College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2025 Best Special Education Bachelor's Degree Schools in Pennsylvania

16 Colleges in Pennsylvania
813 Bachelor's Degrees
$47,316 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on getting your bachelor's degree in special education, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #55 in the country in terms of popularity. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 16 schools in Pennsylvania to determine which ones were the best for special education students pursuing a bachelor's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 813 bachelor's degrees in special education during the 2022-2023 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Special Education School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Special Education Bachelor's Degree Schools in Pennsylvania Your choice of special education for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Average Earnings

To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their bachelor's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their bachelor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for special education students working on their bachelor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Special Education Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Special Ed Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Special Education Bachelor's Degree Schools in Pennsylvania list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Special Education in Pennsylvania

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in special education.

10 Top Pennsylvania Schools for a Bachelor's in Special Ed

1
St. Joe's crest
Saint Joseph's University
Philadelphia, PA

Saint Joseph's University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in special education. St. Joe's is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Philadelphia.

Bachelor's recipients from the special education program at Saint Joseph's University earn $3,382 above the standard college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in special education from Saint Joseph’s University

2
106 Annual Graduates
$43,480 Median Starting Salary
$28,218 Median Student Debt

Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in special education. SRU is a medium-sized public university located in the distant town of Slippery Rock.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the special ed program earn an average of $43,480 for their early career.

More information about a bachelor’s in special education from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania

3
66 Annual Graduates
$50,645 Median Starting Salary
$26,500 Median Student Debt

Kutztown University of Pennsylvania is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in special education. Kutztown University is a medium-sized public university located in the fringe town of Kutztown.

Special Education bachelor's degree recipients from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania receive an earnings boost of about $3,329 above the average income of special education majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in special education from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania

4
40 Annual Graduates
$44,121 Median Starting Salary
$20,950 Median Student Debt

Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in special education. Located in the town of Indiana, IUP is a public university with a moderately-sized student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the special ed program state that they receive average early career earnings of $44,121.

More information about a bachelor’s in special education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus

5
52 Annual Graduates
$51,664 Median Starting Salary
$26,030 Median Student Debt

Located in the suburb of Millersville, Millersville is a public university with a moderately-sized student population.

Special Education bachelor's degree recipients from Millersville University of Pennsylvania receive an earnings boost of approximately $4,348 above the typical income of special education graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in special education from Millersville University of Pennsylvania

6

East Stroudsburg University is a moderately-sized public university located in the fringe town of East Stroudsburg.

Bachelor's recipients from the special education program at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania make $3,011 more than the typical graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in special education from East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania

7
Messiah crest
Messiah University
Mechanicsburg, PA
12 Annual Graduates

Messiah is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Mechanicsburg.More information about a bachelor’s in special education from Messiah University

8

Ship is a medium-sized public university located in the fringe town of Shippensburg.

Special Education bachelor's degree recipients from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania get an earnings boost of about $2,519 over the average income of special education majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in special education from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania

9
21 Annual Graduates
$51,415 Median Starting Salary
$30,946 Median Student Debt

Located in the small suburb of Annville, LVC is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Special Education bachelor's degree recipients from Lebanon Valley College receive an earnings boost of about $4,099 over the average earnings of special education majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in special education from Lebanon Valley College

10
Holy Family crest
Holy Family University
Philadelphia, PA
20 Annual Graduates

Holy Family is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Philadelphia.More information about a bachelor’s in special education from Holy Family University

Best Special Education Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
New York 275 761
Maryland 207 192
New Jersey 193 137
Delaware 130 10
District of Columbia 126 0

View All Rankings >

One of 14 majors within the Education area of study, Special Education has other similar majors worth exploring.

Special Ed Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
General Special Education 523
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Early Childhood Special Education Programs 226
Elementary Special Education 43
Education of the Deaf 7
Other Special Education & Teaching 7
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Junior High/Middle School Special Education Programs 4
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Secondary Special Education Programs 3

Related Major Annual Graduates
Teacher Education Grade Specific 2,451
Teacher Education Subject Specific 583
General Education 70
Other Education 43
Educational Assessment 18
Education Philosophy 12
Educational Administration 5
Teaching English or French 4
Teaching Assistants 4

Notes and References

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options