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Most Popular Special Education Schools in Pennsylvania

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2023 Most Popular Special Education Schools in Pennsylvania

65 Colleges
$44,151 Avg Salary
$27,000 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Special Education School for You

With 1,854 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, special education is the #25 most popular major in Pennsylvania.

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Most Popular Special Education Schools in Pennsylvania to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 65 schools in Pennsylvania 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 analysis found Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania to be the most popular school for special education students who want to pursue a degree in Pennsylvania. SRU is a medium-sized public school located in the distant town of Slippery Rock.

The average amount in student loans that special ed majors at SRU take out is $27,000. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $284.

Full Special Education at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania Report

#2

Saint Joseph's University

Philadelphia, PA

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Saint Joseph’s University is a great place for special education students. St. Joe's is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Philadelphia.

After completing their degree, special ed graduates from St. Joe's carry an average student debt load of $23,250.

Full Special Education at Saint Joseph’s University Report

The excellent programs at West Chester University of Pennsylvania helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best special education schools in Pennsylvania. Located in the large suburb of West Chester, WCUPA is a public college with a large student population.

Read full report on Special Education at West Chester University of Pennsylvania

Out of the 65 schools in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, Millersville University of Pennsylvania landed the # 4 spot on the list. Millersville is a moderately-sized public school located in the large suburb of Millersville.

The average amount in student loans that special ed majors at Millersville take out is $29,750. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $205.

Read full report on Special Education at Millersville University of Pennsylvania

Out of the 65 schools in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, California University of Pennsylvania landed the # 5 spot on the list. Cal U is a medium-sized public school located in the small suburb of California.

Full Special Education at California University of Pennsylvania Report

Kutztown University of Pennsylvania landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular special education programs. Kutztown University is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Kutztown.

The average amount in student loans that special ed majors at Kutztown University take out is $27,000. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $277.

Read More…

With a ranking of #7, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for special education students. Located in the small city of Bloomsburg, Bloomsburg is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

The average amount in student loans that special ed majors at Bloomsburg take out is $27,000. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $358.

Read full report on Special Education at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania

Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus ranked #8 on this year’s Most Popular Special Education Schools in Pennsylvania list. IUP is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Indiana.

Special Ed majors at IUP take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Special Education at Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus

East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania 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. East Stroudsburg University is a medium-sized public school located in the city of East Stroudsburg.

The average amount in student loans that special ed majors at East Stroudsburg University take out is $27,000.

Full Special Education at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania Report

#10

Neumann University

Aston, PA

With a ranking of #10, Neumann University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for special education students. Located in the suburb of Aston, Neumann is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

After completing their degree, special ed graduates from Neumann carry an average student debt load of $27,000.

Read full report on Special Education at Neumann University

Honorable Mentions

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 in Pennsylvania award.

Rank College Location
11 Holy Family University Philadelphia, PA
12 Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania Shippensburg, PA
13 Edinboro University of Pennsylvania Edinboro, PA

Best Special Education Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Most Popular Special Education Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
New York 4,329
Maryland 416
New Jersey 799
District of Columbia 101
Delaware 165

One of 14 majors within the area of study, special education has other similar majors worth exploring.

Majors Similar 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 26 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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