2024 Best Special Education Schools
602
Colleges in the United States
36,792
Special Ed Degrees Awarded
$45,679
Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a degree in
special education, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #29 most popular program in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.
College Factual looked at 602 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Special Education Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 36,792 degrees in special education to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Special Education School
Your choice of special education school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Special Education School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.
You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.
Pick Your Special Education Degree Level
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Special Education Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat.
Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.
Best Schools for Special Education in the United States
Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the special ed degree levels they offer. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
25 Top Schools in Special Ed
Any student pursuing a degree in special education needs to look into Teachers College at Columbia University. Located in the large city of New York, Teachers College is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #12 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Teachers College is a great university overall.
There were about 69 special education students who graduated with this degree at Teachers College in the most recent data year. Those special education students who get their degree from Teachers College at Columbia University make $32,243 more than the average special ed grad.
More information about a degree in special education from Teachers College at Columbia University
Western Washington University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in special education. WWU is a fairly large public university located in the city of Bellingham. This university ranks 5th out of 51 schools for overall quality in the state of Washington.
There were roughly 93 special education students who graduated with this degree at WWU in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the special education degree program at Western Washington University make $3,574 above the typical college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
More information about a degree in special education from Western Washington University
Hunter College is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in special education. Located in the large city of New York, Hunter is a public college with a fairly large student population. This college ranks 19th out of 142 colleges for overall quality in the state of New York.
There were approximately 360 special education students who graduated with this degree at Hunter in the most recent year we have data available. Those special education students who get their degree from Hunter College make $23,635 more than the standard special ed grad.
More information about a degree in special education from Hunter College
Every student who is interested in special education has to look into Vanderbilt University. Vanderbilt is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Nashville. A Best Colleges rank of #19 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Vanderbilt is a great university overall.
There were about 54 special education students who graduated with this degree at Vanderbilt in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the special ed program make an average of $47,195 in the first couple years of working.
More information about a degree in special education from Vanderbilt University
GWU is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Washington. A Best Colleges rank of #49 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means GWU is a great university overall.
There were about 62 special education students who graduated with this degree at GWU in the most recent year we have data available. Special Education degree recipients from George Washington University earn a boost of about $13,070 above the typical income of special education graduates.
More information about a degree in special education from George Washington University
Located in the city of Towson, Towson is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 6th out of 36 colleges for overall quality in the state of Maryland.
There were roughly 231 special education students who graduated with this degree at Towson in the most recent year we have data available. Those special education students who get their degree from Towson University earn $6,544 more than the typical special ed graduate.
More information about a degree in special education from Towson University
GMU is a fairly large public university located in the large suburb of Fairfax. A Best Colleges rank of #117 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means GMU is a great university overall.
There were about 397 special education students who graduated with this degree at GMU in the most recent year we have data available. Special Education degree recipients from George Mason University receive an earnings boost of approximately $13,409 over the average earnings of special education majors.
More information about a degree in special education from George Mason University
Johns Hopkins is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Baltimore. A Best Colleges rank of #23 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Johns Hopkins is a great university overall.
There were approximately 47 special education students who graduated with this degree at Johns Hopkins in the most recent data year. Special Education degree recipients from Johns Hopkins University receive an earnings boost of approximately $19,544 over the typical earnings of special education majors.
More information about a degree in special education from Johns Hopkins University
Located in the small city of Muncie, Ball State is a public university with a large student population. This university ranks 6th out of 42 colleges for overall quality in the state of Indiana.
There were roughly 1870 special education students who graduated with this degree at Ball State in the most recent data year. Those special education students who get their degree from Ball State University receive $2,438 more than the typical special ed graduate.
More information about a degree in special education from Ball State University
Located in the midsize suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 8th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.
There were approximately 214 special education students who graduated with this degree at Illinois State in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the special ed program earn about $43,480 in the first couple years of their career.
More information about a degree in special education from Illinois State University
Located in the large suburb of Ewing, TCNJ is a public college with a medium-sized student population. This college ranks 5th out of 44 schools for overall quality in the state of New Jersey.
