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Best Value Special Education Schools in Tennessee

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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.

2023 Best Value Special Education Schools in Tennessee

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

$9,232 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Middle Tennessee State University the best value school in Tennessee for special education students. Middle Tennessee State University is a fairly large public school located in the midsize 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.

Read More…

$9,802 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 21 schools in Tennessee that were part of this year’s ranking, Tennessee Technological University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Tennessee Tech University is a medium-sized public school located in the remote town of Cookeville.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Tennessee Tech University are $9,802 a 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

#3

University of Memphis

Memphis, TN
$10,056 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 21 schools in Tennessee that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Memphis landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the city of Memphis, UofM is a public school with a very large student population.

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

Read full report on Special Education at University of Memphis

$9,848 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 21 schools in Tennessee that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga landed the # 4 spot on the list. UT Chattanooga is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Chattanooga.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UT Chattanooga are $9,848 a year.

Read full report on Special Education at The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga

#5

Austin Peay State University

Clarksville, TN
$8,431 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 21 schools in Tennessee that were part of this year’s ranking, Austin Peay State University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Austin Peay State University is a moderately-sized public school located in the midsize city of Clarksville.

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

Read full report on Special Education at Austin Peay State University

$9,912 Average Tuition & Fees

The University of Tennessee - Martin came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Special Education Schools in Tennessee ranking. Located in the town of Martin, UT Martin is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UT Martin are $9,912 per year.

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#7

Freed-Hardeman University

Henderson, TN
$23,300 Average Tuition & Fees

Freed-Hardeman University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Special Education Schools in Tennessee ranking. FHU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Henderson.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at FHU are $23,300 a year.

Full Special Education at Freed-Hardeman University Report

$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 made our Best Special Education Schools in Tennessee list, coming in at #4.

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$9,438 Average Tuition & Fees

East Tennessee State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Special Education Schools in Tennessee ranking. Located in the city of Johnson City, ETSU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

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

Full Special Education at East Tennessee State University Report

#10

Carson - Newman University

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

Carson - Newman University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Special Education Schools in Tennessee ranking. 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.

Read full report on Special Education at Carson - Newman University

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
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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