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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Special Education in Illinois (With Aid)

28 Ranked Colleges
448 Degrees Awarded
$18,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Special Education is the 39th most popular major in the country with 33,249 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. 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 Illinois, there were 950 special education graduates with average earnings and debt of $45,833 and $25,780 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 448 special education graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 28 colleges that offer a degree in special education. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great special education programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the special education program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” list to help you make the college decision.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Special Education in Illinois (With Aid)

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 26 bachelors’s special ed degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC also took the #2 spot in our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $15,880 for illinois bachelor’s degree special ed students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Special Education at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

#2

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois

Out of the 28 schools in the Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Eastern Illinois University landed the #2 spot on the list. EIU is a medium-sized school located in Charleston, Illinois that handed out 22 bachelors’s special ed degrees in 2019-2020.

EIU also took the #11 spot in our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Eastern Illinois University is $14,607 for illinois bachelor’s degree special ed students with aid.

Read more about Special Education at Eastern Illinois University

#3

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

Out of the 28 schools in the Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Illinois University landed the #3 spot on the list. Northern Illinois University is located in Dekalb, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 34 bachelors’s special ed degrees to qualified students.

NIU also made our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #8. It costs about $18,259 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Special Ed students with aid per year to attend Northern Illinois University.

Full Northern Illinois University Special Education Report

#4

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Illinois State University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. This large school is located in Normal, Illinois, and it awarded 156 bachelors’s special ed degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois State also took the #1 spot in our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $20,895 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Special Ed students with aid per year to attend Illinois State.

The low student loan default rate of 4.4% 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 more about Special Education at Illinois State University

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Carbondale, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 16 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s special ed students in 2019-2020.

SIUC also made our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend SIUC is $16,945 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Special Ed students with aid.

Read full report on Special Education at SIUC

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. SIUE is located in Edwardsville, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 21 bachelors’s special ed degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree special ed students with aid list, SIUE has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SIUE is $14,423 for illinois bachelor’s degree special ed students with aid.

Full Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Special Education Report

#7

University of St Francis

Joliet, Illinois

University of St Francis came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of St Francis is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Joliet, Illinois. It awarded 4 bachelors’s special ed degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Saint Francis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $17,538 for illinois bachelor’s degree special ed students with aid per year to attend University of Saint Francis.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Special Education at University of St Francis

#8

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

Western Illinois University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. WIU is a medium-sized public school situated in Macomb, Illinois. It awarded 12 bachelors’s special ed degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree special ed students with aid list, WIU has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Western Illinois University is $16,210 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Special Ed students with aid.

Read full report on Special Education at Western Illinois University

Northeastern Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #9. Northeastern Illinois University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 bachelors’s special ed degrees to qualified students.

Northeastern Illinois University also made our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #19. The yearly cost to attend Northeastern Illinois University is $15,843 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Special Ed students with aid.

Read full report on Special Education at Northeastern Illinois University

#10

Lewis University

Romeoville, Illinois
#3 in overall quality

With a ranking of #10, Lewis University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Lewis is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Romeoville, Illinois. It awarded 47 bachelors’s special ed degrees in 2019-2020.

Lewis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $18,664 for illinois bachelor’s degree special ed students with aid per year to attend Lewis University.

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%.

Read full report on Special Education at Lewis

#11

Judson University

Elgin, Illinois
#20 in overall quality

Judson University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #11. This small school is located in Elgin, Illinois, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s special ed degrees in 2019-2020.

Judson did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Judson is $18,737 for illinois bachelor’s degree special ed students with aid.

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.

Read full report on Special Education at Judson University

#12

Aurora University

Aurora, Illinois
#16 in overall quality

Aurora University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #12. Aurora is located in Aurora, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 9 bachelors’s special ed degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Aurora, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Aurora University is $17,215 for illinois bachelor’s degree special ed students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Aurora Special Education Report

#13

Dominican University

River Forest, Illinois
#15 in overall quality

Dominican University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Dominican University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in River Forest, Illinois. It awarded 2 bachelors’s special ed degrees in 2019-2020.

