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Best Value Special Education Schools in North Carolina

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2023 Best Value Special Education Schools in North Carolina

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

17 Colleges
$16,074 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$38,683 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Special Education School for You

With 477 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, special education is the #49 most popular major in North Carolina.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. 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.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Special Education Schools in North Carolina ranking. Our analysis looked at 17 schools in North Carolina 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.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. 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.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Special Education Schools in North Carolina

Check out the special ed programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Top 10 Best Special Education Schools

$3,495 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named University of North Carolina at Pembroke the best value school in North Carolina for special education students. UNC Pembroke is a moderately-sized public school located in the distant town of Pembroke.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UNC Pembroke are $3,495 per year.

Full Special Education at University of North Carolina at Pembroke Report

$4,367 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Western Carolina University is a great value for special education students. Located in the distant town of Cullowhee, WCU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WCU are $4,367 per year. Special Ed majors at WCU take out an average of $21,500 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Special Education at Western Carolina University

#3

East Carolina University

Greenville, NC

Out of the 17 schools in North Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, East Carolina University landed the # 3 spot on the list. ECU is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Greenville.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at ECU are $7,297 a year. While working on their degree, special ed majors at ECU accumulate an average of around $26,980 in student debt.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, ECU also did well on our Best Special Education Schools in North Carolina list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Read More…

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Appalachian State University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Special Education Schools in North Carolina list. Appalachian State is a very large public school located in the town of Boone.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Appalachian State are $7,410 per year. On average, special ed graduates from Appalachian State take out $21,500 in student loans while working on their degree.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Appalachian State also is in the top 10% of our Best Special Education Schools in North Carolina ranking.

Full Special Education at Appalachian State University Report

Out of the 17 schools in North Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Carolina at Charlotte landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the city of Charlotte, UNC Charlotte is a public school with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UNC Charlotte are $7,188 per year. On average, special ed graduates from UNC Charlotte take out $26,648 in student loans while working on their degree.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UNC Charlotte also is in the top 15% of our Best Special Education Schools in North Carolina ranking.

Read full report on Special Education at University of North Carolina at Charlotte

With a ranking of #6, University of North Carolina at Wilmington did quite well on this year’s best value schools for special education students. UNCW is a fairly large public school located in the city of Wilmington.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UNCW are $7,238 per year. Special Ed majors at UNCW take out an average of $23,625 in student loans while working on their egree.

UNCW excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Special Education Schools in North Carolina list.

Read More…

With a ranking of #7, University of North Carolina at Greensboro did quite well on this year’s best value schools for special education students. Located in the large city of Greensboro, UNC Greensboro is a public college with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UNC Greensboro are $7,468 per year. The average amount in student loans that special ed majors at UNC Greensboro take out is $20,996.

In addition to its great value ranking, UNC Greensboro is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Special Education Schools in North Carolina list.

Read More…

#8

Elizabeth City State University

Elizabeth City, NC
$3,326 Average Tuition & Fees

Elizabeth City State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Special Education Schools in North Carolina list. Located in the town of Elizabeth City, ECSU is a public college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at ECSU are $3,326 a year.

Read More…

North Carolina State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Special Education Schools in North Carolina ranking. Located in the large city of Raleigh, NC State is a public college with a very large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NC State are $9,131 per year.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, NC State is ranked #5 for overall quality for special ed in North Carolina.

Full Special Education at North Carolina State University Report

#10

Salem College

Winston-Salem, NC
$31,016 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #10, Salem College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for special education students. Salem is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Winston-Salem.

Salem undergraduate students pay an average of $31,016 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read More…

Best Value Special Education Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Value Special Education Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Georgia 550
Virginia 1,238
Florida 1,103
Tennessee 354
Kentucky 608
South Carolina 266
Louisiana 103
Arkansas 351
Alabama 437
Mississippi 269
West Virginia 46

Special Education is one of 14 different types of programs to choose from.

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 17 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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