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2022 Best Value Colleges for Special Education (Income $0-$30k) in Iowa

10 Ranked Colleges
217 Degrees Awarded
$17,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Special Ed Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Special Ed Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

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 Iowa, there were 217 special education graduates with average earnings and debt of $51,400 and $17,550 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Special Ed Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 10 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in special education. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent special education programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the special education program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Special Education Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Special Ed Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. 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.

Best Value Special Ed Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for iowa special ed students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 10 Best Value Colleges for Special Education (Income $0-$30k) in Iowa

#1

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Northern Iowa. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Special Ed Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k list. Cedar Falls, Iowa is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s special ed degrees to 15 students in 2019-2020.

UNI also made our “Best Special Education Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $10,757 for Iowa Special Ed students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UNI.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Special Education at UNI

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Iowa State University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Special Ed Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in Ames, Iowa, and it awarded 1 ’s special ed degrees in 2019-2020.

Iowa State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Special Education Schools in Iowa” list. The yearly cost to attend Iowa State University is $10,054 for iowa special ed students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Special Education at Iowa State

#3

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Iowa. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Special Ed Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k list. Iowa City, Iowa is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s special ed degrees to 8 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our iowa special ed students whose families make $0-$30k list, Iowa has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Special Education Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Iowa is $12,975 for Iowa Special Ed students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 3.5% 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 more about Special Education at University of Iowa

#4

Buena Vista University

Storm Lake, Iowa

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Buena Vista University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Special Ed Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k. Storm Lake, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s special ed degrees to 13 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our iowa special ed students whose families make $0-$30k list, BVU has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Special Education Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Buena Vista University is $14,210 for Iowa Special Ed students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full BVU Special Education Report

#5

Northwestern College

Orange City, Iowa
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern College. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Special Ed Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Orange City, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 10 degrees to qualified ’s special ed students in 2019-2020.

NWC also took the #1 spot in our “Best Special Education Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern College is $20,581 for Iowa Special Ed students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Special Education at Northwestern College

#6

Dordt University

Sioux Center, Iowa

With a ranking of #6, Dordt University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Special Ed Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Sioux Center, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 3 degrees to qualified ’s special ed students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Dordt, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Special Education Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Dordt University is $24,967 for Iowa Special Ed students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Dordt University Special Education Report

#7

Mount Mercy University

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Mount Mercy University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Special Ed Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and it awarded 5 ’s special ed degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Mount Mercy, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Special Education Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $13,992 for iowa special ed students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Mount Mercy.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Special Education at Mount Mercy

#8

Morningside College

Sioux City, Iowa

Morningside College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Special Ed Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Sioux City, Iowa, and it awarded 121 ’s special ed degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our iowa special ed students whose families make $0-$30k list, Morningside has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Special Education Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Morningside College is $19,805 for Iowa Special Ed students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Morningside Special Education Report

#9

Drake University

Des Moines, Iowa

Drake University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Special Ed Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k list. Drake University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Des Moines, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 2 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Drake not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Special Education Schools in Iowa” list. The estimated yearly cost for Drake is $25,212 for Iowa Special Ed students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Drake University Special Education Report

#10

Upper Iowa University

Fayette, Iowa

Upper Iowa University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Special Ed Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Upper Iowa University is located in Fayette, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 39 ’s special ed degrees to qualified students.

UIU also took the #10 spot in our “Best Special Education Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UIU is $21,427 for Iowa Special Ed students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Special Education at UIU

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.

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