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Best Value Special Education Schools in Virginia

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2023 Best Value Special Education Schools in Virginia

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

14 Colleges
$19,722 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$46,837 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Special Education School for You

In 2020-2021, special education students earned 1,238 degrees and certificates from a Virginia school, making the subject the 4th in the state.

It's not easy to decide which teaching program to enroll in when you have so many options available. 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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Teaching Degree Search has created the Best Value Special Education Schools in Virginia to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 14 schools in Virginia 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.

When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Special Education Schools in Virginia

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Special Education Colleges.

Top 10 Best Special Education Schools

#1

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, VA
$12,638 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named James Madison University the best value school in Virginia for special education students. Located in the small city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public college with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at JMU are $12,638 a year.

Read full report on Special Education at James Madison University

#2

George Mason University

Fairfax, VA
$13,119 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 14 schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, George Mason University landed the # 2 spot on the list. GMU is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Fairfax.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at GMU are $13,119 a year.

GMU also made our Best Special Education Schools in Virginia list, coming in at #3.

Read full report on Special Education at George Mason University

$19,785 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at University of Virginia - Main Campus helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best special education schools in Virginia. University of Virginia is a very large public school located in the suburb of Charlottesville.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at University of Virginia are $19,785 per year.

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

Read More…

#4

University of Mary Washington

Fredericksburg, VA
$13,800 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 14 schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Mary Washington landed the # 4 spot on the list. UMW is a small public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Fredericksburg.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UMW are $13,800 per year.

Full Special Education at University of Mary Washington Report

#5

Radford University

Radford, VA
$11,542 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Radford University is a great value for special education students. Located in the suburb of Radford, Radford is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Radford are $11,542 a year.

Full Special Education at Radford University Report

#6

William & Mary

Williamsburg, VA
$23,812 Average Tuition & Fees

William & Mary did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for special education students. It came in at #6 on the list. William & Mary is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Williamsburg.

William & Mary undergraduate students pay an average of $23,812 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

William & Mary did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our Best Special Education Schools in Virginia list.

Read full report on Special Education at William & Mary

#7

University of Lynchburg

Lynchburg, VA
$33,500 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Lynchburg ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Special Education Schools in Virginia list. Lynchburg is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Lynchburg.

Lynchburg undergraduate students pay an average of $33,500 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Special Education at University of Lynchburg Report

#8

Liberty University

Lynchburg, VA
$16,160 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #8, Liberty University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for special education students. Liberty University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Lynchburg.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Liberty University are $16,160 a year. Special Ed majors at Liberty University take out an average of $31,153 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Special Education at Liberty University Report

#9

Old Dominion University

Norfolk, VA
$10,800 Average Tuition & Fees

Old Dominion University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value special education programs. Old Dominion is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of Norfolk.

Old Dominion undergraduate students pay an average of $10,800 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Special Education at Old Dominion University Report

$15,028 Average Tuition & Fees

Virginia Commonwealth University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Special Education Schools in Virginia ranking. VCU is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Richmond.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at VCU are $15,028 a year.

Read full report on Special Education at Virginia Commonwealth University

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
West Virginia 46
South Carolina 266
Arkansas 351
Louisiana 103
Mississippi 269
Alabama 437

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

Majors Similar 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 14 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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