2023 Best Special Education Schools in the Southeast Region
Finding the Best Special Education School for You
In 2020-2021, 36,792 special education students received a degree or certificate, making the major the #4 most popular in the country.
Today's teaching students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.
The Best Special Education Schools in the Southeast Region ranking is one of many tools that Teaching Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 164 schools in the Southeast Region to see which ones offered the best programs for teaching students.
View our full ranking methodology.
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2023 Best Special Education Schools in the Southeast 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 University of Virginia - Main Campus the best school in the Southeast Region for special education students. University of Virginia is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Charlottesville.
Read full report on Special Education at University of Virginia - Main Campus
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Vanderbilt University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Special Education Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
Read full report on Special Education at Vanderbilt University
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Augusta University is a great place for special education students. Located in the city of Augusta, Augusta University is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
The excellent programs at George Mason University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best special education schools in the Southeast Region . GMU is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Fairfax.
Out of the 164 schools in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, East Carolina University landed the # 5 spot on the list. ECU is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Greenville.
While working on their degree, special ed majors at ECU accumulate an average of around $26,980 in student debt.
University of Georgia ranked #6 on this year’s Best Special Education Schools in the Southeast Region list. UGA is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Athens.
On average, special ed graduates from UGA take out $25,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
Appalachian State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Special Education Schools in the Southeast Region list. Appalachian State is a very large public school located in the distant town of Boone.
On average, special ed graduates from Appalachian State take out $21,500 in student loans while working on their degree.
Florida State University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best special education programs. Florida State is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Tallahassee.
After completing their degree, special ed graduates from Florida State carry an average student debtload of $20,584.
With a ranking of #9, University of Florida did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students. Located in the medium-sized city of Gainesville, UF is a public school with a very large student population.
William & Mary ranked #10 on this year’s Best Special Education Schools in the Southeast Region list. William & Mary is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Williamsburg.
Georgia Gwinnett College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Special Education Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the large suburb of Lawrenceville, Georgia Gwinnett College is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Clemson University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for special education students. It came in at #12 on the list. Located in the suburb of Clemson, Clemson is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Broward College ranked #13 on this year’s Best Special Education Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the city of Fort Lauderdale, BC is a public school with a very large student population.
The average amount in student loans that special ed majors at BC take out is $15,237.
With a ranking of #14, University of West Georgia did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students. University of West Georgia is a fairly large public school located in the town of Carrollton.
Read full report on Special Education at University of West Georgia
Georgia College & State University landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best special education programs. Georgia College is a medium-sized public school located in the distant town of Milledgeville.
The average amount in student loans that special ed majors at Georgia College take out is $22,866.
Read full report on Special Education at Georgia College & State University
John Brown University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for special education students. It came in at #16 on the list. Located in the distant town of Siloam Springs, JBU is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Read full report on Special Education at John Brown University
Auburn 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. Auburn is a very large public school located in the small city of Auburn.
While working on their degree, special ed majors at Auburn accumulate an average of around $22,250 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $512, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Miami Dade College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for special education students. It came in at #18 on the list. MDC is a very large public school located in the large city of Miami.
Special Ed majors at MDC take out an average of $9,500 in student loans while working on their egree.
Shenandoah University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for special education students. It came in at #19 on the list. Shenandoah is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Winchester.
Read full report on Special Education at Shenandoah University
University of North Carolina at Charlotte did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for special education students. It came in at #20 on the list. Located in the large city of Charlotte, UNC Charlotte is a public school with a fairly large student population.
On average, special ed graduates from UNC Charlotte take out $26,648 in student loans while working on their degree.
James Madison University landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best special education programs. Located in the small city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Florida Gulf Coast University landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best special education programs. Located in the large suburb of Fort Myers, FGCU is a public college with a large student population.
On average, special ed graduates from FGCU take out $26,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
Florida International University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Special Education Schools in the Southeast Region list. FIU is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Miami.
Full Special Education at Florida International University Report
Bellarmine University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Special Education Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the city of Louisville, Bellarmine U is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
After completing their degree, special ed graduates from Bellarmine U carry an average student debtload of $26,737.
Additional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional great schools for Special Education students in the Southeast Region that almost earned our Best Special Education Schools in the Southeast Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | Marymount University | Arlington, VA |
| 26 | University of North Carolina at Greensboro | Greensboro, NC |
| 27 | North Carolina State University | Raleigh, NC |
| 28 | Georgetown College | Georgetown, KY |
| 29 | University of North Carolina at Wilmington | Wilmington, NC |
| 30 | University of North Florida | Jacksonville, FL |
| 31 | The University of West Florida | Pensacola, FL |
| 32 | Tennessee Technological University | Cookeville, TN |
Best Special Education Colleges by State
Explore the best special education colleges for a specific state in the Southeast region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Kentucky | 608 |
| Tennessee | 354 |
| North Carolina | 477 |
| Georgia | 550 |
| Florida | 1,103 |
| Virginia | 1,238 |
| West Virginia | 46 |
| South Carolina | 266 |
| Arkansas | 351 |
| Louisiana | 103 |
| Mississippi | 269 |
| Alabama | 437 |
More Special Education Rankings in the Southeast Region
Rankings in Majors Related to Special Ed
Special Education is one of 14 different types of teaching programs to choose from.
Special Ed Concentrations
| 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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