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2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Special Ed

16 Ranked Colleges
1,961 Degrees Awarded
$27,200 Avg Cost*
Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Special Ed

With all of the options veterans have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Special Ed” ranking - to help you make that decision.

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.

Across the Rocky Mountains region, there were 1,961 special education graduates with average earnings and debt of $43,313 and $24,725 respectively.

For this year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Special Ed” ranking, we looked at 16 colleges that offer a degree in special education. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent special education programs, but they also offer a lot of support to veterans and active service members.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the special education program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran satisfaction. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Special Education Schools

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Special Ed Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Special Ed” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Special Ed

The colleges and universities below are the best for rocky mountains region vets studying special ed.

Top 16 Best Special Education Colleges for Veterans in the Rocky Mountains Region

1
U of U crest
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Utah. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Special Ed list. U of U is a large school located in Salt Lake City, Utah that handed out 70 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.

U of U also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Of the 33,081 students enrolled at U of U, 1 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. U of U does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full U of U Veteran Student Life Report

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Utah State University. The school came in at #2 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Special Ed. USU is a public institution located in Logan, Utah. The school has a large population, and it awarded 84 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at USU, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 27,691 students enrolled at USU, 3 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $285. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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%.

Full Utah State University Veteran Student Life Report

3
DU crest
University of Denver
Denver, Colorado

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Denver. The school came in at #3 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Special Ed. This fairly large school is located in Denver, Colorado, and it awarded 23 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.

DU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 571 of the 13,856 students enrolled at DU were GI Bill® students, of which 373 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $12,359. During this same period, 155 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

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

Read More…

4

Out of the 16 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Special Ed that were part of this year’s ranking, Boise State University landed the #4 spot on the list. Boise, Idaho is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s special ed degrees to 61 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Boise State, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 1,134 of the 24,069 students enrolled at Boise State University were GI Bill® students, of which 798 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,559. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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%.

Full Boise State University Veteran Student Life Report

5

Out of the 16 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Special Ed that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs landed the #5 spot on the list. University of Colorado at Colorado Springs is a fairly large public school situated in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It awarded 26 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCCS, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 11 of the 12,380 students enrolled at University of Colorado at Colorado Springs were GI Bill® students, of which 8 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,808. During this same period, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

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

Read More…

6

University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Special Ed ranking. CU Anschutz is a large public school situated in Denver, Colorado. It awarded 22 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our rocky mountains region vets studying special ed list, CU Anschutz has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 24,723 students enrolled at University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus, 1 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

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

[Read full report on veteran student life at CU Anschutz]](/colleges/university-of-colorado-denver/student-life/veterans/)

7

With a ranking of #7, University of Northern Colorado did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Special Ed list. Located in Greeley, Colorado, this fairly large public school awarded 204 diplomas to qualified ’s special ed students in 2020-2021.

University of Northern Colorado did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 11,460 students enrolled at University of Northern Colorado, 1 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

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

Full University of Northern Colorado Veteran Student Life Report

8

Metropolitan State University of Denver ranked #8 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Special Ed list. This fairly large school is located in Denver, Colorado, and it awarded 28 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.

MSU Denver did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 19,086 students enrolled at MSU Denver, 1,222 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 867 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,619. In addition to receiving other benefits, 7 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

Read More…

9

Utah Valley University ranked #9 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Special Ed list. Utah Valley University is located in Orem, Utah and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 26 ’s special ed degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UVU, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Utah Valley University supports 40,936 students, and 813 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 379 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,550. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 veteran student life at UVU]](/colleges/utah-valley-university/student-life/veterans/)

10
WGU crest
Western Governors University
Salt Lake City, Utah

Western Governors University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Special Ed ranking, coming in at #10. WGU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Salt Lake City, Utah. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1,256 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

WGU also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Our most recent data shows that 8,828 of the 147,866 students enrolled at WGU were GI Bill® students, of which 5,287 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,681. On top of their other funding sources, 1 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. WGU does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

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

Read More…

11

Weber State University ranked #11 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Special Ed list. Ogden, Utah is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s special ed degrees to 20 students in 2020-2021.

WSU also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].According to our most recent data, WSU supports 29,596 students, and 747 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 472 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,815. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. WSU does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

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

Full Weber State University Veteran Student Life Report

12
Regis U crest
Regis University
Denver, Colorado

With a ranking of #12, Regis University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Special Ed list. Regis U is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Denver, Colorado. It awarded 13 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our rocky mountains region vets studying special ed list, Regis U has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 6,310 students enrolled at Regis University, 408 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 329 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $10,208. On top of their other funding sources, 7 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Regis University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

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

[Read full report on veteran student life at Regis U]](/colleges/regis-university/student-life/veterans/)

13

Brigham Young University - Provo landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Special Ed ranking. Located in Provo, Utah, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 42 diplomas to qualified ’s special ed students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our rocky mountains region vets studying special ed list, BYU has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 36,461 students enrolled at Brigham Young University - Provo, 368 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 220 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,856. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read More…

14

Montana State University - Billings came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Special Ed ranking. Billings, Montana is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s special ed degrees to 20 students in 2020-2021.

Montana State University - Billings also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Our most recent data shows that 74 of the 4,000 students enrolled at Montana State University - Billings were GI Bill® students, of which 51 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,177. During this same period, 1 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Montana State University - Billings offers credit for military training for eligible students.

Read More…

15

Colorado Christian University ranked #15 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Special Ed list. Colorado Christian University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lakewood, Colorado. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 24 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

CCU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 7,839 students enrolled at CCU, 574 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 446 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,761. To help with additional expenses, 11 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Colorado Christian University]](/colleges/colorado-christian-university/student-life/veterans/)

16

Brigham Young University - Idaho came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Special Ed ranking. Brigham Young University - Idaho is a private not-for-profit institution located in Rexburg, Idaho. The school has a large population, and it awarded 30 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

BYU - I also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 471 of the 44,481 students enrolled at Brigham Young University - Idaho were GI Bill® students, of which 200 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $2,677. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

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

Full BYU - I Veteran Student Life Report

Notes and References

References

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