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.
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2023 Best Value Special Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region
The following schools top our list of the Best Value Special Education Colleges.
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.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at WCTC are $6,603 a year.
Read full report on Special Education at Waukesha County Technical College
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Northeast Wisconsin Technical College is a great value for special education students. Located in the medium-sized city of Green Bay, NWTC is a public college with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at NWTC are $6,849 a year.
Read full report on Special Education at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Olivet Nazarene University is a great value for special education students. Located in the suburb of Bourbonnais, Olivet Nazarene is a private not-for-profit college 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.
Out of the 117 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Alverno College landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the large city of Milwaukee, Alverno 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 Alverno are $31,258 a year.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Carroll University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Special Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region 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.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Carroll U also did well on our Best Special Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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 town of New Concord.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Muskingum are $30,090 per year.
Read full report on Special Education at Muskingum University
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 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.
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 large suburb of River Forest.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Concordia University, Chicago are $34,310 a year.
Read full report on Special Education at Concordia University, Chicago
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 large public school located in the large suburb of Edwardsville.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at SIUE are $11,496 a year. On average, special ed graduates from SIUE take out $20,250 in student loans while working on their degree.
Full Special Education at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Report
Northern Illinois University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Special Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. NIU is a fairly large public school located in the small suburb of Dekalb.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at NIU are $14,738 a year. The average amount in student loans that special ed majors at NIU take out is $21,750.
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.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Central Michigan are $13,094 per 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.
Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Special Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. SIUC is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Carbondale.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at SIUC are $15,240 a year.
Read full report on Special Education at Southern Illinois University Carbondale
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.
Read full report on Special Education at Baldwin Wallace University
Youngstown State University landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value special education programs. 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.
University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value special education programs. Located in the city of Eau Claire, UW - Eau Claire is a public school with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW - Eau Claire are $17,149 a 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 also claimed a spot on our Best Special Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
Read full report on Special Education at University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire
University of Saint Francis - Fort Wayne did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for special education students. It came in at #15 on the list. Located in the large city of Fort Wayne, University of St. Francis Fort Wayne 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 University of St. Francis Fort Wayne are $33,390 a year.
Wisconsin Lutheran College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for special education students. It came in at #17 on the list. Located in the city of Milwaukee, WLC is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
WLC undergraduate students pay an average of $32,766 in tuition and fees each year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, WLC also did well on our Best Special Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Additional Noteworthy Schools
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 colleges 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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