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2023 Most Popular Colleges for Special Education

917 Ranked Colleges
36,792 Degrees Awarded
$28,800 Avg Cost*
Most Well Attended Special Ed Major

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Well Attended Special Ed Major” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Special Education is the 29th most popular major in the country with 36,792 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. 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.

This year’s “Most Well Attended Special Ed Major” ranking analyzed 917 colleges that offered a degree in special education. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular special education programs in the United States.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Special Education Schools

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Well Attended Special Ed Major” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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.

Most Well Attended Special Ed Major

The colleges and universities below are the best for special ed students.

1
Grand Canyon University crest
Grand Canyon University
Phoenix, Arizona

Out of the 917 schools in the Most Well Attended Special Ed Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Grand Canyon University landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Phoenix, Arizona, and it awarded 2,095 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Grand Canyon University Special Education Report

2
Ball State crest
Ball State University
Muncie, Indiana

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Ball State University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major list. Located in Muncie, Indiana, this large public school awarded 1,870 degrees to qualified ’s special ed students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.2% 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 Ball State

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Arizona State University - Skysong. The school came in at #3 for the Most Well Attended Special Ed Major. Located in Scottsdale, Arizona, this large public school awarded 1,280 diplomas to qualified ’s special ed students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Arizona State University - Skysong Special Education Report

4
WGU crest
Western Governors University
Salt Lake City, Utah

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Western Governors University. The school came in at #4 for the Most Well Attended Special Ed Major. Western Governors University is located in Salt Lake City, Utah and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,256 ’s special ed degrees to qualified students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Special Education at WGU

5
Touro crest
Touro College
New York, New York

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Touro College. The school came in at #5 for the Most Well Attended Special Ed Major. Touro College is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 645 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Touro College Special Education Report

6
National University crest
National University
La Jolla, California

With a ranking of #6, National University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major list. La Jolla, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s special ed degrees to 436 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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 more about Special Education at National University

7
Liberty University crest
Liberty University
Lynchburg, Virginia

Liberty University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Special Ed Major ranking. Lynchburg, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s special ed degrees to 494 students in 2020-2021.

Full Liberty University Special Education Report

8
Lamar University crest
Lamar University
Beaumont, Texas

Lamar University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Special Ed Major ranking. Beaumont, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s special ed degrees to 542 students in 2020-2021.

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

Full Lamar University Special Education Report

9
GMU crest
George Mason University
Fairfax, Virginia

George Mason University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Special Ed Major ranking. George Mason University is a large public school situated in Fairfax, Virginia. It awarded 397 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.

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 undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Special Education at GMU

10
Hunter crest
Hunter College
New York, New York

Hunter College landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major ranking. Located in New York, New York, this large public school awarded 360 diplomas to qualified ’s special ed students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% 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 Hunter

11

The University of West Florida ranked #11 on this year’s Most Well Attended Special Ed Major list. The University of West Florida is a fairly large school located in Pensacola, Florida that handed out 303 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.

Full UWF Special Education Report

12

St. Joseph’s College - New York came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Special Ed Major ranking. St. Joseph’s College - New York is a private not-for-profit institution located in Brooklyn, New York. The school has a small population, and it awarded 261 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full SJC Special Education Report

13
Brooklyn College crest
Brooklyn College
Brooklyn, New York

Brooklyn College landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major ranking. Brooklyn College is a fairly large school located in Brooklyn, New York that handed out 244 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Special Education at Brooklyn College

14
SRU crest
Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania

Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Special Ed Major ranking. Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s special ed degrees to 227 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.6% 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 Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania

15
Pace University crest
Pace University - New York
New York, New York

Pace University - New York did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major ranking, coming in at #15. Located in New York, New York, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 222 diplomas to qualified ’s special ed students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Pace University - New York Special Education Report

16

Bowling Green State University - Main Campus came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Special Ed Major ranking. BGSU is located in Bowling Green, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 256 ’s special ed degrees to qualified students.

Read full report on Special Education at Bowling Green State University - Main Campus

17
Towson crest
Towson University
Towson, Maryland

Towson University ranked #17 on this year’s Most Well Attended Special Ed Major list. This large school is located in Towson, Maryland, and it awarded 231 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Full Towson Special Education Report

18
Endicott crest
Endicott College
Beverly, Massachusetts

Endicott College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major ranking, coming in at #18. Beverly, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s special ed degrees to 226 students in 2020-2021.

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

Read full report on Special Education at Endicott

19

University of Northern Colorado did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major ranking, coming in at #19. This fairly large school is located in Greeley, Colorado, and it awarded 204 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.

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

Read more about Special Education at University of Northern Colorado

20
Daemen College crest
Daemen College
Amherst, New York

Daemen College landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major ranking. Amherst, New York is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s special ed degrees to 195 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Daemen College Special Education Report

21

Illinois State University landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major ranking. Normal, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s special ed degrees to 214 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Illinois State University Special Education Report

22
LIU Post crest
LIU Post
Brookville, New York

LIU Post ranked #22 on this year’s Most Well Attended Special Ed Major list. LIU Post is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Brookville, New York. It awarded 174 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.