Dominican U also made our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #15. The yearly cost to attend Dominican University is $19,268 for illinois bachelor’s degree special ed students with aid.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Special Education at Dominican U

#14

Quincy University

Quincy, Illinois
#23 in overall quality

Quincy University landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Quincy University is a small school located in Quincy, Illinois that handed out 4 bachelors’s special ed degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Quincy U, the school also landed the #23 spot in our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Quincy University is $17,497 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Special Ed students with aid.

Read full report on Special Education at Quincy University

#15

National Louis University

Chicago, Illinois

National Louis University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #15. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s special ed degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend NLU is $14,957 for illinois bachelor’s degree special ed students with aid.

Full NLU Special Education Report

#16

Concordia University, Chicago

River Forest, Illinois
#21 in overall quality

With a ranking of #16, Concordia University, Chicago did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Concordia University, Chicago is located in River Forest, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 bachelors’s special ed degrees to qualified students.

Concordia University, Chicago also made our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #21. It costs about $16,512 for illinois bachelor’s degree special ed students with aid per year to attend Concordia University, Chicago.

Read full report on Special Education at Concordia University, Chicago

#17

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, Illinois
#10 in overall quality

Elmhurst University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #17. This small school is located in Elmhurst, Illinois, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s special ed degrees in 2019-2020.

Elmhurst not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $21,485 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Special Ed students with aid per year to attend Elmhurst.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Special Education at Elmhurst

#18

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, Illinois
#17 in overall quality

Olivet Nazarene University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #18. This small school is located in Bourbonnais, Illinois, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s special ed degrees in 2019-2020.

Olivet Nazarene did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $20,195 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Special Ed students with aid per year to attend Olivet Nazarene.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Special Education at Olivet Nazarene

#19

Millikin University

Decatur, Illinois
#18 in overall quality

Millikin University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #19. Decatur, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s special ed degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.

Millikin also took the #18 spot in our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Millikin is $21,331 for illinois bachelor’s degree special ed students with aid.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Special Education at Millikin University

#20

Trinity Christian College

Palos Heights, Illinois

Trinity Christian College ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Palos Heights, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 13 degrees to qualified bachelors’s special ed students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree special ed students with aid list, Trinity Christian has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Trinity Christian is $21,904 for illinois bachelor’s degree special ed students with aid.

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 low student loan default rate of 5.0% 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%.

Full Trinity Christian College Special Education Report

#21

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois

Bradley University landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Peoria, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 9 degrees to qualified bachelors’s special ed students in 2019-2020.

Bradley also took the #5 spot in our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $25,634 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Special Ed students with aid per year to attend Bradley.

The low student loan default rate of 2.5% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Full Bradley University Special Education Report

#22

Greenville University

Greenville, Illinois
#22 in overall quality

Greenville University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Greenville University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Greenville, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Greenville also took the #22 spot in our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Greenville is $20,689 for illinois bachelor’s degree special ed students with aid.

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 Greenville Special Education Report

#23

Eureka College

Eureka, Illinois

With a ranking of #23, Eureka College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Eureka, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s special ed degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $21,344 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Special Ed students with aid per year to attend Eureka College.

Read more about Special Education at Eureka College

#24

Rockford University

Rockford, Illinois
#25 in overall quality

Rockford University landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. This small school is located in Rockford, Illinois, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s special ed degrees in 2019-2020.

Rockford also took the #25 spot in our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Rockford is $22,197 for illinois bachelor’s degree special ed students with aid.

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.

Read more about Special Education at Rockford University

#25

Roosevelt University

Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #25, Roosevelt University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Roosevelt is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 6 bachelors’s special ed degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $22,749 for illinois bachelor’s degree special ed students with aid per year to attend Roosevelt University.

Read full report on Special Education at Roosevelt

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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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