by our College Data Analytics Team
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Well Attended Special Ed Major” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
Special Education is the 29th most popular major in the country with 36,792 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, special education graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $45,679 and had an average of $24,977 in loans still to pay off.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Special Ed Major” ranking analyzed 917 colleges that offered a degree in special education. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular special education programs in the United States.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Well Attended Special Ed Major” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to 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.
The colleges and universities below are the best for special ed students.
Out of the 917 schools in the Most Well Attended Special Ed Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Grand Canyon University landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Phoenix, Arizona, and it awarded 2,095 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Ball State University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major list. Located in Muncie, Indiana, this large public school awarded 1,870 degrees to qualified ’s special ed students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.2% 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%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Arizona State University - Skysong. The school came in at #3 for the Most Well Attended Special Ed Major. Located in Scottsdale, Arizona, this large public school awarded 1,280 diplomas to qualified ’s special ed students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Arizona State University - Skysong Special Education Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Western Governors University. The school came in at #4 for the Most Well Attended Special Ed Major. Western Governors University is located in Salt Lake City, Utah and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,256 ’s special ed degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Touro College. The school came in at #5 for the Most Well Attended Special Ed Major. Touro College is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 645 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
With a ranking of #6, National University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major list. La Jolla, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s special ed degrees to 436 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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%.
Liberty University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Special Ed Major ranking. Lynchburg, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s special ed degrees to 494 students in 2020-2021.
Lamar University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Special Ed Major ranking. Beaumont, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s special ed degrees to 542 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
George Mason University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Special Ed Major ranking. George Mason University is a large public school situated in Fairfax, Virginia. It awarded 397 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Hunter College landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major ranking. Located in New York, New York, this large public school awarded 360 diplomas to qualified ’s special ed students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% 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 University of West Florida ranked #11 on this year’s Most Well Attended Special Ed Major list. The University of West Florida is a fairly large school located in Pensacola, Florida that handed out 303 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
St. Joseph’s College - New York came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Special Ed Major ranking. St. Joseph’s College - New York is a private not-for-profit institution located in Brooklyn, New York. The school has a small population, and it awarded 261 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Brooklyn College landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major ranking. Brooklyn College is a fairly large school located in Brooklyn, New York that handed out 244 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Special Ed Major ranking. Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s special ed degrees to 227 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.6% 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%.
Read more about Special Education at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
Pace University - New York did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major ranking, coming in at #15. Located in New York, New York, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 222 diplomas to qualified ’s special ed students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Bowling Green State University - Main Campus came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Special Ed Major ranking. BGSU is located in Bowling Green, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 256 ’s special ed degrees to qualified students.
Read full report on Special Education at Bowling Green State University - Main Campus
Towson University ranked #17 on this year’s Most Well Attended Special Ed Major list. This large school is located in Towson, Maryland, and it awarded 231 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Endicott College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major ranking, coming in at #18. Beverly, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s special ed degrees to 226 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Northern Colorado did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major ranking, coming in at #19. This fairly large school is located in Greeley, Colorado, and it awarded 204 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad 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 University of Northern Colorado
Daemen College landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major ranking. Amherst, New York is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s special ed degrees to 195 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Illinois State University landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major ranking. Normal, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s special ed degrees to 214 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
LIU Post ranked #22 on this year’s Most Well Attended Special Ed Major list. LIU Post is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Brookville, New York. It awarded 174 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
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.
With a ranking of #23, Pasadena City College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major list. Pasadena City College is a large school located in Pasadena, California that handed out 172 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
Arkansas State University - Main Campus ranked #24 on this year’s Most Well Attended Special Ed Major list. Located in Jonesboro, Arkansas, this fairly large public school handed out 197 degrees to qualified ’s special ed students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Saint Joseph’s University landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 157 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Not only did these schools make the top 51 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
While not in the ’top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 52 | Brandman University | Irvine, CA |
| 53 | Morningside College | Sioux City, IA |
| 54 | Fitchburg State University | Fitchburg, MA |
| 54 | University of Toledo | Toledo, OH |
| 56 | SUNY Cortland | Cortland, NY |
| 57 | Minnesota State University - Mankato | Mankato, MN |
| 57 | Riverside City College | Riverside, CA |
| 59 | Eastern Michigan University | Ypsilanti, MI |
| 60 | University of Arizona | Tucson, AZ |
| 60 | Alliant International University | San Diego, CA |
| 62 | Western Washington University | Bellingham, WA |
| 62 | Southern Connecticut State University | New Haven, CT |
| 64 | University of St Thomas Minnesota | Saint Paul, MN |
| 64 | Eastern Kentucky University | Richmond, KY |
| 64 | The University of Texas of the Permian Basin | Odessa, TX |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 67 | Michigan State University | East Lansing, MI |
| 68 | Millersville University of Pennsylvania | Millersville, PA |
| 69 | Auburn University | Auburn, AL |
| 70 | Georgetown College | Georgetown, KY |
| 71 | Cambridge College | Boston, MA |
| 71 | Queens College | Queens, NY |
| 71 | University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire | Eau Claire, WI |
| 71 | William Carey University | Hattiesburg, MS |
| 71 | St John’s University - New York | Queens, NY |
| 76 | Utah State University | Logan, UT |
| 76 | Youngstown State University | Youngstown, OH |
| 78 | Rutgers University - New Brunswick | New Brunswick, NJ |
| 79 | Simmons University | Boston, MA |
| 80 | Lesley University | Cambridge, MA |
| 80 | University of Saint Joseph | West Hartford, CT |
| 82 | Mt. San Jacinto College | San Jacinto, CA |
| 83 | California University of Pennsylvania | California, PA |
| 83 | University of Akron Main Campus | Akron, OH |
| 83 | SUNY Geneseo | Geneseo, NY |
| 86 | Grand Valley State University | Allendale, MI |
| 87 | New Jersey City University | Jersey City, NJ |
| 87 | Lehman College | Bronx, NY |
| 87 | University of Central Florida | Orlando, FL |
| 90 | Moorpark College | Moorpark, CA |
| 90 | Merrimack College | North Andover, MA |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 117 | Radford University | Radford, VA |
| 117 | University of Hartford | West Hartford, CT |
| 117 | University of Connecticut | Storrs, CT |
| 117 | Mississippi State University | Mississippi State, MS |
| 117 | East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania | East Stroudsburg, PA |
| 122 | University of North Carolina at Greensboro | Greensboro, NC |
| 122 | San Francisco State University | San Francisco, CA |
| 124 | Mississippi College | Clinton, MS |
| 124 | University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh | Oshkosh, WI |
| 124 | University of Georgia | Athens, GA |
| 127 | Buffalo State | Buffalo, NY |
| 127 | Manhattan College | Riverdale, NY |
| 127 | Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota | Winona, MN |
| 127 | Oakland University | Rochester Hills, MI |
| 127 | Miami Dade College | Miami, FL |
| 127 | DePaul University | Chicago, IL |
| 133 | San Bernardino Valley College | San Bernardino, CA |
| 133 | The University of Alabama | Tuscaloosa, AL |
| 133 | Central Michigan University | Mount Pleasant, MI |
| 133 | Rhode Island College | Providence, RI |
| 137 | George Washington University | Washington, DC |
| 137 | Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus | Indiana, PA |
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
