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2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Special Education in Iowa (With Aid)

9 Ranked Colleges
176 Degrees Awarded
$15,800 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Master's in Iowa For Those Getting Aid

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 Master’s in Iowa For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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 Iowa, there were 217 special education graduates with average earnings and debt of $51,400 and $17,550 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 176 special education graduates with average earnings and debt of $52,298 and $45,299 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Master’s in Iowa For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 9 colleges that offered a degree 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.

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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Master’s in Iowa For Those Getting Aid”.

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. 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 for a Master’s in Iowa For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for iowa master’s degree special ed students with aid.

Top 9 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Special Education in Iowa (With Aid)

#1

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa
#7 in overall quality

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 for a Master’s in Iowa For Those Getting Aid list. UNI is a public institution located in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 15 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UNI also took the #7 spot in our “Best Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Northern Iowa are $22,648.

Read more about Special Education at UNI

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Iowa State University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Master’s in Iowa For Those Getting Aid list. Iowa State is a public institution located in Ames, Iowa. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our iowa master’s degree special ed students with aid list, Iowa State has also earned the #0 rank in our “Best Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Iowa State University are $25,948, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Special Education at Iowa State University

#3

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa
#5 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Iowa. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Master’s in Iowa For Those Getting Aid. University of Iowa is a public institution located in Iowa City, Iowa. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Iowa did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Iowa are $27,613, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Iowa Special Education Report

#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 for a Master’s in Iowa For Those Getting Aid. BVU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Storm Lake, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 9 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

BVU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Buena Vista University are $9,936.

Read full report on Special Education at Buena Vista University

#5

Morningside College

Sioux City, Iowa

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Master’s in Iowa For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Morningside College landed the #5 spot on the list. Sioux City, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s special ed degrees to 112 students in 2019-2020.

Morningside did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Morningside are $5,400.

Full Morningside Special Education Report

#6

Northwestern College

Orange City, Iowa
#6 in overall quality

Northwestern College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Master’s in Iowa For Those Getting Aid ranking. Northwestern College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Orange City, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 10 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

NWC also took the #6 spot in our “Best Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at NWC are $6,340, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Special Education at Northwestern College

#7

Upper Iowa University

Fayette, Iowa
#3 in overall quality

Upper Iowa University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Master’s in Iowa For Those Getting Aid list. Fayette, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s special ed degrees to 17 students in 2019-2020.

UIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Upper Iowa University are $19,152.

Full Upper Iowa University Special Education Report

#8

Mount Mercy University

Cedar Rapids, Iowa
#8 in overall quality

Mount Mercy University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Master’s in Iowa For Those Getting Aid ranking. Mount Mercy University is a small school located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa that handed out 5 masters’s special ed degrees in 2019-2020.

Mount Mercy also took the #8 spot in our “Best Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Mount Mercy University are $10,870, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Special Education at Mount Mercy

#9

Drake University

Des Moines, Iowa
#2 in overall quality

Drake University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Master’s in Iowa For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #9. This small school is located in Des Moines, Iowa, and it awarded 2 masters’s special ed degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Drake, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Drake are $11,932.

Read more about Special Education at Drake University

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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