by our College Data Analytics Team
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.
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.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 6,264 special education graduates with average earnings and debt of $42,394 and $26,337 respectively.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking analyzed 154 colleges that offered a degree in special education. To top this list, a school must have a successful special education program that graduates more students in the field than other colleges that offer the same major.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region” list, to help you choose the best school for 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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region”.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Ball State University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Muncie, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s special ed degrees to 1,870 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Bowling Green State University - Main Campus. The school came in at #2 for the Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region. BGSU is a fairly large public school situated in Bowling Green, Ohio. It awarded 256 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Illinois State University. The school came in at #3 for the Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region. Illinois State is located in Normal, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 214 ’s special ed degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad 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 full report on Special Education at Illinois State University
Out of the 154 schools in the Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, American College of Education landed the #4 spot on the list. American College of Education is a medium-sized school located in Indianapolis, Indiana that handed out 157 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
Out of the 154 schools in the Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, National Louis University landed the #5 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 127 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Special Education at National Louis University
Northern Illinois University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. NIU is a fairly large school located in Dekalb, Illinois that handed out 114 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Toledo came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. University of Toledo is located in Toledo, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 101 ’s special ed degrees to qualified students.
Read full report on Special Education at University of Toledo
Eastern Michigan University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This fairly large school is located in Ypsilanti, Michigan, and it awarded 101 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Special Education at Eastern Michigan University
Michigan State University ranked #9 on this year’s Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This large school is located in East Lansing, Michigan, and it awarded 90 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #10, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, this fairly large public school awarded 133 degrees to qualified ’s special ed students in 2020-2021.
Full University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Special Education Report
Youngstown State University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Youngstown State University is located in Youngstown, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 84 ’s special ed degrees to qualified students.
Read full report on Special Education at Youngstown State University
University of Akron Main Campus landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Akron, Ohio, this fairly large public school awarded 78 degrees to qualified ’s special ed students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Special Education at University of Akron Main Campus
Grand Valley State University ranked #13 on this year’s Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Grand Valley State University is a large school located in Allendale, Michigan that handed out 77 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #14, University of Wisconsin - Whitewater did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Whitewater, Wisconsin is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s special ed degrees to 72 students in 2020-2021.
University of Wisconsin - Madison came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, this large public school awarded 69 diplomas to qualified ’s special ed students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #15. University of Illinois at Chicago is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 69 ’s 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%.
Read more about Special Education at University of Illinois at Chicago
Miami University - Oxford landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Miami University - Oxford is a fairly large public school situated in Oxford, Ohio. It awarded 77 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Kent State University at Kent did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #17. Kent State is a large school located in Kent, Ohio that handed out 73 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
Ashland University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #19. Ashland University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Ashland, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 63 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, this fairly large public school awarded 61 degrees to qualified ’s special ed students in 2020-2021.
Full University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh Special Education Report
DePaul University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #21. DePaul University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 58 ’s special ed degrees to qualified students.
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%.
Oakland University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This fairly large school is located in Rochester Hills, Michigan, and it awarded 63 ’s special ed degrees 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%.
Central Michigan University ranked #23 on this year’s Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Central Michigan is a fairly large public school situated in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. It awarded 59 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #24, Aurora University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Aurora, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s special ed degrees to 54 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 52 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Special Education at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
