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2024 Best Special Education Schools in Illinois

27 Colleges in Illinois
1,153 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
$47,433 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #29 in popularity, special education is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

College Factual looked at 27 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Special Education Schools in Illinois ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 1,153 degrees in special education to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Special Education School

Best Special Education Schools in Illinois Your choice of special education school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for special education schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Special Education Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Special Ed
Master's Degrees in Special Ed
Doctor's Degrees in Special Ed

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Special Education Schools in Illinois list to help you make the college decision. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.


 

Best Schools for Special Education in Illinois

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the special ed degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Illinois Schools in Special Ed

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
214 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
11.7% Growth in Graduates

Illinois State University is a great decision for students pursuing a degree in special education. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #231 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Illinois State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 214 special education students who graduated with this degree at Illinois State in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the special ed program report average early career wages of $43,480.

More information about a degree in special education from Illinois State University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
52 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
25.0% Growth in Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in special education has to take a look at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #34 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.

There were roughly 52 special education students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent data year. After graduating, special ed degree recipients generally earn around $43,613 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in special education from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

3
Graduate Certificate Highest Degree Type
23rd Most Popular In IL
50.0% Growth in Graduates

Every student who is interested in special education needs to check out Loyola University Chicago. Located in the large city of Chicago, Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #137 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Loyola Chicago is a great university overall.

There were about 16 special education students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Chicago in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in special education from Loyola University Chicago

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$38,322 Median Starting Salary

Bradley University is a wonderful option for students pursuing a degree in special education. Located in the city of Peoria, Bradley is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #309 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Bradley is a great university overall.

There were about 8 special education students who graduated with this degree at Bradley in the most recent data year. After graduating, special ed degree recipients usually make around $38,322 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in special education from Bradley University

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
16th Most Popular In IL
34.6% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Carbondale, SIUC is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #545 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means SIUC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 26 special education students who graduated with this degree at SIUC in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in special education from Southern Illinois University Carbondale

6
Lewis crest
Lewis University
Romeoville, IL
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
50 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
$40,568 Median Starting Salary

Located in the suburb of Romeoville, Lewis is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 26th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were roughly 50 special education students who graduated with this degree at Lewis in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the special ed program make an average of $40,568 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in special education from Lewis University

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
69 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
$59,161 Median Starting Salary

UIC is a fairly large public university located in the city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #192 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UIC is a great university overall.

There were about 69 special education students who graduated with this degree at UIC in the most recent year we have data available. Those special education students who get their degree from University of Illinois at Chicago receive $11,728 more than the standard special ed graduate.

More information about a degree in special education from University of Illinois at Chicago

8
Trinity Christian crest
Trinity Christian College
Palos Heights, IL
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
37 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
56.8% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large suburb of Palos Heights, Trinity Christian is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 40th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were roughly 37 special education students who graduated with this degree at Trinity Christian in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the special education major at Trinity Christian College earn $2,392 more than the standard graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in special education from Trinity Christian College

9
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, IL
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
58 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
24.1% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #203 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means DePaul is a great university overall.

There were about 58 special education students who graduated with this degree at DePaul in the most recent year we have data available. Those special education students who get their degree from DePaul University earn $8,102 more than the average special ed grad.

More information about a degree in special education from DePaul University

10
Elmhurst crest
Elmhurst University
Elmhurst, IL
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
15th Most Popular In IL
35.7% Growth in Graduates

Elmhurst is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Elmhurst. A Best Colleges rank of #403 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Elmhurst is a great university overall.

There were about 28 special education students who graduated with this degree at Elmhurst in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in special education from Elmhurst University


 

Best Special Education Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Special Education Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Michigan 322 596
Ohio 314 1,286
Indiana 294 1,835
Wisconsin 273 527

View All Rankings >

Special Education is one of 14 different types of Education programs to choose from.

Special Ed Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
General Special Education 1,068
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Early Childhood Special Education Programs 28
Other Special Education & Teaching 20
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Multiple Disabilities 17
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Secondary Special Education Programs 9
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Emotional Disturbances 5
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Specific Learning Disabilities 2
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Autism 2
Education/Teaching of Individuals Who are Developmentally Delayed 2

View All Special Ed Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Teacher Education Grade Specific 3,579
Educational Administration 1,825
Teacher Education Subject Specific 1,676
Curriculum & Instruction 1,019
General Education 466
Student Counseling 336
Instructional Media Design 181
Teaching English or French 181
Multilingual Education 86
Educational Assessment 69

View All Special Ed Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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