Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Special Education

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

28 Ranked Colleges
448 Degrees Awarded
$15,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Special Education is the 39th most popular major in the country with 33,249 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, special education graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $43,879 and had an average of $28,500 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 950 special education graduates with average earnings and debt of $45,833 and $25,780 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 448 special education graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 28 colleges that offered a degree in special education. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent special education programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the special education program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Special Education Schools

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois bachelor’s degree special ed students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Special Education (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

Out of the 28 schools in the Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s special ed degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $5,477 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Special Ed students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Special Education at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Out of the 28 schools in the Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #2 spot on the list. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is located in Edwardsville, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 21 bachelors’s special ed degrees to qualified students.

SIUE not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is $8,055 for illinois bachelor’s degree special ed students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Special Education at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

#3

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

Out of the 28 schools in the Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois State University landed the #3 spot on the list. Illinois State University is a large school located in Normal, Illinois that handed out 156 bachelors’s special ed degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois State University is $14,470 for illinois bachelor’s degree special ed students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Special Education at Illinois State

#4

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Illinois University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. NIU is located in Dekalb, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 34 bachelors’s special ed degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at NIU, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northern Illinois University is $15,281 for illinois bachelor’s degree special ed students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Northern Illinois University Special Education Report

#5

Lewis University

Romeoville, Illinois
#3 in overall quality

Out of the 28 schools in the Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Lewis University landed the #5 spot on the list. Lewis University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Romeoville, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 47 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Lewis also made our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $12,821 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Special Ed students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Lewis University.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Special Education at Lewis University

#6

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois

Eastern Illinois University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. This medium-sized school is located in Charleston, Illinois, and it awarded 22 bachelors’s special ed degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree special ed students whose families make $0-$30k list, EIU has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Eastern Illinois University is $12,350 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Special Ed students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Special Education at Eastern Illinois University

Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. SIUC is a fairly large public school situated in Carbondale, Illinois. It awarded 16 bachelors’s special ed degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUC also made our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #6. It costs about $13,658 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Special Ed students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend SIUC.

Read more about Special Education at SIUC

#8

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

With a ranking of #8, Western Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Western Illinois University is a medium-sized public school situated in Macomb, Illinois. It awarded 12 bachelors’s special ed degrees in 2019-2020.

WIU also made our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #14. It costs about $13,942 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Special Ed students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend WIU.

Read more about Special Education at Western Illinois University

#9

University of St Francis

Joliet, Illinois

University of St Francis landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of St Francis is a private not-for-profit institution located in Joliet, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Saint Francis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $15,847 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Special Ed students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of St Francis.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Saint Francis Special Education Report

#10

Aurora University

Aurora, Illinois
#16 in overall quality

With a ranking of #10, Aurora University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Aurora University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Aurora, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Aurora also took the #16 spot in our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Aurora is $14,103 for illinois bachelor’s degree special ed students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.4% 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 about Special Education at Aurora

#11

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, Illinois
#10 in overall quality

Elmhurst University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Elmhurst, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 13 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s special ed students in 2019-2020.

Elmhurst also made our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #10. The estimated yearly cost for Elmhurst University is $16,903 for illinois bachelor’s degree special ed students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.0% 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%.

Full Elmhurst University Special Education Report

#12

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois

Bradley University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Bradley University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Peoria, Illinois. It awarded 9 bachelors’s special ed degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Bradley, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Bradley is $17,205 for illinois bachelor’s degree special ed students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Full Bradley Special Education Report

Northeastern Illinois University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Northeastern Illinois University is a medium-sized school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 5 bachelors’s special ed degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northeastern Illinois University, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northeastern Illinois University is $14,816 for illinois bachelor’s degree special ed students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Northeastern Illinois University Special Education Report

#14

Millikin University

Decatur, Illinois
#18 in overall quality

Millikin University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Decatur, Illinois, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s special ed degrees in 2019-2020.

Millikin did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Millikin University is $17,656 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Special Ed students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Special Education at Millikin University

#15

Dominican University

River Forest, Illinois
#15 in overall quality

Dominican University landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in River Forest, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 2 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s special ed students in 2019-2020.

Dominican U also made our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #15. The estimated yearly cost for Dominican U is $17,060 for illinois bachelor’s degree special ed students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Special Education at Dominican U

#16

Quincy University

Quincy, Illinois
#23 in overall quality

Quincy University landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Quincy, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 4 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s special ed students in 2019-2020.

Quincy U also made our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #23. The estimated yearly cost for Quincy U is $15,292 for illinois bachelor’s degree special ed students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Special Education at Quincy U

#17

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, Illinois
#17 in overall quality

Olivet Nazarene University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Olivet Nazarene University is located in Bourbonnais, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 6 bachelors’s special ed degrees to qualified students.

Olivet Nazarene also took the #17 spot in our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Olivet Nazarene University is $15,806 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Special Ed students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Special Education at Olivet Nazarene University

#18

Trinity Christian College

Palos Heights, Illinois

Trinity Christian College landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This small school is located in Palos Heights, Illinois, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s special ed degrees in 2019-2020.

Trinity Christian did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $16,611 for illinois bachelor’s degree special ed students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Trinity Christian.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low student loan default rate of 5.0% 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%.

Full Trinity Christian College Special Education Report

#19

Concordia University, Chicago

River Forest, Illinois
#21 in overall quality

Concordia University, Chicago landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Concordia University, Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in River Forest, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Concordia University, Chicago also made our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #21. It costs about $14,097 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Special Ed students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Concordia University, Chicago.

Read more about Special Education at Concordia University, Chicago

#20

National Louis University

Chicago, Illinois

National Louis University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #20. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s special ed degrees to 6 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for National Louis University is $14,178 for illinois bachelor’s degree special ed students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full NLU Special Education Report

#21

Judson University

Elgin, Illinois
#20 in overall quality

Judson University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Elgin, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s special ed degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree special ed students whose families make $0-$30k list, Judson has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $14,154 for illinois bachelor’s degree special ed students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Judson University.

The impressive 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 about Special Education at Judson

#22

Greenville University

Greenville, Illinois
#22 in overall quality

With a ranking of #22, Greenville University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Greenville, Illinois, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s special ed degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree special ed students whose families make $0-$30k list, Greenville has also earned the #22 rank in our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Greenville University is $19,681 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Special Ed students whose families make $0-$30k.

The impressive 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 full report on Special Education at Greenville University

#23

Eureka College

Eureka, Illinois

Eureka College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #23. Eureka College is located in Eureka, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 bachelors’s special ed degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $18,258 for illinois bachelor’s degree special ed students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Eureka College.

Read full report on Special Education at Eureka College

#24

Benedictine University

Lisle, Illinois
#24 in overall quality

Benedictine University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Benedictine University is located in Lisle, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 bachelors’s special ed degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Benedictine U, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Benedictine U is $22,862 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Special Ed students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Special Education at Benedictine U

#25

Roosevelt University

Chicago, Illinois

Roosevelt University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 6 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s special ed students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Roosevelt is $20,398 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Special Ed students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Roosevelt Special Education Report

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

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).
  • 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

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • 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.

Credits

Featured Special Education Schools

Find Schools Near You