2023 Most Popular Online Special Education Schools
Finding the Most Popular Online 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.
The Most Popular Online Special Education Schools ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 137 schools in the United States to see which online programs were the most popular for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from schools with online programs.
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2023 Most Popular Online Special Education Schools in the United States
The following schools top our list of the Most Popular Online Special Education Colleges.
Top 15% Most Popular Online Special Education Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Western Governors University the most popular online school in the United States for special education students. WGU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Salt Lake City.
The average amount in student loans that special ed majors at WGU take out is $26,383.
Full Special Education at Western Governors University Report
Out of the 137 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Grand Canyon University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Grand Canyon University is a fairly large private for-profit school located in the city of Phoenix.
On average, special ed graduates from Grand Canyon University take out $47,161 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 $138.
Read full report on Special Education at Grand Canyon University
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Ball State University is a great place for special education students pursuing an online degree. Located in the small city of Muncie, Ball State is a public college with a fairly large student population.
While working on their degree, special ed majors at Ball State accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $278.
Out of the 137 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Liberty University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Liberty University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Lynchburg.
Special Ed majors at Liberty University take out an average of $31,153 in student loans while working on their egree.
The excellent online programs at Minnesota State University - Mankato helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best special education schools in the United States. Located in the small city of Mankato, Minnesota State Mankato is a public college with a fairly large student population.
After completing their degree, special ed graduates from Minnesota State Mankato carry an average student debtload of $27,000.
Read full report on Special Education at Minnesota State University - Mankato
With a ranking of #6, University of West Georgia did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students. University of West Georgia is a large public school located in the fringe town of Carrollton.
East Carolina University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best special education programs. ECU is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Greenville.
While working on their degree, special ed majors at ECU accumulate an average of around $26,980 in student debt.
The University of West Florida ranked #8 on this year’s Most Popular Online Special Education Schools list. Located in the small city of Pensacola, UWF is a public school with a large student population.
Special Ed majors at UWF take out an average of $28,750 in student loans while working on their egree.
Full Special Education at The University of West Florida Report
Chemeketa Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for special education students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the suburb of Salem, Chemeketa Community College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
After completing their degree, special ed graduates from Chemeketa Community College carry an average student debtload of $20,807.
Full Special Education at Chemeketa Community College Report
Granite State College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Special Education Schools ranking. Located in the town of Concord, GSC is a public school with a small student population.
While working on their degree, special ed majors at GSC accumulate an average of around $26,460 in student debt.
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Special Education Schools ranking. Located in the rural area of Saint Mary of the Woods, SMWC is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
While working on their degree, special ed majors at SMWC accumulate an average of around $32,277 in student debt.
Read full report on Special Education at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College
Florida International University landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best special education programs. FIU is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Miami.
University of Florida landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best special education programs. Located in the city of Gainesville, UF is a public school with a very large student population.
Read full report on Special Education at University of Florida
Bowling Green State University - Main Campus came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Special Education Schools ranking. BGSU is a large public school located in the fringe town of Bowling Green.
After completing their degree, special ed graduates from BGSU carry an average student debtload of $24,625. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $297.
Read full report on Special Education at Bowling Green State University - Main Campus
Arkansas State University - Main Campus ranked #15 on this year’s Most Popular Online Special Education Schools list. A-State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Jonesboro.
Read full report on Special Education at Arkansas State University - Main Campus
With a ranking of #15, George Mason University did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students. GMU is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Fairfax.
University of Kansas landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best special education programs. KU is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Lawrence.
Northwestern State University of Louisiana landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best special education programs. NSU is a large public school located in the remote town of Natchitoches.
University of West Alabama came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Special Education Schools ranking. Located in the remote area of Livingston, University of West Alabama is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
Read full report on Special Education at University of West Alabama
Additional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional great schools for online Special Education students that almost earned our Most Popular Online Special Education Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | Viterbo University | La Crosse, WI |
| 22 | University of Maine | Orono, ME |
| 22 | Queens College | Queens, NY |
| 24 | Olivet Nazarene University | Bourbonnais, IL |
| 25 | Alliant International University | San Diego, CA |
| 26 | Northern Arizona University | Flagstaff, AZ |
| 27 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte | Charlotte, NC |
Most Popular Online Special Education by Region
View the Most Popular Online 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 |
More Special Education Rankings
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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