2021 Best Special Education Colleges for Non-Traditional Students
Finding the Best Special Education Schools for Non-Traditional Students
In 2018-2019, 8,866 people earned their bachelor's in special education, making the major the #55 most popular in the United States.
This year's Best Special Education Colleges for Non-Traditional Students ranking analyzed 118 colleges that offered a bachelor's degree in special ed. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality special education programs as well as strong support for students classified as non-traditional.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the special education program at the school, affordability, and presence of non-traditional students. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
Featured schools near , edit
More Ways to Rank Special Education Schools
As a non-traditional student, you have a lot to consider when it comes to choosing an education. That's why we've developed rankings specifically for you. Check out more major-related rankings here..
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.
2021 Best Special Education Schools for Non-Traditional Students in the United States
The following schools top our list of the Best Special Education Colleges for Non-Traditional Students.
Top 15% Best Special Education Schools for Non-Traditional Students
Kean University has taken the #1 spot in this year's special education ranking for non-traditional students. Located in the suburb of Union, Kean is a public school with a fairly large student population.
About 6.9% of Kean students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. There are approximately 826 students at Kean that take at least one class online. 3,382 students are part time. Kean does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Full Special Education at Kean University Report
Request Information
The #2 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Illinois State University. Illinois State is a very large public school located in the midsize suburb of Normal. In addition to being on our best for non-traditional students list, Illinois State has also earned the #1 rank in our Best Colleges for Special Education ranking.
About 3.9% of Illinois State students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. Approximately 3,895 students take at least one class online at Illinois State. There are roughly 2,428 part time students in attendance at Illinois State. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Full Special Education at Illinois State University Report
Request Information
The #3 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Towson University. Towson is a fairly large public school located in the city of Towson. Towson did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our Best Colleges for Special Education list.
The school has a low student loan default rate of 3.5%. Approximately 3,895 students take at least one class online at Towson. About 4,538 of the students at Towson are attending part time. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Read full report on Special Education at Towson University
Request Information
Western Governors University comes in at #4 in this year's ranking. WGU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Salt Lake City.
The student loan default rate at WGU is lower than is typical, just 4.2% of students default in three years. All 121,437 students take classes exclusively online at WGU. WGU does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Request Information
West Chester University of Pennsylvania earned the #5 spot in our 2021 rankings. WCUPA is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of West Chester. In addition to being on our best for non-traditional students list, WCUPA has also earned the #5 rank in our Best Colleges for Special Education ranking.
The student loan default rate at WCUPA is lower than is typical, just 4.9% of students default in three years. Approximately 2,140 students take at least one class online at WCUPA. About 3,448 of the students at WCUPA are attending part time. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Read full report on Special Education at West Chester University of Pennsylvania
Request Information
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #6 spot in our 2021 best special education schools for non-traditional students. Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public college with a very large student population. UIUC also made our Best Colleges for Special Education list, coming in at #3.
About 1.9% of UIUC students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. Approximately 12,503 students take at least one class online at UIUC. 6,389 of UIUC students are attending part time. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Request Information
University of Northern Colorado comes in at #7 in this year's ranking. Located in the midsize city of Greeley, University of Northern Colorado is a public college with a large student population.
The school has a low student loan default rate of 5.6%. Approximately 2,209 students take at least one class online at University of Northern Colorado. About 4,334 of the students at University of Northern Colorado are attending part time. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Read full report on Special Education at University of Northern Colorado
Request Information
Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania comes in at #8 in this year's ranking. Located in the town of Slippery Rock, SRU is a public college with a medium-sized student population. On top of its placing in our non-traditional rankings, SRU also did well on our Best Colleges for Special Education list. It's in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis.
The student loan default rate at SRU is lower than is typical, just 4.9% of students default in three years. Approximately 1,777 students take at least one class online at SRU. There are roughly 1,216 part time students in attendance at SRU. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Request Information
The #9 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Ashland University. Located in the fringe town of Ashland, Ashland is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.
The school has a low student loan default rate of 3.7%. 2,415 students at Ashland are exclusively online. There are roughly 2,103 part time students in attendance at Ashland. Ashland does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Full Special Education at Ashland University Report
Request Information
Millersville University of Pennsylvania landed the #10 spot in our 2021 best special education schools for non-traditional students. Located in the suburb of Millersville, Millersville is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
The school has a low student loan default rate of 6.9%. Approximately 1,109 students take at least one class online at Millersville. 1,960 of Millersville students are attending part time. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Read full report on Special Education at Millersville University of Pennsylvania
Request Information
Indiana University - Bloomington earned the #11 spot in our 2021 rankings. IU Bloomington is a very large public school located in the city of Bloomington. In addition to being on our best for non-traditional students list, IU Bloomington has also earned the #7 rank in our Best Colleges for Special Education ranking.
