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Best Value Special Education Schools in Tennessee

2023 Best Value Special Education Schools in Tennessee

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

21 Colleges
$19,283 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$39,838 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Special Education School for You

In 2020-2021, 354 degrees and certificates were awarded to special education students who went to a Tennessee college or university. This makes it the #46 most popular major in the state.

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one 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 Tennessee to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 21 schools in Tennessee 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. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

Top 10 Best Special Education Schools

$9,232 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found Middle Tennessee State University to be the best value school for special education students who want to pursue a degree in Tennessee. Middle Tennessee State University is a fairly large public school located in the city of Murfreesboro.

Middle Tennessee State University undergraduate students pay an average of $9,232 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Special Ed majors at Middle Tennessee State University take out an average of $21,200 in student loans while working on their egree.

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$9,802 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Tennessee Technological University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Special Education Schools in Tennessee list. Tennessee Tech University is a moderately-sized public school located in the remote town of Cookeville.

Tennessee Tech University undergraduate students pay an average of $9,802 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Tennessee Tech University also is in the top 20% of our Best Special Education Schools in Tennessee ranking.

Full Special Education at Tennessee Technological University Report

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#3

University of Memphis

Memphis, TN
$10,056 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at University of Memphis helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best special education schools in Tennessee. Located in the large city of Memphis, UofM is a public college with a fairly large student population.

UofM undergraduate students pay an average of $10,056 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, special ed majors at UofM accumulate an average of around $21,125 in student debt.

Full Special Education at University of Memphis Report

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$9,848 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Special Education Schools in Tennessee list. UT Chattanooga is a fairly large public school located in the city of Chattanooga.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UT Chattanooga are $9,848 per year.

Full Special Education at The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga Report

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#5

Austin Peay State University

Clarksville, TN
$8,431 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Austin Peay State University is a great value for special education students. Austin Peay State University is a moderately-sized public school located in the medium-sized city of Clarksville.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Austin Peay State University are $8,431 a year.

Full Special Education at Austin Peay State University Report

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$9,912 Average Tuition & Fees

The University of Tennessee - Martin landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value special education programs. Located in the remote town of Martin, UT Martin is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

UT Martin undergraduate students pay an average of $9,912 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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#7

Freed-Hardeman University

Henderson, TN
$23,300 Average Tuition & Fees

Freed-Hardeman University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for special education students. It came in at #7 on the list. FHU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Henderson.

FHU undergraduate students pay an average of $23,300 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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$13,244 Average Tuition & Fees

The University of Tennessee - Knoxville did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for special education students. It came in at #8 on the list. UT Knoxville is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Knoxville.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UT Knoxville are $13,244 per year. After completing their degree, special ed graduates from UT Knoxville carry an average student debtload of $20,500.

UT Knoxville also took the #4 spot in our Best Special Education Schools in Tennessee rankings.

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$9,438 Average Tuition & Fees

East Tennessee State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for special education students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the small city of Johnson City, ETSU is a public college with a large student population.

ETSU undergraduate students pay an average of $9,438 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that special ed majors at ETSU take out is $18,203.

Read full report on Special Education at East Tennessee State University

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#10

Carson - Newman University

Jefferson City, TN
$31,320 Average Tuition & Fees

Carson - Newman University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value special education programs. Carson - Newman is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Jefferson City.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Carson - Newman are $31,320 per year.

Full Special Education at Carson - Newman University Report

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Best Value Special Education Colleges in the Southeast Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
Georgia 550
Virginia 1,238
North Carolina 477
Florida 1,103
Kentucky 608
South Carolina 266
Louisiana 103
Arkansas 351
Alabama 437
Mississippi 269
West Virginia 46

One of 14 majors within the area of study, special education has other similar majors worth exploring.

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 21 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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