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2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Special Ed

9 Ranked Colleges
1,238 Degrees Awarded
$31,800 Avg Cost*
Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Special Ed

Veterans have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Special Ed” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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 Virginia, there were 1,238 special education graduates with average earnings and debt of $46,837 and $31,153 respectively.

For this year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Special Ed” ranking, we looked at 9 colleges that offer a degree in special education. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality special education programs as well as strong veteran support.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as veteran satisfaction, veteran affordability, and overall quality of the special education program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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 Virginia for Special Ed” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Special Ed

The colleges and universities below are the best for virginia vets studying special ed.

Top 9 Best Special Education Colleges for Veterans in Virginia

1
GMU crest
George Mason University
Fairfax, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend George Mason University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Special Ed list. GMU is located in Fairfax, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 397 ’s special ed degrees to qualified students.

GMU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 38,541 students enrolled at George Mason University, 2,334 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1,583 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $10,710. To help with additional expenses, 42 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate 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 George Mason University]](/colleges/george-mason-university/student-life/veterans/)

2
JMU crest
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, Virginia

Out of the 9 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Special Ed that were part of this year’s ranking, James Madison University landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, this large public school awarded 38 degrees to qualified ’s special ed students in 2020-2021.

JMU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, James Madison University supports 21,594 students, and 842 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 464 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,824. In addition to receiving other benefits, 3 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 James Madison University]](/colleges/james-madison-university/student-life/veterans/)

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Virginia Commonwealth University. The school came in at #3 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Special Ed. Virginia Commonwealth University is a public institution located in Richmond, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 55 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our virginia vets studying special ed list, VCU has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 29,070 students enrolled at VCU, 1 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 2 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $13,085. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. VCU 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…

4
Old Dominion crest
Old Dominion University
Norfolk, Virginia

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Old Dominion University. The school came in at #4 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Special Ed. Old Dominion University is a large school located in Norfolk, Virginia that handed out 67 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.

Old Dominion not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, Old Dominion University supports 24,286 students, and 1 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 0 are 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 qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

Read More…

5
Liberty University crest
Liberty University
Lynchburg, Virginia

Out of the 9 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Special Ed that were part of this year’s ranking, Liberty University landed the #5 spot on the list. Liberty University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Lynchburg, Virginia. It awarded 494 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.

Liberty University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, Liberty University supports 93,349 students, and 13,282 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 8,897 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,888. On top of their other funding sources, 386 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Liberty University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

Full Liberty University Veteran Student Life Report

6
Marymount crest
Marymount University
Arlington, Virginia

Marymount University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Special Ed ranking. Marymount is a private not-for-profit institution located in Arlington, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 10 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Marymount, 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 175 of the 3,294 students enrolled at Marymount were GI Bill® students, of which 172 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $15,047. On top of their other funding sources, 35 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Marymount offers 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…

7
Regent crest
Regent University
Virginia Beach, Virginia

Regent University ranked #7 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Special Ed list. This fairly large school is located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and it awarded 27 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.

Regent did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 10,483 students enrolled at Regent, 1,414 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1,139 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $9,203. During this same period, 42 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

Full Regent University Veteran Student Life Report

8
Radford crest
Radford University
Radford, Virginia

Radford University ranked #8 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Special Ed list. Radford is a medium-sized school located in Radford, Virginia that handed out 66 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.

Radford also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 10,695 students enrolled at Radford University, 460 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 225 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,142. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

Full Radford University Veteran Student Life Report

9
Lynchburg crest
University of Lynchburg
Lynchburg, Virginia

University of Lynchburg did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Special Ed ranking, coming in at #9. University of Lynchburg is located in Lynchburg, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 11 ’s special ed degrees to qualified students.

Lynchburg also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 2,692 students enrolled at Lynchburg, 180 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 125 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $13,684. To help with additional expenses, 8 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

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%. 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 More…

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

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