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2025 Best Special Education Schools in the Far Western US Region

26 Colleges in the Far Western US Region
3,752 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
$52,862 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #29 in popularity, special education is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 26 schools in the Far Western US Region to determine which ones were the best for special education students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 3,752 degrees in special education to qualified students.

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

Choosing a Great Special Education School

Best Special Education Schools in the Far Western US Region Your choice of special education school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for special education schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

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

Pick Your Special Education Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Special Ed
Bachelor's Degrees in Special Ed
Master's Degrees in Special Ed
Doctor's Degrees in Special Ed

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 Schools in the Far Western US Region list, to help you choose the best school for you. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to 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.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Special Education in the Far Western US Region

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the special ed degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Far Western US Region Schools in Special Ed

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
87 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
3.4% Growth in Graduates

California State University - Los Angeles is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in special education. Cal State LA is a fairly large public university located in the city of Los Angeles. This university ranks 87th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 87 special education students who graduated with this degree at Cal State LA in the most recent year we have data available. Those special education students who get their degree from California State University - Los Angeles earn $31,121 more than the average special ed grad.

More information about a degree in special education from California State University - Los Angeles

2
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
101 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
7.9% Growth in Graduates

Every student who is interested in special education has to look into Western Washington University. WWU is a fairly large public university located in the city of Bellingham. A Best Colleges rank of #287 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means WWU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 101 special education students who graduated with this degree at WWU in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the special ed program earn around $52,912 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in special education from Western Washington University

3
National University crest
National University
San Diego, CA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
364 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
$70,672 Median Starting Salary

Any student pursuing a degree in special education has to look into National University. Located in the city of San Diego, National University is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #249 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means National University is a great university overall.

There were about 364 special education students who graduated with this degree at National University in the most recent data year. Those special education students who get their degree from National University earn $17,810 more than the standard special ed grad.

More information about a degree in special education from National University

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
44 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
27.3% Growth in Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in special education has to check out University of Washington - Seattle Campus. Located in the city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #44 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UW Seattle is a great university overall.

There were roughly 44 special education students who graduated with this degree at UW Seattle in the most recent data year. Special Education degree recipients from University of Washington - Seattle Campus receive an earnings boost of about $20,687 over the average income of special education majors.

More information about a degree in special education from University of Washington - Seattle Campus

5
Gonzaga crest
Gonzaga University
Spokane, WA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In WA

Located in the midsize city of Spokane, Gonzaga is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #195 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Gonzaga is a great university overall.

There were about 16 special education students who graduated with this degree at Gonzaga in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in special education from Gonzaga University

6

PLNU is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of San Diego. A Best Colleges rank of #420 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means PLNU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 20 special education students who graduated with this degree at PLNU in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the special education program at Point Loma Nazarene University earn $20,565 more than the standard college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in special education from Point Loma Nazarene University

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
17th Most Popular In CA
35 Special Ed Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of San Bernardino, CSUSB is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 82nd out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 35 special education students who graduated with this degree at CSUSB in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in special education from California State University - San Bernardino

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
20th Most Popular In CA
51 Special Ed Degrees Awarded

Fresno State is a fairly large public university located in the city of Fresno. This university ranks 81st out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 51 special education students who graduated with this degree at Fresno State in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in special education from California State University - Fresno

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
47 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
$61,018 Median Starting Salary

Western Oregon State College is a small public university located in the town of Monmouth. This university ranks 7th out of 29 colleges for overall quality in the state of Oregon.

There were approximately 47 special education students who graduated with this degree at Western Oregon State College in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the special education major at Western Oregon University get $8,156 above the standard graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in special education from Western Oregon University

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
103 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
34.0% Growth in Graduates

UH Manoa is a large public university located in the large city of Honolulu. This university ranks 2nd out of 10 colleges for overall quality in the state of Hawaii.

There were roughly 103 special education students who graduated with this degree at UH Manoa in the most recent data year. Special Education degree recipients from University of Hawaii at Manoa get an earnings boost of about $14,462 above the average earnings of special education graduates.

More information about a degree in special education from University of Hawaii at Manoa

Best Special Education Colleges by State

Explore the best special education schools for a specific state in the Far Western US Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
California 330 2,631
Washington 300 230
Oregon 266 217
Nevada 192 215
Hawaii 164 49
Alaska 119 27

View All Rankings >

Special Education is one of 14 different types of Education programs to choose from.

Special Ed Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
General Special Education 2,028
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Early Childhood Special Education Programs 1,463
Education of the Deaf 64
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Speech or Language Impairments 56
Other Special Education & Teaching 36
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Autism 30
Education/Teaching of the Gifted & Talented 28
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Multiple Disabilities 25
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Specific Learning Disabilities 13
Elementary Special Education 4

View All Special Ed Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Teacher Education Grade Specific 15,544
General Education 8,125
Educational Administration 3,575
Student Counseling 2,405
Teacher Education Subject Specific 2,380
Curriculum & Instruction 706
Instructional Media Design 687
Teaching English or French 608
Other Education 561
Education Philosophy 353

View All Special Ed Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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