Find Teaching Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Best Value Special Education Schools in Alabama

Find Schools Near

2023 Best Value Special Education Schools in Alabama

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

13 Colleges
$12,566 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$43,377 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Special Education School for You

In 2020-2021, special education students earned 437 degrees and certificates from an Alabama school, making the subject the 4th in the state.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which teaching program is right for you. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.

The Best Value Special Education Schools in Alabama ranking is one of many tools that Teaching Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 13 schools in Alabama to see which ones offered the best value programs for special ed students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

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 Schools in Alabama

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

Top 10 Best Special Education Schools

#1

University of West Alabama

Livingston, AL
$10,990 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named University of West Alabama the best value school in Alabama for special education students. University of West Alabama is a moderately-sized public school located in the remote area of Livingston.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at University of West Alabama are $10,990 a year.

University of West Alabama not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #4 on our Best Special Education Schools in Alabama list.

Read More…

$10,620 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 13 schools in Alabama that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Alabama landed the # 2 spot on the list. UNA is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Florence.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UNA are $10,620 a year.

Full Special Education at University of North Alabama Report

$9,060 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Athens State University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best special education schools in Alabama. Located in the fringe town of Athens, Athens State University is a public college with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Athens State University are $9,060 per year. The average amount in student loans that special ed majors at Athens State University take out is $27,009.

Athens State University did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our Best Special Education Schools in Alabama list.

Full Special Education at Athens State University Report

$8,568 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Alabama at Birmingham. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Special Education Schools in Alabama list. Located in the midsize city of Birmingham, UAB is a public college with a fairly large student population.

UAB undergraduate students pay an average of $8,568 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Special Education at University of Alabama at Birmingham

#5

Auburn University

Auburn, AL
$11,826 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Auburn University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best special education schools in Alabama. Located in the city of Auburn, Auburn is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Auburn undergraduate students pay an average of $11,826 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Special Ed majors at Auburn take out an average of $22,250 in student loans while working on their egree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $512.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Auburn is ranked #1 for overall quality for special ed in Alabama.

Full Special Education at Auburn University Report

#6

The University of Alabama

Tuscaloosa, AL
$11,620 Average Tuition & Fees

The University of Alabama came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Special Education Schools in Alabama ranking. UA is a very large public school located in the city of Tuscaloosa.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UA are $11,620 a year. While working on their degree, special ed majors at UA accumulate an average of around $26,000 in student debt.

UA not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #5 on our Best Special Education Schools in Alabama list.

Full Special Education at The University of Alabama Report

$8,860 Average Tuition & Fees

Auburn University at Montgomery came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Special Education Schools in Alabama ranking. Located in the city of Montgomery, AUM is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at AUM are $8,860 a year.

Full Special Education at Auburn University at Montgomery Report

$8,756 Average Tuition & Fees

University of South Alabama came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Special Education Schools in Alabama ranking. Located in the medium-sized city of Mobile, USA is a public college with a large student population.

USA undergraduate students pay an average of $8,756 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Special Education at University of South Alabama Report

$11,488 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Alabama in Huntsville did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for special education students. It came in at #9 on the list. UAH is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Huntsville.

UAH undergraduate students pay an average of $11,488 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Special Education at University of Alabama in Huntsville

#10

Jacksonville State University

Jacksonville, AL
$11,120 Average Tuition & Fees

Jacksonville State University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Special Education Schools in Alabama list. Located in the small suburb of Jacksonville, Jacksonville State University is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Jacksonville State University are $11,120 a year. While working on their degree, special ed majors at Jacksonville State University accumulate an average of around $23,173 in student debt.

Read More…

Best Value Special Education Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Value Special Education Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that 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

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 13 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.

Featured Schools

Find Teaching Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited education & teaching schools across the U.S.