2023 Best Value Special Education Schools in Illinois
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Special Education School for You
In 2020-2021, 1,153 degrees and certificates were awarded to special education students who went to a Illinois college or university. This makes it the #32 most popular major in the state.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value Special Education Schools in Illinois to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 30 schools in Illinois 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.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. 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.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 10 Best Special Education Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Illinois State University the best value school in Illinois for special education students. Illinois State is a very large public school located in the suburb of Normal.
Illinois State undergraduate students pay an average of $13,968 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that special ed majors at Illinois State take out is $20,500. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $201.
Illinois State also claimed a spot on our Best Special Education Schools in Illinois list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Governors State University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Special Education Schools in Illinois list. Located in the rural area of University Park, GSU is a public college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at GSU are $10,108 a year.
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The excellent programs at Olivet Nazarene University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best special education schools in Illinois. Located in the small suburb of Bourbonnais, Olivet Nazarene is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Olivet Nazarene undergraduate students pay an average of $37,440 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Eastern Illinois University is a great value for special education students. Located in the town of Charleston, EIU is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
EIU undergraduate students pay an average of $12,297 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Special Ed majors at EIU take out an average of $21,377 in student loans while working on their egree.
Read full report on Special Education at Eastern Illinois University
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Concordia University, Chicago is a great value for special education students. Concordia University, Chicago is a medium-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 in-state tuition and fees each year.
Read full report on Special Education at Concordia University, Chicago
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With a ranking of #6, Northeastern Illinois University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for special education students. Northeastern Illinois University is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Chicago.
Northeastern Illinois University undergraduate students pay an average of $12,064 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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Northern Illinois University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Special Education Schools in Illinois ranking. NIU is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Dekalb.
NIU undergraduate students pay an average of $14,738 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, special ed majors at NIU accumulate an average of around $21,750 in student debt.
Full Special Education at Northern Illinois University Report
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Southern Illinois University Edwardsville came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Special Education Schools in Illinois ranking. SIUE is a large public school located in the suburb of Edwardsville.
SIUE undergraduate students pay an average of $11,496 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, special ed graduates from SIUE carry an average student debtload of $20,250.
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With a ranking of #9, Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well on this year’s best value schools for special education students. SIUC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Carbondale.
SIUC undergraduate students pay an average of $15,240 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for special education students. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public school with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UIUC are $17,634 a year. The average amount in student loans that special ed majors at UIUC take out is $13,750.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, UIUC is ranked #3 for overall quality for special ed in Illinois.
Request InformationBest Value Special Education Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
Explore all the Best Value Special Education Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Michigan | 607 |
| Ohio | 1,329 |
| Indiana | 2,282 |
| Wisconsin | 598 |
More Special Education Rankings in Illinois
Special Education Related Majors for Special Ed
Special Education is one of 14 different types of programs to choose from.
Most Popular Related Majors
| 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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