2023 Best Value Special Education Schools in the Plains States Region
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Special Education School for You
Special Education is the #29 most popular major in the country with 36,792 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Special Education Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 80 schools in the Plains States Region 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. 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.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Top 15% Best Special Education Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Northwestern College the best value school in the Plains States Region for special education students. Located in the distant town of Orange City, NWC is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
NWC undergraduate students pay an average of $33,590 in tuition and fees each year.
In addition to its great value ranking, NWC is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Special Education Schools in the Plains States Region list.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Chadron State College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Special Education Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the town of Chadron, Chadron State College is a public college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Chadron State College are $7,206 a year.
Full Special Education at Chadron State College Report
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Morningside College is a great value for special education students. Located in the small city of Sioux City, Morningside is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Morningside are $35,270 a year.
Full Special Education at Morningside College Report
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Minot State University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Special Education Schools in the Plains States Region list. MSU is a small public school located in the remote town of Minot.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at MSU are $8,163 a year.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Central Methodist University - College of Graduate & Extended Studies. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Special Education Schools in the Plains States Region list. CMU CGES is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Fayette.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at CMU CGES are $6,720 a year.
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Minnesota State University - Mankato came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Special Education Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Minnesota State Mankato is a large public school located in the small city of Mankato.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Minnesota State Mankato are $18,200 a year. The average amount in student loans that special ed majors at Minnesota State Mankato take out is $27,000.
Full Special Education at Minnesota State University - Mankato Report
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With a ranking of #7, Wayne State College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for special education students. Located in the town of Wayne, WSC is a public school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WSC are $7,458 per year.
Full Special Education at Wayne State College Report
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Southwest Minnesota State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Special Education Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the remote town of Marshall, Southwest Minnesota State University is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Southwest Minnesota State University are $9,482 a year.
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Hamline University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value special education programs. Located in the large city of Saint Paul, Hamline is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Hamline are $46,221 a year.
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Dakota State University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Special Education Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the town of Madison, Dakota State is a public college with a small student population.
Dakota State undergraduate students pay an average of $12,735 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that special ed majors at Dakota State take out is $31,000.
Full Special Education at Dakota State University Report
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With a ranking of #11, Northern State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for special education students. Located in the remote town of Aberdeen, NSU is a public college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at NSU are $11,947 a year.
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With a ranking of #12, Bemidji State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for special education students. Bemidji State University is a small public school located in the town of Bemidji.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Bemidji State University are $9,806 a year.
Bemidji State University also claimed a spot on our Best Special Education Schools in the Plains States Region list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
Read full report on Special Education at Bemidji State University
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These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Value Special Education Schools in the Plains States Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | Concordia University, Saint Paul | Saint Paul, MN |
| 14 | Peru State College | Peru, NE |
| 15 | Mayville State University | Mayville, ND |
| 16 | Northwest Missouri State University | Maryville, MO |
Best Special Education Colleges by State
Explore the best special education schools for a specific state in the Plains States region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Missouri | 539 |
| Minnesota | 846 |
| Kansas | 444 |
| Iowa | 180 |
| Nebraska | 362 |
| North Dakota | 186 |
| South Dakota | 94 |
More Special Education Rankings in the Plains States Region
Majors Related to Special Ed
One of 14 majors within the area of study, special education has other similar majors worth exploring.
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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