2023 Most Popular Special Education Schools
Finding the Best Special Education School for You
In 2020-2021, 36,792 people earned a degree or certificate in special education, making the major the #29 most popular in the United States.
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 Most Popular Special Education Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 991 schools in the United States to see which programs were the most popular for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Special Education program at each school on the list.
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2023 Most Popular Special Education Schools in the United States
The following schools top our list of the Most Popular Special Education Colleges.
Top 25 Most Popular Schools in Special Education
Our analysis found Grand Canyon University to be the most popular school for special education students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. Grand Canyon University is a very large private for-profit school located in the large city of Phoenix.
While working on their degree, special ed majors at Grand Canyon University accumulate an average of around $47,161 in student debt. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $138.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Ball State University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Most Popular Special Education Schools list. Located in the city of Muncie, Ball State is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Special Ed majors at Ball State take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $278.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Arizona State University - Skysong. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Popular Special Education Schools list. Located in the midsize city of Scottsdale, ASU - Skysong is a public school with a very large student population.
Out of the 991 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Governors University landed the # 4 spot on the list. WGU is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Salt Lake City.
While working on their degree, special ed majors at WGU accumulate an average of around $26,383 in student debt.
Read full report on Special Education at Western Governors University
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Touro College is a great place for special education students. Located in the large city of New York, Touro is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
Lamar University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular special education programs. Located in the city of Beaumont, Lamar University is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Liberty University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for special education students. It came in at #7 on the list. Liberty University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Lynchburg.
On average, special ed graduates from Liberty University take out $31,153 in student loans while working on their degree.
National University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular special education programs. National University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of La Jolla.
Read full report on Special Education at National University
George Mason University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular special education programs. GMU is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Fairfax.
Read full report on Special Education at George Mason University
Hunter College ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular Special Education Schools list. Located in the large city of New York, Hunter is a public college with a very large student population.
The University of West Florida came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Special Education Schools ranking. Located in the city of Pensacola, UWF is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average amount in student loans that special ed majors at UWF take out is $28,750.
Full Special Education at The University of West Florida Report
St. Joseph’s College - New York came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Special Education Schools ranking. Located in the city of Brooklyn, SJC is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Special Ed majors at SJC take out an average of $26,370 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $290.
With a ranking of #13, Bowling Green State University - Main Campus did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for special education students. BGSU is a large public school located in the town of Bowling Green.
The average amount in student loans that special ed majors at BGSU take out is $24,625. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $297.
Brooklyn College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Special Education Schools ranking. Brooklyn College is a large public school located in the large city of Brooklyn.
With a ranking of #15, Towson University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for special education students. Towson is a very large public school located in the small city of Towson.
While working on their degree, special ed majors at Towson accumulate an average of around $19,000 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $216, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular special education programs. Located in the distant town of Slippery Rock, SRU is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
Special Ed majors at SRU take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $284, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Read full report on Special Education at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
Endicott College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Special Education Schools ranking. Located in the large suburb of Beverly, Endicott is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Minnesota State University - Mankato did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for special education students. It came in at #18 on the list. Located in the small city of Mankato, Minnesota State Mankato is a public college with a fairly large student population.
While working on their degree, special ed majors at Minnesota State Mankato accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.
Pace University - New York ranked #19 on this year’s Most Popular Special Education Schools list. Pace University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York.
Illinois State University ranked #20 on this year’s Most Popular Special Education Schools list. Illinois State is a very large public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal.
After completing their degree, special ed graduates from Illinois State carry an average student debt load of $20,500. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $201.
Read full report on Special Education at Illinois State University
University of Northern Colorado came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Special Education Schools ranking. Located in the city of Greeley, University of Northern Colorado is a public school with a large student population.
On average, special ed graduates from University of Northern Colorado take out $26,355 in student loans while working on their degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $336.
Full Special Education at University of Northern Colorado Report
Arkansas State University - Main Campus ranked #22 on this year’s Most Popular Special Education Schools list. A-State is a large public school located in the small city of Jonesboro.
Full Special Education at Arkansas State University - Main Campus Report
Daemen College landed the #23 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular special education programs. Daemen College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Amherst.
Northern Arizona University ranked #24 on this year’s Most Popular Special Education Schools list. NAU is a very large public school located in the small city of Flagstaff.
While working on their degree, special ed majors at NAU accumulate an average of around $21,957 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $279.
Read full report on Special Education at Northern Arizona University
LIU Post ranked #25 on this year’s Most Popular Special Education Schools list. Located in the suburb of Brookville, LIU Post is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
Rest of the Top 50 Most Popular Special Education Schools
Remaining Award Winners
This section represents the rest of the colleges awarded a Most Popular Special Education Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 991 different United States special education schools we analyzed.
Additional Noteworthy Schools
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also popular but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Special Education Schools award.
Special Education by Region
View the Most Popular Special Education Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
Special Education Related Majors
Special Education is one of 14 different types of programs to choose from.
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 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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