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Best Special Education Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

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2023 Best Special Education Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

95 Colleges
$38,520 Avg Salary
$25,108 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Special Education Bachelor's Degree School for You

With 36,792 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, special education is the #4 most popular major in the United States.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which teaching program is right for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Teaching Degree Search has created its Best Special Education Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This report analyzed 95 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which ones offered the best bachelor's degree programs for teaching students. The factors used to develop this ranking include those related to how in-demand the school is, the overall quality of the school, and post-graduation wages, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for special ed majors pursuing a bachelor's degree.

Top 15% Best Special Education Bachelor's Degree Schools

#1

Hope College

Holland, MI

Our analysis found Hope College to be the best school for special education students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the small city of Holland, Hope is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Full Special Education at Hope College Report

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at University of Wisconsin - Madison helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best special education schools in the Great Lakes Region . UW - Madison is a very large public school located in the city of Madison.

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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Illinois State University is a great place for special education students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, special ed graduates from Illinois State carry an average student debtload of $19,363. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $201.

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Out of the 95 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the # 4 spot on the list. UIUC is a very large public school located in the city of Champaign.

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Out of the 95 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire landed the # 5 spot on the list. UW - Eau Claire is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Eau Claire.

On average, special ed graduates from UW - Eau Claire take out $25,063 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

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#6

University of Dayton

Dayton, OH

University of Dayton ranked #6 on this year’s Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. UDayton is a large private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Dayton.

Read full report on Special Education at University of Dayton

#7

Wisconsin Lutheran College

Milwaukee, WI

Wisconsin Lutheran College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for special education students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #7 on the list. WLC is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Milwaukee.

Read full report on Special Education at Wisconsin Lutheran College

With a ranking of #8, Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the small city of Bloomington, IU Bloomington is a public school with a very large student population.

Full Special Education at Indiana University - Bloomington Report

#9

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, IN

Purdue University - Main Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for special education students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Purdue is a fairly large public school located in the city of West Lafayette.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, special ed graduates from Purdue carry an average student debtload of $20,007.

Full Special Education at Purdue University - Main Campus Report

#10

Carthage College

Kenosha, WI

Carthage College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree special education programs. Carthage is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize suburb of Kenosha.

Read full report on Special Education at Carthage College

#11

Lewis University

Romeoville, IL

With a ranking of #11, Lewis University did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the large suburb of Romeoville, Lewis is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

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#12

Calvin University

Grand Rapids, MI

Calvin University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the medium-sized city of Grand Rapids, Calvin is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

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#13

Trinity Christian College

Palos Heights, IL

With a ranking of #13, Trinity Christian College did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students working on their bachelor’s degree. Trinity Christian is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Palos Heights.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, special ed majors at Trinity Christian accumulate an average of around $35,227 in student debt.

Read More…

#14

Aurora University

Aurora, IL

Aurora University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the suburb of Aurora, Aurora is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

Full Special Education at Aurora University Report

Honorable Mentions

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 Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.

Rank College Location
15 University of Wisconsin - Stout Menomonie, WI
16 University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Whitewater, WI
17 Southern Illinois University Carbondale Carbondale, IL
18 Huntington University Huntington, IN
19 University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point Stevens Point, WI

Best Special Education Colleges by State

Explore the best special education colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.

State Degrees Awarded
Ohio 1,329
Illinois 1,153
Indiana 2,282
Michigan 607
Wisconsin 598

One of 14 majors within the teaching area of study, special education has other similar majors worth exploring.

Special Ed Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
General Special Education 24,497
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Early Childhood Special Education Programs 3,111
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Multiple Disabilities 1,789
Elementary Special Education 1,625
Other Special Education & Teaching 1,227
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Autism 1,133
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Secondary Special Education Programs 655
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Specific Learning Disabilities 540
Education/Teaching of the Gifted & Talented 504
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Speech or Language Impairments 415
Education of the Deaf 363
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Emotional Disturbances 226
Education/Teaching of Individuals Who are Developmentally Delayed 222
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Junior High/Middle School Special Education Programs 181
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Vision Impairments Including Blindness 134
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities 122
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Orthopedic & Other Physical Health Impairments 47
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Traumatic Brain Injuries 1

Related Major Annual Graduates
Teacher Education Grade Specific 110,226
Educational Administration 46,469
Teacher Education Subject Specific 43,297
General Education 29,810
Curriculum & Instruction 19,832

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • 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).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to woodleywonderworks.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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