by our College Data Analytics Team
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Special Ed Major” ranking.
In 2020-2021, 36,792 people earned their degree in special education, making the major the 29th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, special education graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $45,679 and had an average of $24,977 in loans still to pay off.
At the associate degree level specifically, there were 1,328 special education graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,806 and $19,336 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Special Ed Major” ranking analyzed 89 colleges that offered a degree in special education. That schools that top this list have a program in special education in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Special Ed Major” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
The colleges and universities below are the best for associate degree special ed students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Evergreen Valley College. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Special Ed Major list. Evergreen Valley College is a medium-sized public school situated in San Jose, California. It awarded 53 associates’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Special Education at Evergreen Valley College
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Bernardino Valley College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Special Ed Major list. Located in San Bernardino, California, this medium-sized public school awarded 57 degrees to qualified associates’s special ed students in 2020-2021.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Chemeketa Community College. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Special Ed Major. Chemeketa Community College is a medium-sized school located in Salem, Oregon that handed out 43 associates’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Special Education at Chemeketa Community College
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Mesabi Range College. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Special Ed Major. Mesabi Range College is a small school located in Virginia, Minnesota that handed out 6 associates’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Dine College. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Special Ed Major. This small school is located in Tsaile, Arizona, and it awarded 3 associates’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
Mt. San Jacinto College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Special Ed Major ranking, coming in at #6. Located in San Jacinto, California, this fairly large public school awarded 79 diplomas to qualified associates’s special ed students in 2020-2021.
Pasadena City College landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Special Ed Major ranking. Pasadena, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associates’s special ed degrees to 171 students in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #8, Los Angeles Trade Technical College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Special Ed Major list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this medium-sized public school handed out 31 diplomas to qualified associates’s special ed students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Special Education at Los Angeles Trade Technical College
Fullerton College ranked #9 on this year’s Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Special Ed Major list. Fullerton College is a fairly large school located in Fullerton, California that handed out 105 associates’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
Riverside City College ranked #10 on this year’s Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Special Ed Major list. Riverside City College is located in Riverside, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 96 associates’s special ed degrees to qualified students.
With a ranking of #11, Woodland Community College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Special Ed Major list. This small school is located in Woodland, California, and it awarded 9 associates’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Special Education at Woodland Community College
College of the Sequoias ranked #12 on this year’s Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Special Ed Major list. This fairly large school is located in Visalia, California, and it awarded 50 associates’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Special Education at College of the Sequoias
Norco College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Special Ed Major ranking, coming in at #13. Norco College is a public institution located in Norco, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 41 associates’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Southwestern College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Special Ed Major ranking. Located in Chula Vista, California, this fairly large public school handed out 48 degrees to qualified associates’s special ed students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Special Education at Southwestern College
Moorpark College ranked #15 on this year’s Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Special Ed Major list. Moorpark, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associates’s special ed degrees to 75 students in 2020-2021.
Foothill College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Special Ed Major ranking. Foothill College is a fairly large school located in Los Altos Hills, California that handed out 27 associates’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%.
San Jose City College landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Special Ed Major ranking. San Jose City College is a medium-sized school located in San Jose, California that handed out 15 associates’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #18, Palomar College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Special Ed Major list. Located in San Marcos, California, this fairly large public school handed out 41 diplomas to qualified associates’s special ed students in 2020-2021.
Butte College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Special Ed Major ranking, coming in at #19. Located in Oroville, California, this medium-sized public school handed out 22 degrees to qualified associates’s special ed students in 2020-2021.
Golden West College came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Special Ed Major ranking. Golden West College is a fairly large school located in Huntington Beach, California that handed out 47 associates’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
Los Angeles Valley College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Special Ed Major ranking, coming in at #21. LAVC is located in Valley Glen, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 21 associates’s special ed degrees to qualified students.
Lehigh Carbon Community College came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Special Ed Major ranking. Lehigh Carbon Community College is a medium-sized public school situated in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania. It awarded 6 associates’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Special Education at Lehigh Carbon Community College
Saddleback College came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Special Ed Major ranking. Saddleback College is a fairly large public school situated in Mission Viejo, California. It awarded 41 associates’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Cincinnati - Clermont College landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Special Ed Major ranking. Batavia, Ohio is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associates’s special ed degrees to 3 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.7% 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 University of Cincinnati - Clermont College
Las Positas College landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Special Ed Major ranking. Las Positas College is a medium-sized public school situated in Livermore, California. It awarded 7 associates’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Special Education at Las Positas College
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
