2023 Best Value Special Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Special Education School for You
Out of all the majors we analyze each year, special education was ranked #29 in the country. In fact 36,792 degrees and certificates were handed out in 2020-2021.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. 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 Value Special Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 117 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which ones offered the best value programs for special ed students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
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 15% Best Special Education Schools
Our analysis found Waukesha County Technical College to be the best value school for special education students who want to pursue a degree in the Great Lakes Region . WCTC is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Pewaukee.
WCTC undergraduate students pay an average of $6,603 in tuition and fees each year.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Northeast Wisconsin Technical College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Special Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the city of Green Bay, NWTC is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at NWTC are $6,849 a year.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Olivet Nazarene University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Special Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the small suburb of Bourbonnais, Olivet Nazarene is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Olivet Nazarene are $37,440 a year.
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The excellent programs at Alverno College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best special education schools in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the city of Milwaukee, Alverno is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Alverno are $31,258 per year.
Full Special Education at Alverno College Report
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Out of the 117 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Carroll University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Carroll U is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Waukesha.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Carroll U are $35,140 a year. On average, special ed graduates from Carroll U take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
Carroll U excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Special Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.
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Muskingum University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for special education students. It came in at #6 on the list. Muskingum is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of New Concord.
Muskingum undergraduate students pay an average of $30,090 in tuition and fees each year.
Full Special Education at Muskingum University Report
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Spring Arbor University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Special Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the small suburb of Spring Arbor, Spring Arbor is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Spring Arbor are $31,080 per year. After completing their degree, special ed graduates from Spring Arbor carry an average student debtload of $30,428.
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Concordia University, Chicago landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value special education programs. Concordia University, Chicago is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of River Forest.
Concordia University, Chicago undergraduate students pay an average of $34,310 in tuition and fees each year.
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With a ranking of #9, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did quite well on this year’s best value schools for special education students. SIUE is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Edwardsville.
SIUE undergraduate students pay an average of $11,496 in tuition and fees each year. On average, special ed graduates from SIUE take out $20,250 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Northern Illinois University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value special education programs. NIU is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Dekalb.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NIU are $14,738 per year. The average amount in student loans that special ed majors at NIU take out is $21,750.
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Central Michigan University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for special education students. It came in at #11 on the list. Central Michigan is a fairly large public school located in the town of Mount Pleasant.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Central Michigan are $13,094 a year. After completing their degree, special ed graduates from Central Michigan carry an average student debtload of $31,000. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $385.
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Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value special education programs. SIUC is a large public school located in the city of Carbondale.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at SIUC are $15,240 a year.
Full Special Education at Southern Illinois University Carbondale Report
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Baldwin Wallace University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Special Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Baldwin Wallace College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Berea.
Baldwin Wallace College undergraduate students pay an average of $35,366 in tuition and fees each year.
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Youngstown State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for special education students. It came in at #14 on the list. Located in the city of Youngstown, Youngstown State University is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Youngstown State University undergraduate students pay an average of $9,732 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that special ed majors at Youngstown State University take out is $30,370.
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University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value special education programs. Located in the small city of Eau Claire, UW - Eau Claire is a public college with a large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UW - Eau Claire are $17,149 per year. While working on their degree, special ed majors at UW - Eau Claire accumulate an average of around $29,449 in student debt.
UW - Eau Claire excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Special Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.
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With a ranking of #15, University of Saint Francis - Fort Wayne did quite well on this year’s best value schools for special education students. Located in the city of Fort Wayne, University of St. Francis Fort Wayne is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
University of St. Francis Fort Wayne undergraduate students pay an average of $33,390 in tuition and fees each year.
Read full report on Special Education at University of Saint Francis - Fort Wayne
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Wisconsin Lutheran College ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Special Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the large city of Milwaukee, WLC is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
WLC undergraduate students pay an average of $32,766 in tuition and fees each year.
WLC excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Special Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.
Full Special Education at Wisconsin Lutheran College Report
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Here are some additional great value schools for Special Education students in the Great Lakes Region seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Special Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 18 | Marian University | Fond Du Lac, WI |
| 19 | Illinois State University | Normal, IL |
| 19 | Xavier University | Cincinnati, OH |
| 21 | Cardinal Stritch University | Milwaukee, WI |
| 22 | University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh | Oshkosh, WI |
| 23 | Mount Vernon Nazarene University | Mount Vernon, OH |
Best Special Education Colleges by State
Explore the best special education schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Michigan | 607 |
| Ohio | 1,329 |
| Illinois | 1,153 |
| Indiana | 2,282 |
| Wisconsin | 598 |
More Special Education Rankings in the Great Lakes Region
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 25 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.
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