There were about 151 special education students who graduated with this degree at TCNJ in the most recent year we have data available. Special Education degree recipients from The College of New Jersey earn a boost of about $11,475 over the average earnings of special education graduates.
More information about a degree in special education from The College of New Jersey
Syracuse is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Syracuse. A Best Colleges rank of #132 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Syracuse is a great university overall.
There were approximately 64 special education students who graduated with this degree at Syracuse in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the special education major at Syracuse University earn $7,194 above the average college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a degree in special education from Syracuse University
Located in the city of Saint Paul, UST MN is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 3rd out of 52 schools for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.
There were approximately 92 special education students who graduated with this degree at UST MN in the most recent data year. Special Education degree recipients from University of St Thomas Minnesota earn a boost of about $3,802 over the typical income of special education majors.
More information about a degree in special education from University of St Thomas Minnesota
Located in the city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #51 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UMN Twin Cities is a great university overall.
There were roughly 84 special education students who graduated with this degree at UMN Twin Cities in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the special education program at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities make $2,376 above the typical college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a degree in special education from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Located in the large city of Bronx, Fordham U is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #109 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Fordham U is a great university overall.
There were about 68 special education students who graduated with this degree at Fordham U in the most recent data year. Those special education students who get their degree from Fordham University earn $16,494 more than the typical special ed grad.
More information about a degree in special education from Fordham University
Brooklyn College is a fairly large public college located in the city of Brooklyn. This college ranks 34th out of 142 schools for overall quality in the state of New York.
There were approximately 243.99999999999997 special education students who graduated with this degree at Brooklyn College in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the special education program at Brooklyn College get $22,319 above the standard college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a degree in special education from Brooklyn College
Located in the city of New York, Touro is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population. This college ranks 31st out of 142 colleges for overall quality in the state of New York.
There were about 645 special education students who graduated with this degree at Touro in the most recent year we have data available. Those special education students who get their degree from Touro College make $15,248 more than the average special ed student.
More information about a degree in special education from Touro College
Located in the midsize city of Spokane, Gonzaga is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 3rd out of 51 schools for overall quality in the state of Washington.
There were roughly 22 special education students who graduated with this degree at Gonzaga in the most recent data year. Those special education students who get their degree from Gonzaga University make $4,311 more than the average special ed student.
More information about a degree in special education from Gonzaga University
Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #34 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.
There were about 52 special education students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the special ed program report average early career wages of $43,613.
More information about a degree in special education from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Located in the medium-sized city of Providence, Providence is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #120 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Providence is a great college overall.
There were approximately 43 special education students who graduated with this degree at Providence in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the special ed program make around $40,466 in the first couple years of their career.
More information about a degree in special education from Providence College
UDayton is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Dayton. This university ranks 6th out of 96 schools for overall quality in the state of Ohio.
There were approximately 41 special education students who graduated with this degree at UDayton in the most recent data year. After graduation, special ed degree recipients usually make about $41,471 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a degree in special education from University of Dayton
Located in the small city of Logan, USU is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 5th out of 13 schools for overall quality in the state of Utah.
There were approximately 84 special education students who graduated with this degree at USU in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the special ed program make about $42,876 in their early career salary.
More information about a degree in special education from Utah State University
Located in the large city of San Diego, National University is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 33rd out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were about 436 special education students who graduated with this degree at National University in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the special education major at National University get $17,141 more than the average graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
More information about a degree in special education from National University
Located in the midsize city of Gainesville, UF is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #58 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UF is a great university overall.
There were roughly 87 special education students who graduated with this degree at UF in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, special ed degree recipients typically make an average of $43,645 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a degree in special education from University of Florida
Located in the large city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #30 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UW - Madison is a great university overall.
There were approximately 69 special education students who graduated with this degree at UW - Madison in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the special ed program earn about $41,945 in their early career salary.
More information about a degree in special education from University of Wisconsin - Madison