The student loan default rate at IU Bloomington is lower than is typical, just 3.6% of students default in three years. Approximately 5,026 students take at least one class online at IU Bloomington. About 5,192 of the students at IU Bloomington are attending part time. IU Bloomington does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Read full report on Special Education at Indiana University - Bloomington
Request Information
The #12 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Florida Atlantic University. Located in the city of Boca Raton, FAU is a public school with a very large student population.
The student loan default rate at FAU is lower than is typical, just 3.2% of students default in three years. Approximately 9,807 students take at least one class online at FAU. About 11,210 of the students at FAU are attending part time. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Read full report on Special Education at Florida Atlantic University
Request Information
Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania comes in at #13 in this year's ranking. Bloomsburg is a moderately-sized public school located in the small city of Bloomsburg.
The student loan default rate at Bloomsburg is lower than is typical, just 7.0% of students default in three years. Approximately 1,215 students take at least one class online at Bloomsburg. About 1,073 of the students at Bloomsburg are attending part time. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Request Information
Our rankings recognize Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College as the #14 school in this year's rankings. Located in the rural area of Saint Mary of the Woods, SMWC is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
About 5.2% of SMWC students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. 248 of SMWC students are exclusively distance learners. 356 students are part time.
Request Information
Gonzaga University comes in at #15 in this year's ranking. Gonzaga is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Spokane. In addition to being on our best for non-traditional students list, Gonzaga has also earned the #8 rank in our Best Colleges for Special Education ranking.
About 1.5% of Gonzaga students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. About 1,719 of the students at Gonzaga are attending part time. Gonzaga does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Read full report on Special Education at Gonzaga University
Request Information
The #16 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Ball State University. Located in the small city of Muncie, Ball State is a public college with a very large student population. In addition to being on our bet for non-traditional students list, Ball State is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Special Education list.
About 5.3% of Ball State students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. 5,037 of Ball State students are exclusively distance learners. About 5,958 of the students at Ball State are attending part time. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Request Information
Utah State University landed the #17 spot in our 2021 best special education schools for non-traditional students. Located in the city of Logan, USU is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The school has a low student loan default rate of 5.6%. Approximately 8,947 students take at least one class online at USU. 9,442 of USU students are attending part time. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Full Special Education at Utah State University Report
Request InformationAdditional Noteworthy Schools
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Special Education Colleges for Non-Traditional Students award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 18 | University of Wisconsin - Whitewater | Whitewater, WI |
| 19 | SUNY Cortland | Cortland, NY |
| 20 | Saint Cloud State University | Saint Cloud, MN |
| 21 | Central Washington University | Ellensburg, WA |
| 22 | St. Joseph’s College - New York | Brooklyn, NY |
| 23 | University of Georgia | Athens, GA |
Special Education by Region
View the best for non-traditional students Special Education colleges in a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
Non-Traditional Student Rankings in Majors Related to Special Ed
Special Education is one of 14 different types of Education programs to choose from.
Majors Similar to Special Ed
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Teacher Education Grade Specific | 88,570 |
| Teacher Education Subject Specific | 40,256 |
| Educational Administration | 35,008 |
| General Education | 29,223 |
| Curriculum & Instruction | 17,537 |
View All Special Ed Related Majors >
Notes and References
Footnotes
*Avg Cost is for the top 25 schools only.
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 the rest 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).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- Credit for the banner image above goes to woodleywonderworks.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
Featured Schools
Request Info
|
Southern New Hampshire University
You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs ... Learn More > |
Request Info
|
Purdue University
Building on Purdue’s mission to provide greater access to affordable, world-class education, Purdue University Global delivers a fully personalized online experience that’s tailored to working adults. By opening the doors to adults who need flexibility to fit learning into their busy lives, we make it possible to achieve a high-quality education from the prestigious Purdue University system—completely online ... Learn More > |
Request Info
|
Grand Canyon University (GCU)
With a spotlight on intellectual creativity and innovation for the 21stcentury, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at GCU provides a job focused education. It blends the study of traditional humanities in a modern context. Through academic inquiry and beyond the box thinking, the college advances our society and its accomplishments ... Learn More > |
Request Info
|
Northcentral University
Northcentral University (NCU) was founded to provide accessible, high-quality, online graduate degrees to working professionals. As a regionally accredited, online university, NCU serves students worldwide, focusing on Doctoral and Master's degree programs in the Schools of Business and Technology Management, Education, Psychology, and Marriage and Family Sciences ... Learn More > |
Request Info
|
Colorado Technical University (CTU)
CTU could help you connect to what matters most: a powerful professional community, aculty who are real-world professionals, and innovative technology ... Learn More > |
College Factual provides higher-education, college and university, degree, program, career, salary, and other helpful information to students, faculty, institutions, and other internet audiences. Presented information and data are subject to change. Inclusion on this website does not imply or represent a direct relationship with the company, school, or brand. Information, though believed correct at time of publication, may not be correct, and no warranty is provided. Contact the schools to verify any information before relying on it. Financial aid may be available for those who qualify. The displayed options may include sponsored or recommended results, not necessarily based on your preferences.
© College Factual – All Rights Reserved.
