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Best Value Special Education Schools in Tennessee

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2023 Best Value Special Education Schools in Tennessee

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

21 Colleges
$19,283 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$39,838 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Special Education School for You

In 2020-2021, special education students earned 354 degrees and certificates from a Tennessee school, making the subject the 6th in the state.

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 help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Teaching Degree Search has developed this Best Value Special Education Schools in Tennessee ranking. Our analysis looked at 21 schools in Tennessee to see which 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 Schools in Tennessee

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

$9,232 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Middle Tennessee State University the best value school in Tennessee for special education students. Middle Tennessee State University is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Murfreesboro.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Middle Tennessee State University are $9,232 a year. After completing their degree, special ed graduates from Middle Tennessee State University carry an average student debtload of $21,200.

Full Special Education at Middle Tennessee State University Report

$9,802 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Tennessee Technological University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best special education schools in Tennessee. Tennessee Tech University is a medium-sized public school located in the remote town of Cookeville.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Tennessee Tech University are $9,802 per year.

Tennessee Tech University also took the #5 spot in our Best Special Education Schools in Tennessee rankings.

Read More…

#3

University of Memphis

Memphis, TN
$10,056 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Memphis. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Special Education Schools in Tennessee list. Located in the large city of Memphis, UofM is a public college with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UofM are $10,056 a year. The average amount in student loans that special ed majors at UofM take out is $21,125.

Read More…

$9,848 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Special Education Schools in Tennessee list. UT Chattanooga is a fairly large public school located in the city of Chattanooga.

UT Chattanooga undergraduate students pay an average of $9,848 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Special Education at The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga

#5

Austin Peay State University

Clarksville, TN
$8,431 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Austin Peay State University is a great value for special education students. Austin Peay State University is a moderately-sized public school located in the midsize city of Clarksville.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Austin Peay State University are $8,431 per year.

Full Special Education at Austin Peay State University Report

$9,912 Average Tuition & Fees

The University of Tennessee - Martin ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Special Education Schools in Tennessee list. Located in the remote town of Martin, UT Martin is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UT Martin are $9,912 a year.

Read full report on Special Education at The University of Tennessee - Martin

#7

Freed-Hardeman University

Henderson, TN
$23,300 Average Tuition & Fees

Freed-Hardeman University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Special Education Schools in Tennessee ranking. FHU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Henderson.

FHU undergraduate students pay an average of $23,300 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Special Education at Freed-Hardeman University Report

$13,244 Average Tuition & Fees

The University of Tennessee - Knoxville ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Special Education Schools in Tennessee list. UT Knoxville is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Knoxville.

UT Knoxville undergraduate students pay an average of $13,244 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, special ed graduates from UT Knoxville take out $20,500 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read More…

$9,438 Average Tuition & Fees

East Tennessee State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Special Education Schools in Tennessee ranking. Located in the city of Johnson City, ETSU is a public school with a large student population.

ETSU undergraduate students pay an average of $9,438 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Special Ed majors at ETSU take out an average of $18,203 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Special Education at East Tennessee State University

#10

Carson - Newman University

Jefferson City, TN
$31,320 Average Tuition & Fees

Carson - Newman University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Special Education Schools in Tennessee list. Carson - Newman is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small suburb of Jefferson City.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Carson - Newman are $31,320 per year.

Read full report on Special Education at Carson - Newman University

Best Value Special Education Colleges in the Southeast Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
Kentucky 608
North Carolina 477
Florida 1,103
Georgia 550
Virginia 1,238
West Virginia 46
South Carolina 266
Arkansas 351
Louisiana 103
Mississippi 269
Alabama 437

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 21 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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