The impressive undergraduate 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 full report on Special Education at LIU Post

23
Pasadena City College crest
Pasadena City College
Pasadena, California

With a ranking of #23, Pasadena City College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major list. Pasadena City College is a large school located in Pasadena, California that handed out 172 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Pasadena City College Special Education Report

24

Arkansas State University - Main Campus ranked #24 on this year’s Most Well Attended Special Ed Major list. Located in Jonesboro, Arkansas, this fairly large public school handed out 197 degrees to qualified ’s special ed students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Special Education at A-State

25
St. Joe's crest
Saint Joseph's University
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Saint Joseph’s University landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 157 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Special Education at St. Joe’s

Rest of the Best 51 in Most Well Attended Special Ed Major

Not only did these schools make the top 51 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26
NAU crest
Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff, Arizona
27
AIC crest
American International College
Springfield, Massachusetts
28
29
TCNJ crest
The College of New Jersey
Ewing, New Jersey
29
WCUPA crest
West Chester University of Pennsylvania
West Chester, Pennsylvania
31
32
32
34
Bridgewater State crest
Bridgewater State University
Bridgewater, Massachusetts
35
American College of Education crest
American College of Education
Indianapolis, Indiana
36
Molloy crest
Molloy College
Rockville Centre, New York
37
NLU crest
National Louis University
Chicago, Illinois
38
UND crest
University of North Dakota
Grand Forks, North Dakota
39
Kean crest
Kean University
Union, New Jersey
40
Wilmington University crest
Wilmington University
New Castle, Delaware
41
42
42
42
Texas Tech crest
Texas Tech University
Lubbock, Texas
45
46
University of West Alabama crest
University of West Alabama
Livingston, Alabama
47
Cumberlands crest
University of the Cumberlands
Williamsburg, Kentucky
48
49
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas
50
Fullerton College crest
Fullerton College
Fullerton, California
50

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Most Well Attended Special Ed Major

While not in the ’top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

RankCollegeLocation
52Brandman UniversityIrvine, CA
53Morningside CollegeSioux City, IA
54Fitchburg State UniversityFitchburg, MA
54University of ToledoToledo, OH
56SUNY CortlandCortland, NY
57Minnesota State University - MankatoMankato, MN
57Riverside City CollegeRiverside, CA
59Eastern Michigan UniversityYpsilanti, MI
60University of ArizonaTucson, AZ
60Alliant International UniversitySan Diego, CA
62Western Washington UniversityBellingham, WA
62Southern Connecticut State UniversityNew Haven, CT
64University of St Thomas MinnesotaSaint Paul, MN
64Eastern Kentucky UniversityRichmond, KY
64The University of Texas of the Permian BasinOdessa, TX
RankCollegeLocation
67Michigan State UniversityEast Lansing, MI
68Millersville University of PennsylvaniaMillersville, PA
69Auburn UniversityAuburn, AL
70Georgetown CollegeGeorgetown, KY
71Cambridge CollegeBoston, MA
71Queens CollegeQueens, NY
71University of Wisconsin - Eau ClaireEau Claire, WI
71William Carey UniversityHattiesburg, MS
71St John’s University - New YorkQueens, NY
76Utah State UniversityLogan, UT
76Youngstown State UniversityYoungstown, OH
78Rutgers University - New BrunswickNew Brunswick, NJ
79Simmons UniversityBoston, MA
80Lesley UniversityCambridge, MA
80University of Saint JosephWest Hartford, CT
82Mt. San Jacinto CollegeSan Jacinto, CA
83California University of PennsylvaniaCalifornia, PA
83University of Akron Main CampusAkron, OH
83SUNY GeneseoGeneseo, NY
86Grand Valley State UniversityAllendale, MI
87New Jersey City UniversityJersey City, NJ
87Lehman CollegeBronx, NY
87University of Central FloridaOrlando, FL
90Moorpark CollegeMoorpark, CA
90Merrimack CollegeNorth Andover, MA
RankCollegeLocation
92Kutztown University of PennsylvaniaKutztown, PA
93Manhattanville CollegePurchase, NY
94University of Wisconsin - WhitewaterWhitewater, WI
95Georgia State UniversityAtlanta, GA
96Rowan UniversityGlassboro, NJ
96University of UtahSalt Lake City, UT
98Teachers College at Columbia UniversityNew York, NY
98University of Illinois at ChicagoChicago, IL
98Roberts Wesleyan CollegeRochester, NY
98University of Wisconsin - MadisonMadison, WI
98Florida International UniversityMiami, FL
103Appalachian State UniversityBoone, NC
103University of RedlandsRedlands, CA
103Bloomsburg University of PennsylvaniaBloomsburg, PA
103California State University - Los AngelesLos Angeles, CA
107Fordham UniversityBronx, NY
108Broward CollegeFort Lauderdale, FL
108Kent State University at KentKent, OH
108Miami University - OxfordOxford, OH
111University of MemphisMemphis, TN
111California State University - East BayHayward, CA
113Syracuse UniversitySyracuse, NY
114Ashland UniversityAshland, OH
114Portland State UniversityPortland, OR
116University of North Carolina at CharlotteCharlotte, NC
RankCollegeLocation
117Radford UniversityRadford, VA
117University of HartfordWest Hartford, CT
117University of ConnecticutStorrs, CT
117Mississippi State UniversityMississippi State, MS
117East Stroudsburg University of PennsylvaniaEast Stroudsburg, PA
122University of North Carolina at GreensboroGreensboro, NC
122San Francisco State UniversitySan Francisco, CA
124Mississippi CollegeClinton, MS
124University of Wisconsin - OshkoshOshkosh, WI
124University of GeorgiaAthens, GA
127Buffalo StateBuffalo, NY
127Manhattan CollegeRiverdale, NY
127Saint Mary’s University of MinnesotaWinona, MN
127Oakland UniversityRochester Hills, MI
127Miami Dade CollegeMiami, FL
127DePaul UniversityChicago, IL
133San Bernardino Valley CollegeSan Bernardino, CA
133The University of AlabamaTuscaloosa, AL
133Central Michigan UniversityMount Pleasant, MI
133Rhode Island CollegeProvidence, RI
137George Washington UniversityWashington, DC
137Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main CampusIndiana, PA

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