2023 Best Special Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Finding the Best Special Education 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.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Teaching Degree Search has created the Best Special Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 117 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for teaching students.
View our full ranking methodology.
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2023 Best Special Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region
The colleges and universities below are the best for special ed majors pursuing a .
Top 15% Best Special Education Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Hope College the best school in the Great Lakes Region for special education students. Located in the city of Holland, Hope is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
The excellent programs at Illinois State University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best special education schools in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public school with a fairly large student population.
After completing their degree, special ed graduates from Illinois State carry an average student debtload of $20,500. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $201.
Out of the 117 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the # 3 spot on the list. UW - Madison is a very large public school located in the city of Madison.
The average amount in student loans that special ed majors at UW - Madison take out is $21,875.
The excellent programs at Purdue University - Main Campus helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best special education schools in the Great Lakes Region . Purdue is a fairly large public school located in the small city of West Lafayette.
While working on their degree, special ed majors at Purdue accumulate an average of around $22,883 in student debt.
Read full report on Special Education at Purdue University - Main Campus
Out of the 117 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 large public school located in the city of Eau Claire.
The average amount in student loans that special ed majors at UW - Eau Claire take out is $29,449.
Full Special Education at University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Report
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #6 on this year’s Best Special Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. UIUC is a very large public school located in the city of Champaign.
After completing their degree, special ed graduates from UIUC carry an average student debtload of $13,750.
Full Special Education at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Report
Indiana University - Bloomington came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the city of Bloomington, IU Bloomington is a public school with a very large student population.
While working on their degree, special ed majors at IU Bloomington accumulate an average of around $22,250 in student debt.
Olivet Nazarene University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for special education students. It came in at #8 on the list. Olivet Nazarene is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small suburb of Bourbonnais.
Wisconsin Lutheran College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. WLC is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Milwaukee.
With a ranking of #10, Carroll University did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students. Located in the small city of Waukesha, Carroll U is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
While working on their degree, special ed majors at Carroll U accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.
University of Dayton came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. UDayton is a large private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Dayton.
Carthage College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Carthage is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Kenosha.
Calvin University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for special education students. It came in at #13 on the list. Located in the city of Grand Rapids, Calvin is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
University of Wisconsin - Stout landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best special education programs. Located in the distant town of Menomonie, UW - Stout is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
With a ranking of #15, Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students. Located in the city of Carbondale, SIUC is a public school with a large student population.
Full Special Education at Southern Illinois University Carbondale Report
Lewis University landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best special education programs. Located in the large suburb of Romeoville, Lewis is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.
Special Ed majors at Lewis take out an average of $24,779 in student loans while working on their egree.
Huntington University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for special education students. It came in at #17 on the list. Huntington is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Huntington.
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 Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 18 | Ball State University | Muncie, IN |
| 19 | University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point | Stevens Point, WI |
| 20 | Trinity Christian College | Palos Heights, IL |
| 21 | Viterbo University | La Crosse, WI |
| 22 | Elmhurst University | Elmhurst, IL |
| 23 | Bradley University | Peoria, IL |
Best Special Education Colleges by State
Explore the best special education schools 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 |
More Special Education Rankings in the Great Lakes Region
Special Education Related Rankings by Major
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 |
Most Popular Majors Related to Special Ed
| 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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