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Best Value Special Education Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois

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2023 Best Value Special Education Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

26 Colleges
$27,098 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$38,520 Avg Salary

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

Out of the majors we analyze each year, special education was ranked 4th in Illinois. In fact, 1,153 were awarded in the state in 2020-2021.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which teaching program is right for you. 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.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Teaching Degree Search has developed this Best Value Special Education Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. Our analysis looked at 26 schools in Illinois to see which bachelor's degree programs offered the best value experiences for special ed students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

2023 Best Value Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois

Check out the special ed bachelor's degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Top 10 Best Special Education Bachelor's Degree Schools

Our analysis found Illinois State University to be the best value school for special education students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Illinois. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public college with a very large student population.

Illinois State undergraduate students pay an average of $13,968 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their Bachelor's Degree, special ed majors at Illinois State accumulate an average of around $19,363 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $201.

Illinois State also claimed a spot on our Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

Read full report on Special Education at Illinois State University

#2

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, IL

Out of the 26 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Eastern Illinois University landed the # 2 spot on the list. EIU is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Charleston.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at EIU are $12,297 a year.

Read full report on Special Education at Eastern Illinois University

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. UIUC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Champaign.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UIUC are $17,634 per year.

UIUC not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #3 on our Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list.

Read full report on Special Education at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Out of the 26 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the large suburb of Edwardsville, SIUE is a public college with a fairly large student population.

SIUE undergraduate students pay an average of $11,496 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their Bachelor's Degree, special ed majors at SIUE accumulate an average of around $21,538 in student debt.

Read More…

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Southern Illinois University Carbondale helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best value special education schools in Illinois. Located in the city of Carbondale, SIUC is a public college with a large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SIUC are $15,240 a year. Special Ed majors at SIUC take out an average of $28,021 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

SIUC also made our Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list, coming in at #2.

Read More…

Northern Illinois University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in the suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public school with a large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at NIU are $14,738 a year. Special Ed majors at NIU take out an average of $22,819 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

Full Special Education at Northern Illinois University Report

With a ranking of #7, Northeastern Illinois University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for special education students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Chicago, Northeastern Illinois University is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Northeastern Illinois University are $12,064 per year. While working on their Bachelor's Degree, special ed majors at Northeastern Illinois University accumulate an average of around $22,971 in student debt.

Read full report on Special Education at Northeastern Illinois University

Western Illinois University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. WIU is a medium-sized public school located in the remote town of Macomb.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at WIU are $13,297 a year.

Read More…

National Louis University 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. Located in the city of Chicago, NLU is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

NLU undergraduate students pay an average of $14,169 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read More…

#10

Aurora University

Aurora, IL

Aurora University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree special education programs. Located in the large suburb of Aurora, Aurora is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

Aurora undergraduate students pay an average of $26,760 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Special Education at Aurora University

Best Value Special Education Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
Ohio 1,329
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.

  • 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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