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Most Popular Special Education Schools in Illinois

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2023 Most Popular Special Education Schools in Illinois

40 Colleges
$47,433 Avg Salary
$23,191 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Special Education School for You

In 2020-2021, 1,153 degrees and certificates were awarded to special education students who went to a Illinois college or university. This makes it the #32 most popular major in the state.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Most Popular Special Education Schools in Illinois to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 40 schools in Illinois 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.

The colleges and universities below are the most popular for special ed majors pursuing a .

Our 2023 rankings named Illinois State University the most popular school in Illinois for special education students. Illinois State is a fairly large public school located in the midsize suburb of Normal.

On average, special ed graduates from Illinois State take out $20,500 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 $201.

Read full report on Special Education at Illinois State University

The excellent programs at National Louis University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best special education schools in Illinois. NLU is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.

Read full report on Special Education at National Louis University

Out of the 40 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Illinois University landed the # 3 spot on the list. NIU is a large public school located in the suburb of Dekalb.

On average, special ed graduates from NIU take out $21,750 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read More…

The excellent programs at University of Illinois at Chicago helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best special education schools in Illinois. UIC is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Chicago.

Read full report on Special Education at University of Illinois at Chicago

#5

DePaul University

Chicago, IL

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend DePaul University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Most Popular Special Education Schools in Illinois list. Located in the large city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Full Special Education at DePaul University Report

#6

Aurora University

Aurora, IL

Aurora University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular special education programs. Aurora is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Aurora.

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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 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. Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public school with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that special ed majors at UIUC take out is $13,750.

Full Special Education at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Report

#8

Lewis University

Romeoville, IL

Lewis University ranked #8 on this year’s Most Popular Special Education Schools in Illinois list. Lewis is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Romeoville.

Special Ed majors at Lewis take out an average of $24,779 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Special Education at Lewis University Report

#9

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, IL

Eastern Illinois University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for special education students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the town of Charleston, EIU is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

After completing their degree, special ed graduates from EIU carry an average student debt load of $21,377.

Read full report on Special Education at Eastern Illinois University

#10

Trinity Christian College

Palos Heights, IL

Trinity Christian College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for special education students. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the suburb of Palos Heights, Trinity Christian is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

On average, special ed graduates from Trinity Christian take out $34,270 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read More…

Best Special Education Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Most Popular Special Education Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 607
Ohio 1,329
Indiana 2,282
Wisconsin 598

Special Education is one of 14 different types of programs to choose from.

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 27 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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