2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Special Education (Income $0-$30k) in Virginia

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 33,249 people earned their degree in special education, making the major the 39th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, special education graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $43,879 and had an average of $28,500 in loans still to pay off.

Across Virginia, there were 1,240 special education graduates with average earnings and debt of $45,470 and $29,400 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 125 special education graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 4 colleges that offer a degree in special education. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality special education programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the special education program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Special Education Schools

The special ed school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k”.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 4 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Special Education (Income $0-$30k) in Virginia

#1

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, Virginia

#1 in overall quality

$14,196 Average Net Price

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, James Madison University landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s special ed degrees in 2019-2020.

JMU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend JMU is $14,196 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Special Ed students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Special Education at JMU

#2

Marymount University

Arlington, Virginia

#2 in overall quality

$22,212 Average Net Price

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Marymount University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k. Marymount is a private not-for-profit institution located in Arlington, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Marymount also made our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for Marymount is $22,212 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Special Ed students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Special Education at Marymount University

#3

Virginia Union University

Richmond, Virginia

#4 in overall quality

$20,636 Average Net Price

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Virginia Union University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Richmond, Virginia, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s special ed degrees in 2019-2020.

VUU also took the #4 spot in our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for VUU is $20,636 for virginia bachelor’s degree special ed students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Special Education at VUU

#4

Liberty University

Lynchburg, Virginia

#3 in overall quality

$27,896 Average Net Price

$25,387 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Liberty University landed the #4 spot on the list. Liberty University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Lynchburg, Virginia. It awarded 116 bachelors’s special ed degrees in 2019-2020.

Liberty University also took the #3 spot in our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Liberty University is $27,896 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Special Ed students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Special Education at Liberty University

• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Special Education (Income $0-$30k) in the Southeast Region
• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Special Education (Income $0-$30k)

Notes and References

References

• 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 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).
• Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

• *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
• Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to woodleywonderworks.

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