by our College Data Analytics Team
[Special Education](/majors/education/special-education/) is a field where your choice of school can shape what you earn after graduation. The highest-paying schools turn a special education degree into the strongest early-career earnings.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 100 schools on the early-career earnings of their special education graduates.
What’s on this page:
If you want to know which schools send special education graduates into the highest-paying careers, see the list below.
For graduate earnings in special education, no school beat California State University Los Angeles this year. California State University Los Angeles is a public school located in the city of Los Angeles. Special Education graduates of California State University Los Angeles earn a median of about $94,553 a year early in their careers.
California State University San Bernardino produces some of the highest-paid graduates in special education, landing the #2 spot this year. Set in the city of San Bernardino, California State University San Bernardino is a public institution. Special Education graduates of California State University San Bernardino earn a median of about $87,254 a year early in their careers.
Students chasing top earnings in special education will find them at Notre Dame De Namur University, which ranked #3. Set in the suburb of Belmont, Notre Dame De Namur University is a private not-for-profit institution. Special Education graduates of Notre Dame De Namur University earn a median of about $95,703 a year early in their careers.
Students chasing top earnings in special education will find them at Cuny Brooklyn College, which ranked #4. Cuny Brooklyn College is a public school located in the city of Brooklyn. Students who complete the special education program here go on to a median salary of roughly $91,781.
A rank of #5 makes California State University Fullerton one of the highest-paying schools for special education. Located in the suburb of Fullerton, California State University Fullerton is a public institution. Special Education graduates of California State University Fullerton earn a median of about $88,354 a year early in their careers.
California State University San Marcos earned the #6 position for special education graduate earnings this year. Located in the suburb of San Marcos, California State University San Marcos is a public institution. Special Education graduates of California State University San Marcos earn a median of about $82,494 a year early in their careers.
Pace University New York ranked #7 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying special education schools. Pace University New York is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York. Early-career special education graduates from Pace University New York make a median of around $83,536 per year.
Fresno Pacific University earned the #8 position for special education graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of Fresno, Fresno Pacific University is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the special education program here go on to a median salary of roughly $80,696.
Cuny Hunter College ranked #9 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying special education schools. Cuny Hunter College is a public school located in the city of New York. Early-career special education graduates from Cuny Hunter College make a median of around $85,456 per year.
California State University Dominguez Hills landed the #10 spot for special education salaries this year. Located in the city of Carson, California State University Dominguez Hills is a public institution. Special Education graduates of California State University Dominguez Hills earn a median of about $89,320 a year early in their careers.
Cuny City College came in at #11 for special education graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of New York, Cuny City College is a public institution. Students who complete the special education program here go on to a median salary of roughly $84,866.
Cuny Lehman College came in at #12 for special education graduate earnings this year. Located in the city of Bronx, Cuny Lehman College is a public institution. After graduating, special education degree recipients from Cuny Lehman College typically earn about $85,537 annually.
St Johns University New York came in at #13 for special education graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of Queens, St Johns University New York is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the special education program here go on to a median salary of roughly $85,605.
Cuny College Of Staten Island earned the #14 position for special education graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of Staten Island, Cuny College Of Staten Island is a public institution. Early-career special education graduates from Cuny College Of Staten Island make a median of around $85,086 per year.
Touro University California landed the #15 spot for special education salaries this year. Set in the city of Vallejo, Touro University California is a private not-for-profit institution. Special Education graduates of Touro University California earn a median of about $78,975 a year early in their careers.
Cuny Queens College earned the #16 position for special education graduate earnings this year. Cuny Queens College is a public school located in the city of Queens. Students who complete the special education program here go on to a median salary of roughly $85,138.
Long Island University C W Post Campus came in at #17 for special education graduate earnings this year. Located in the suburb of Brookville, Long Island University C W Post Campus is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career special education graduates from Long Island University C W Post Campus make a median of around $83,011 per year.
Manhattan College landed the #18 spot for special education salaries this year. Located in the city of Riverdale, Manhattan College is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the special education program here go on to a median salary of roughly $79,540.
California State University Long Beach landed the #19 spot for special education salaries this year. Set in the city of Long Beach, California State University Long Beach is a public institution. Students who complete the special education program here go on to a median salary of roughly $77,631.
California State University East Bay placed #20 among the highest-paying schools for special education. California State University East Bay is a public school located in the suburb of Hayward. Students who complete the special education program here go on to a median salary of roughly $77,402.
Hofstra University ranked #21 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying special education schools. Set in the suburb of Hempstead, Hofstra University is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the special education program here go on to a median salary of roughly $75,676.
University Of Illinois At Chicago placed #22 among the highest-paying schools for special education. University Of Illinois At Chicago is a public school located in the city of Chicago. Special Education graduates of University Of Illinois At Chicago earn a median of about $80,063 a year early in their careers.
University Of Washington Seattle Campus came in at #23 for special education graduate earnings this year. University Of Washington Seattle Campus is a public school located in the city of Seattle. Students who complete the special education program here go on to a median salary of roughly $77,707.
California State University Fresno earned the #24 position for special education graduate earnings this year. California State University Fresno is a public school located in the city of Fresno. After graduating, special education degree recipients from California State University Fresno typically earn about $80,228 annually.
Fordham University earned the #25 position for special education graduate earnings this year. Fordham University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Bronx. After graduating, special education degree recipients from Fordham University typically earn about $79,207 annually.
Not far behind, these schools also produced high-earning special education graduates:
These schools earned honorable mentions for special education graduate pay:
| Rank | College | Location | Avg Salary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #51 | Johns Hopkins University | Baltimore, MD | $67,514 | Full Report |
| #52 | Depaul University | Chicago, IL | $67,561 | Full Report |
| #53 | Brandman University Part Of The Chapman University System | Aliso Viejo, CA | $67,222 | Full Report |
| #54 | Kean University | Union, NJ | $68,971 | Full Report |
| #55 | Towson University | Towson, MD | $70,090 | Full Report |
| #56 | Montclair State University | Montclair, NJ | $63,727 | Full Report |
| #57 | University Of Massachusetts Boston | Boston, MA | $68,260 | Full Report |
| #58 | Caldwell College | Caldwell, NJ | $66,332 | Full Report |
| #59 | Holy Family University | Philadelphia, PA | $68,256 | Full Report |
| #60 | University Of Utah | Salt Lake City, UT | $65,971 | Full Report |
| #61 | State University Of New York At New Paltz | New Paltz, NY | $69,881 | Full Report |
| #62 | William Paterson University Of New Jersey | Wayne, NJ | $71,625 | Full Report |
Looking for a different degree level? Compare highest-paid Special Education rankings across degree levels:
This list is compiled by College Factual, 2026 edition. Schools are ranked on the median early-career earnings of their special education graduates, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).
Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 100 schools evaluated.
*Salary figures reflect median early-career earnings (about 5 years after graduation) and may vary by how long a person takes to complete their degree.
More about our data sources and methodologies.