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2022 Best Value Colleges for Special Education in Iowa (With Aid)

10 Ranked Colleges
217 Degrees Awarded
$20,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Special Ed Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 in Iowa For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 33,249 people earned their degree in special education, making the major the 39th most popular in the United States. 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 Iowa, there were 217 special education graduates with average earnings and debt of $51,400 and $17,550 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Special Ed Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 10 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in special education. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great special education programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the special education program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Special Ed Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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. 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.

Best Value Special Ed Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for iowa special ed students with aid.

Top 10 Best Value Colleges for Special Education in Iowa (With Aid)

#1

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa
#3 in overall quality
$15,620 Average Net Price
$39,900 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Northern Iowa. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Special Ed Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid. Located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, this medium-sized public school awarded 15 degrees to qualified ’s special ed students in 2019-2020.

UNI did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Special Education Schools in Iowa” list. The yearly cost to attend UNI is $15,620 for Iowa Special Ed students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Special Education at UNI

#2

Iowa State University

Ames, Iowa
#7 in overall quality
$15,496 Average Net Price
$46,410 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Iowa State University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Special Ed Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid list. Iowa State University is a large public school situated in Ames, Iowa. It awarded 1 ’s special ed degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our iowa special ed students with aid list, Iowa State has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Special Education Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Iowa State University is $15,496 for Iowa Special Ed students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 3.3% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Iowa State University Special Education Report

#3

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa
#5 in overall quality
$19,145 Average Net Price
$44,594 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Special Ed Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Iowa landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Iowa City, Iowa, and it awarded 8 ’s special ed degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our iowa special ed students with aid list, Iowa has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Special Education Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Iowa is $19,145 for Iowa Special Ed students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 3.5% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Iowa Special Education Report

#4

Buena Vista University

Storm Lake, Iowa
#8 in overall quality
$17,544 Average Net Price
$38,082 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Buena Vista University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Special Ed Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid. This small school is located in Storm Lake, Iowa, and it awarded 13 ’s special ed degrees in 2019-2020.

BVU also made our “Best Special Education Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #8. The yearly cost to attend BVU is $17,544 for iowa special ed students with aid.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Special Education at BVU

#5

Morningside College

Sioux City, Iowa
#4 in overall quality
$21,337 Average Net Price
$43,486 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Special Ed Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Morningside College landed the #5 spot on the list. This small school is located in Sioux City, Iowa, and it awarded 121 ’s special ed degrees in 2019-2020.

Morningside also took the #4 spot in our “Best Special Education Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Morningside is $21,337 for Iowa Special Ed students with aid.

Full Morningside Special Education Report

#6

Northwestern College

Orange City, Iowa
#1 in overall quality
$22,968 Average Net Price

Northwestern College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Special Ed Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Orange City, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 10 diplomas to qualified ’s special ed students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at NWC, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Special Education Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for NWC is $22,968 for iowa special ed students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Special Education at NWC

#7

Upper Iowa University

Fayette, Iowa
#10 in overall quality
$21,624 Average Net Price
$41,815 Average Early-Career Earnings

Upper Iowa University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Special Ed Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #7. UIU is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Fayette, Iowa. It awarded 39 ’s special ed degrees in 2019-2020.

UIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Special Education Schools in Iowa” list. It costs about $21,624 for iowa special ed students with aid per year to attend UIU.

Read full report on Special Education at Upper Iowa University

#8

Dordt University

Sioux Center, Iowa
#6 in overall quality
$25,102 Average Net Price
$48,233 Average Early-Career Earnings

Dordt University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Special Ed Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid ranking. Dordt University is located in Sioux Center, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 ’s special ed degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Dordt, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Special Education Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Dordt is $25,102 for Iowa Special Ed students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Special Education at Dordt

#9

Mount Mercy University

Cedar Rapids, Iowa
#9 in overall quality
$20,857 Average Net Price
$46,060 Average Early-Career Earnings

Mount Mercy University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Special Ed Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid ranking. Mount Mercy is a small school located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa that handed out 5 ’s special ed degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our iowa special ed students with aid list, Mount Mercy has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Special Education Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $20,857 for iowa special ed students with aid per year to attend Mount Mercy University.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Special Education at Mount Mercy University

#10

Drake University

Des Moines, Iowa
#2 in overall quality
$29,432 Average Net Price
$47,824 Average Early-Career Earnings

Drake University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Special Ed Schools in Iowa For Those Getting Aid ranking. Drake is a small school located in Des Moines, Iowa that handed out 2 ’s special ed degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our iowa special ed students with aid list, Drake has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Special Education Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $29,432 for iowa special ed students with aid per year to attend Drake.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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.

Full Drake University Special Education Report

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.

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