2023 Best Value Special Education Schools in Tennessee
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
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
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.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Middle Tennessee State University are $9,232 per 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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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Tennessee Technological University is a great value for special education students. Tennessee Tech University is a moderately-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.
Tennessee Tech University also claimed a spot on our Best Special Education Schools in Tennessee list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
Read full report on Special Education at Tennessee Technological University
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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 large city of Memphis, UofM is a public school with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UofM are $10,056 a 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
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The excellent programs at The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best special education schools in Tennessee. UT Chattanooga is a large public school located in the medium-sized city of Chattanooga.
UT Chattanooga undergraduate students pay an average of $9,848 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Austin Peay State University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Special Education Schools in Tennessee list. 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.
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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 remote town of Martin, UT Martin is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UT Martin are $9,912 a year.
Read full report on Special Education at The University of Tennessee - Martin
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Freed-Hardeman University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value special education programs. FHU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Henderson.
FHU undergraduate students pay an average of $23,300 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Read full report on Special Education at Freed-Hardeman University
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The University of Tennessee - Knoxville ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Special Education Schools in Tennessee list. UT Knoxville is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Knoxville.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UT Knoxville are $13,244 a year. After completing their degree, special ed graduates from UT Knoxville carry an average student debtload of $20,500.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, UT Knoxville is ranked #4 for overall quality for special ed in Tennessee.
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With a ranking of #9, East Tennessee State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for special education students. 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.
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Carson - Newman University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Special Education Schools in Tennessee list. Carson - Newman is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small suburb of Jefferson City.
Carson - Newman undergraduate students pay an average of $31,320 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Full Special Education at Carson - Newman University Report
Request InformationBest 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 |
More Special Education Rankings in Tennessee
Majors Related to Special Ed
One of 14 majors within the area of study, special education has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Majors Related 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 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.