2023 Best General Special Education Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in Illinois
19
Ranked Colleges
529
Degrees Awarded
$27,100
Avg Cost*
With all of the options veterans have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Teaching Students with Disabilities for a Master’s” ranking.
General Special Education is the 36th most popular major in the country with 24,497 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
Across Illinois, there were 1,068 general special education graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
For this year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Teaching Students with Disabilities for a Master’s” ranking, we looked at 19 colleges that offer a degree in general special education. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent general special education programs, but they also offer a lot of support to veterans and active service members.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the general special education program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran population. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Teaching Students with Disabilities for a Master’s” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Teaching Students with Disabilities for a Master’s
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Teaching Students with Disabilities for a Master’s”.
Top 19 Best General Special Education Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in Illinois
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Teaching Students with Disabilities for a Master’s list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 20 masters’s teaching students with disabilities degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best General Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.According to our most recent data, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign supports 52,679 students, and 10 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 0 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Veteran Student Life Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Lewis University. The school came in at #2 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Teaching Students with Disabilities for a Master’s. Lewis University is located in Romeoville, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 8 masters’s teaching students with disabilities degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree vets studying teaching students with disabilities list, Lewis has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best General Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.According to our most recent data, Lewis supports 6,437 students, and 23 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 16 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,559. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read More…
Out of the 19 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Teaching Students with Disabilities for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large public school handed out 67 diplomas to qualified masters’s teaching students with disabilities students in 2020-2021.
UIC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best General Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.Our most recent data shows that 1 of the 33,518 students enrolled at UIC were GI Bill® students, of which 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $23,878. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read More…
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois State University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Teaching Students with Disabilities for a Master’s list. Illinois State University is a large public school situated in Normal, Illinois. It awarded 22 masters’s teaching students with disabilities degrees in 2020-2021.
Illinois State also took the #1 spot in our “Best General Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Among the 20,720 students enrolled at Illinois State University, 530 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 163 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,997. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Illinois State University Veteran Student Life Report
Out of the 19 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Teaching Students with Disabilities for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #5 spot on the list. SIUE is a fairly large school located in Edwardsville, Illinois that handed out 8 masters’s teaching students with disabilities degrees in 2020-2021.
SIUE also made our “Best General Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #15.Our most recent data shows that 3 of the 12,860 students enrolled at SIUE were GI Bill® students, of which 2 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $23,082. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
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Aurora University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Teaching Students with Disabilities for a Master’s ranking. Aurora, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s teaching students with disabilities degrees to 42 students in 2020-2021.
Aurora also made our “Best General Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #6.Our most recent data shows that 3 of the 6,265 students enrolled at Aurora University were GI Bill® students, of which 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,999. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Aurora University offers credit for military training for eligible students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Aurora Veteran Student Life Report
DePaul University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Teaching Students with Disabilities for a Master’s ranking. DePaul University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 45 masters’s teaching students with disabilities degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at DePaul, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best General Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Of the 21,922 students enrolled at DePaul University, 528 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 367 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $14,957. In addition to receiving other benefits, 101 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full DePaul University Veteran Student Life Report
National Louis University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Teaching Students with Disabilities for a Master’s ranking. National Louis University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 116 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree vets studying teaching students with disabilities list, NLU has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best General Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Of the 7,402 students enrolled at NLU, 15 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 14 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $9,078. During this same period, 1 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Read More…
Saint Xavier University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Teaching Students with Disabilities for a Master’s ranking. Saint Xavier University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 13 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
SXU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best General Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.Among the 3,764 students enrolled at Saint Xavier University, 65 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 49 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $11,740. In addition to receiving other benefits, 3 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
[Read full report on veteran student life at SXU]](/colleges/saint-xavier-university/student-life/veterans/)
With a ranking of #10, Northern Illinois University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Teaching Students with Disabilities for a Master’s list. NIU is a fairly large public school situated in Dekalb, Illinois. It awarded 60 masters’s teaching students with disabilities degrees in 2020-2021.
NIU also took the #9 spot in our “Best General Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.According to our most recent data, NIU supports 16,769 students, and 480 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 207 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,822. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
Full Northern Illinois University Veteran Student Life Report
Western Illinois University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Teaching Students with Disabilities for a Master’s ranking. WIU is located in Macomb, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 9 masters’s teaching students with disabilities degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at WIU, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best General Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 330 of the 7,490 students enrolled at WIU were GI Bill® students, of which 62 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,652. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. WIU does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Read More…
Roosevelt University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Teaching Students with Disabilities for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #12. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s teaching students with disabilities degrees to 5 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree vets studying teaching students with disabilities list, Roosevelt has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best General Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.According to our most recent data, Roosevelt University supports 4,680 students, and 95 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 43 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $12,071. To help with additional expenses, 20 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Roosevelt]](/colleges/roosevelt-university/student-life/veterans/)
Northeastern Illinois University ranked #13 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Teaching Students with Disabilities for a Master’s list. Northeastern Illinois University is a medium-sized public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 21 masters’s teaching students with disabilities degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree vets studying teaching students with disabilities list, Northeastern Illinois University has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best General Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Of the 7,119 students enrolled at Northeastern Illinois University, 147 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 83 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,460. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Northeastern Illinois University]](/colleges/northeastern-illinois-university/student-life/veterans/)
Eastern Illinois University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Teaching Students with Disabilities for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #14. EIU is a medium-sized public school situated in Charleston, Illinois. It awarded 12 masters’s teaching students with disabilities degrees in 2020-2021.
EIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best General Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.According to our most recent data, EIU supports 8,626 students, and 184 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 46 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,730. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Full EIU Veteran Student Life Report
Dominican University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Teaching Students with Disabilities for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #15. This small school is located in River Forest, Illinois, and it awarded 26 masters’s teaching students with disabilities degrees in 2020-2021.
Dominican U did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best General Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.According to our most recent data, Dominican University supports 3,189 students, and 37 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 17 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $12,038. In addition to receiving other benefits, 2 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read More…
Elmhurst University landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Teaching Students with Disabilities for a Master’s ranking. This small school is located in Elmhurst, Illinois, and it awarded 3 masters’s teaching students with disabilities degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Elmhurst, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best General Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.According to our most recent data, Elmhurst supports 3,421 students, and 77 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 57 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $12,985. To help with additional expenses, 7 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Elmhurst Veteran Student Life Report
Chicago State University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Teaching Students with Disabilities for a Master’s ranking. This small school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 8 masters’s teaching students with disabilities degrees in 2020-2021.
CSU also made our “Best General Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #19.Among the 2,644 students enrolled at Chicago State University, 94 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 48 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,489. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Chicago State University offers credit for military training for eligible students.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Full CSU Veteran Student Life Report
Rockford University landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Teaching Students with Disabilities for a Master’s ranking. Rockford, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s teaching students with disabilities degrees to 3 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree vets studying teaching students with disabilities list, Rockford has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best General Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Of the 1,272 students enrolled at Rockford, 27 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 19 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $12,705. In addition to receiving other benefits, 8 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read More…
Concordia University, Chicago landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Teaching Students with Disabilities for a Master’s ranking. Concordia University, Chicago is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in River Forest, Illinois. It awarded 30 masters’s teaching students with disabilities degrees in 2020-2021.
Concordia University, Chicago also took the #8 spot in our “Best General Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.According to our most recent data, Concordia University, Chicago supports 6,491 students, and 134 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 96 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,085. In addition to receiving other benefits, 4 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Concordia University, Chicago does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Concordia University, Chicago]](/colleges/concordia-university-chicago/student-life/veterans/)
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Notes and References
References
- 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 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).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
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