by our College Data Analytics Team
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Southeast Region” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
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 Southeast region, there were 5,866 special education graduates with average earnings and debt of $42,190 and $24,022 respectively.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Southeast Region” ranking looked at 208 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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 “Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Southeast Region” list to help you make the college decision.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to 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.
The colleges and universities below are the best for southeast region special ed students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Liberty University. The school came in at #1 for the Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Southeast Region. Liberty University is located in Lynchburg, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 494 ’s special ed degrees to qualified students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend George Mason University. The school came in at #2 for the Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Southeast Region. George Mason University is a large school located in Fairfax, Virginia that handed out 397 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Read full report on Special Education at George Mason University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of West Florida. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Southeast Region 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.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Arkansas State University - Main Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Southeast Region list. Located in Jonesboro, Arkansas, this fairly large public school handed out 197 degrees to qualified ’s special ed students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Special Education at Arkansas State University - Main Campus
Out of the 208 schools in the Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of West Alabama landed the #5 spot on the list. University of West Alabama is a medium-sized public school situated in Livingston, Alabama. It awarded 135 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Special Education at University of West Alabama
With a ranking of #6, University of the Cumberlands did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Southeast Region list. This fairly large school is located in Williamsburg, Kentucky, and it awarded 112 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
Eastern Kentucky University ranked #7 on this year’s Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Southeast Region list. Eastern is a public institution located in Richmond, Kentucky. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 121 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Special Education at Eastern Kentucky University
Auburn University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Auburn is a large school located in Auburn, Alabama that handed out 90 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.
With a ranking of #9, Georgetown College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Southeast Region list. Located in Georgetown, Kentucky, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 86 degrees to qualified ’s special ed students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.9% 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%.
William Carey University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Southeast Region ranking. William Carey University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 85 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Special Education at William Carey University
University of Central Florida ranked #11 on this year’s Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Southeast Region list. This large school is located in Orlando, Florida, and it awarded 123 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
With a ranking of #12, Georgia State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Southeast Region list. Georgia State University is a large school located in Atlanta, Georgia that handed out 71 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #13, Florida International University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Southeast Region list. FIU is a large school located in Miami, Florida that handed out 69 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 Florida International University
With a ranking of #14, Appalachian State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Southeast Region list. Appalachian State University is located in Boone, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 117 ’s special ed degrees to qualified students.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Broward College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Broward College is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 66 ’s special ed degrees to qualified students.
University of Memphis came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Southeast Region ranking. UofM is a large school located in Memphis, Tennessee that handed out 69 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Special Education at University of Memphis
University of North Carolina at Charlotte came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Southeast Region ranking. UNC Charlotte is a public institution located in Charlotte, North Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 84 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Mississippi State University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in Mississippi State, Mississippi, this large public school handed out 61 degrees to qualified ’s special ed students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Radford University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #18. Radford University is located in Radford, Virginia and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 66 ’s special ed degrees to qualified students.
With a ranking of #20, University of North Carolina at Greensboro did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Southeast Region list. This fairly large school is located in Greensboro, North Carolina, and it awarded 60 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Special Education at University of North Carolina at Greensboro
With a ranking of #21, University of Georgia did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Southeast Region list. University of Georgia is a large public school situated in Athens, Georgia. It awarded 75 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Special Education at University of Georgia
Mississippi College landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in Clinton, Mississippi, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 59 degrees 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%.
Miami Dade College ranked #23 on this year’s Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Southeast Region list. Miami Dade College is a large public school situated in Miami, Florida. It awarded 103 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
The University of Alabama did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #24. UA is a public institution located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The school has a large population, and it awarded 57 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.0% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Special Education at The University of Alabama
With a ranking of #25, Georgia College & State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Southeast Region list. Georgia College is a medium-sized public school situated in Milledgeville, Georgia. It awarded 74 ’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.4% 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%.
Not only did these schools make the top 32 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
