ranking, Wazzu is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Special Education Schools in Washington list.
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Whitworth University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Special Education Schools in Washington list. Whitworth is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Spokane.
Whitworth undergraduate students pay an average of $47,590 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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With a ranking of #7, University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well on this year’s best value schools for special education students. UW Seattle is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Seattle.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UW Seattle are $12,076 per year.
UW Seattle not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #2 on our Best Special Education Schools in Washington list.
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Gonzaga University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value special education programs. Gonzaga is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Spokane.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Gonzaga are $48,470 per year. Special Ed majors at Gonzaga take out an average of $25,500 in student loans while working on their egree.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Gonzaga is ranked #4 for overall quality for special ed in Washington.
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Seattle Pacific University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Special Education Schools in Washington ranking. Located in the large city of Seattle, SPU is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
SPU undergraduate students pay an average of $35,646 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
SPU also claimed a spot on our Best Special Education Schools in Washington list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
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Saint Martin’s University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value special education programs. Saint Martin's is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Lacey.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Saint Martin’s are $40,690 per year.
Saint Martin’s not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #5 on our Best Special Education Schools in Washington list.
Request InformationBest Value Special Education Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Value Special Education Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| California | 2,861 |
| Oregon | 234 |
| Nevada | 215 |
| Hawaii | 49 |
| Alaska | 52 |
More Special Education Rankings in Washington
Special Education Related Majors for Special Ed
Special Education is one of 14 different types of programs to choose from.
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 10 schools only.
- 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.