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2025 Best General Special Education Schools in Illinois

18 Colleges in Illinois
1,017 Teaching Students with Disabilities Degrees Awarded
Ranked #36 in popularity, general special education is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

College Factual reviewed 18 schools in Illinois to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of general special education. Combined, these schools handed out 1,017 degrees in general special education to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great General Special Education School

Best General Special Education Schools in Illinois Your choice of general special education school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall General Special Education School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your General Special Education Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Teaching Students with Disabilities
Master's Degrees in Teaching Students with Disabilities
Doctor's Degrees in Teaching Students with Disabilities

The teaching students with disabilities school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best General Special Education Schools in Illinois. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

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 when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for General Special Education in Illinois

The schools below may not offer all types of teaching students with disabilities degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Illinois Schools in Teaching Students with Disabilities

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In IL
186 Teaching Students with Disabilities Degrees Awarded

Any student pursuing a degree in general special education has to take a look at Illinois State University. Located in the suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #210 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Illinois State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 186 general special education students who graduated with this degree at Illinois State in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in general special education from Illinois State University

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
10th Most Popular In IL
34 Teaching Students with Disabilities Degrees Awarded

Concordia University, Chicago is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in general special education. Concordia University, Chicago is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of River Forest. A Best Colleges rank of #125 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Concordia University, Chicago is a great university overall.

There were approximately 34 general special education students who graduated with this degree at Concordia University, Chicago in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in general special education from Concordia University, Chicago

3
Graduate Certificate Highest Degree Type
22nd Most Popular In IL

Every student pursuing a degree in general special education needs to take a look at Loyola University Chicago. Located in the city of Chicago, Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #100 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Loyola Chicago is a great university overall.

There were roughly 15 general special education students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Chicago in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in general special education from Loyola University Chicago

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In IL
36 Teaching Students with Disabilities Degrees Awarded

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a wonderful choice for students interested in a degree in general special education. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #41 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 36 general special education students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in general special education from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In IL
84 Teaching Students with Disabilities Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Chicago, NLU is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #385 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means NLU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 84 general special education students who graduated with this degree at NLU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in general special education from National Louis University

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In IL
89 Teaching Students with Disabilities Degrees Awarded

NIU is a large public university located in the suburb of Dekalb. A Best Colleges rank of #529 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means NIU is a great university overall.

There were about 89 general special education students who graduated with this degree at NIU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in general special education from Northern Illinois University

7
Lewis crest
Lewis University
Romeoville, IL
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
13th Most Popular In IL
34 Teaching Students with Disabilities Degrees Awarded

Located in the suburb of Romeoville, Lewis is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 39th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were roughly 34 general special education students who graduated with this degree at Lewis in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in general special education from Lewis University

8
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, IL
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In IL
55 Teaching Students with Disabilities Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #135 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means DePaul is a great university overall.

There were about 55 general special education students who graduated with this degree at DePaul in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in general special education from DePaul University

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In IL
46 Teaching Students with Disabilities Degrees Awarded

UIC is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #254 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UIC is a great university overall.

There were about 46 general special education students who graduated with this degree at UIC in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in general special education from University of Illinois at Chicago

10
Dominican U crest
Dominican University
River Forest, IL
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
12th Most Popular In IL
37 Teaching Students with Disabilities Degrees Awarded

Dominican U is a small private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of River Forest. This university ranks 43rd out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were approximately 37 general special education students who graduated with this degree at Dominican U in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in general special education from Dominican University

Best General Special Education Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best General Special Education Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Ohio 939 725
Michigan 915 298
Indiana 737 483
Wisconsin 672 430

View All Rankings >

General Special Education is one of 17 different types of Special Education programs to choose from.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Early Childhood Special Education Programs 34
Other Special Education & Teaching 18
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Multiple Disabilities 8
Education/Teaching of Individuals Who are Developmentally Delayed 5
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Autism 3
Education/Teaching of the Gifted & Talented 2
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Specific Learning Disabilities 1

View All Teaching Students with Disabilities Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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