by our College Data Analytics Team
In <nil>, 9,331 people earned their bachelor's in special education, making the major the #55 most popular in the United States.
For this year's Best Special Education Colleges for Non-Traditional Students ranking, we looked at 118 colleges that offer a bachelor's in special ed. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality special education programs as well as strong support for students classified as non-traditional.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the special education program at the school, affordability, and presence of non-traditional students. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
As a non-traditional student, you have a lot to consider when it comes to choosing an education. That's why we've developed rankings specifically for you. Check out more major-related rankings here..
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.
Check out the special ed programs at these schools if you want to see which ones are the best for non-traditional students.
Kean University has taken the #1 spot in this year's special education ranking for non-traditional students. Located in the large suburb of Union, Kean is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The student loan default rate at Kean is lower than is typical, just 3.1% of students default in three years. There are approximately 1,503 students at Kean that take at least one class online. 3,314 of Kean students are attending part time.
The #2 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Illinois State University. Illinois State is a very large public school located in the midsize suburb of Normal. Illinois State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our Best Colleges for Special Education list.
The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.7%. There are approximately 7,464 students at Illinois State that take at least one class online. About 2,500 of the students at Illinois State are attending part time.
Read full report on Special Education at Illinois State University
The #3 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Towson University. Towson is a fairly large public school located in the city of Towson. Towson not only placed well in our non-traditional rankings. It is also #9 on our Best Colleges for Special Education list.
The student loan default rate at Towson is lower than is typical, just 1.7% of students default in three years. There are approximately 6,258 students at Towson that take at least one class online. There are roughly 4,337 part time students in attendance at Towson.
Western Governors University comes in at #4 in this year's ranking. WGU is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Salt Lake City.
The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.7%. All 150,116 students take classes exclusively online at WGU.
Full Special Education at Western Governors University Report
West Chester University of Pennsylvania earned the #5 spot in our 2021 rankings. WCUPA is a large public school located in the suburb of West Chester. WCUPA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our Best Colleges for Special Education list.
About 1.2% of WCUPA students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. Approximately 4,464 students take at least one class online at WCUPA. There are roughly 3,854 part time students in attendance at WCUPA.
Read full report on Special Education at West Chester University of Pennsylvania
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #6 spot in our 2021 best special education schools for non-traditional students. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public college with a very large student population. UIUC also took the #3 spot in our Best Colleges for Special Education rankings.
The student loan default rate at UIUC is lower than is typical, just 0.6% of students default in three years. There are approximately 35,475 students at UIUC that take at least one class online. 10,007 students are part time.
Read full report on Special Education at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Northern Colorado comes in at #7 in this year's ranking. Located in the midsize city of Greeley, University of Northern Colorado is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.9%. Approximately 3,583 students take at least one class online at University of Northern Colorado. 3,468 students are part time.
Read full report on Special Education at University of Northern Colorado
Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania comes in at #8 in this year's ranking. Located in the distant town of Slippery Rock, SRU is a public school with a medium-sized student population. On top of its placing in our non-traditional rankings, SRU also did well on our Best Colleges for Special Education list. It's in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis.
The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.5%. There are approximately 3,848 students at SRU that take at least one class online. There are roughly 1,343 part time students in attendance at SRU.
Read full report on Special Education at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
The #9 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Ashland University. Located in the town of Ashland, Ashland is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
About 1.2% of Ashland students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. 1,358 of Ashland students are exclusively distance learners. There are roughly 1,993 part time students in attendance at Ashland.
Millersville University of Pennsylvania landed the #10 spot in our 2021 best special education schools for non-traditional students. Located in the large suburb of Millersville, Millersville is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.4%. There are approximately 2,500 students at Millersville that take at least one class online. There are roughly 2,073 part time students in attendance at Millersville.
Full Special Education at Millersville University of Pennsylvania Report
Indiana University - Bloomington earned the #11 spot in our 2021 rankings. IU Bloomington is a very large public school located in the city of Bloomington. IU Bloomington did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our Best Colleges for Special Education list.
The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.4%. There are approximately 18,013 students at IU Bloomington that take at least one class online. 5,256 of IU Bloomington students are attending part time.
The #12 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Florida Atlantic University. Located in the small city of Boca Raton, FAU is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.4%. Approximately 14,436 students take at least one class online at FAU. About 11,860 of the students at FAU are attending part time.
Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania comes in at #13 in this year's ranking. Bloomsburg is a medium-sized public school located in the small city of Bloomsburg.
About 2.5% of Bloomsburg students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. There are approximately 3,407 students at Bloomsburg that take at least one class online. 1,056 of Bloomsburg students are attending part time.
Full Special Education at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Report
Our rankings recognize Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College as the #14 school in this year's rankings. Located in the rural area of Saint Mary of the Woods, SMWC is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
About 0.6% of SMWC students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. 311 students at SMWC are exclusively online. 352 students are part time.
Gonzaga University comes in at #15 in this year's ranking. Gonzaga is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Spokane. Gonzaga not only placed well in our non-traditional rankings. It is also #8 on our Best Colleges for Special Education list.
About 0.2% of Gonzaga students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. 923 of Gonzaga students are exclusively distance learners. 661 of Gonzaga students are attending part time.
The #16 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Ball State University. Located in the city of Muncie, Ball State is a public college with a large student population. In addition to being on our bet for non-traditional students list, Ball State is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Special Education list.
About 1.9% of Ball State students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. Approximately 7,100 students take at least one class online at Ball State. 6,060 students are part time.
Utah State University landed the #17 spot in our 2021 best special education schools for non-traditional students. Located in the city of Logan, USU is a public college with a very large student population.
The student loan default rate at USU is lower than is typical, just 0.8% of students default in three years. Approximately 13,751 students take at least one class online at USU. 9,734 students are part time.
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Special Education Colleges for Non-Traditional Students award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 18 | University of Wisconsin - Whitewater | Whitewater, WI |
| 19 | SUNY Cortland | Cortland, NY |
| 20 | Saint Cloud State University | Saint Cloud, MN |
| 21 | Central Washington University | Ellensburg, WA |
| 22 | St. Joseph’s College - New York | Brooklyn, NY |
| 23 | University of Georgia | Athens, GA |
View the best for non-traditional students Special Education colleges in a specific region near you.
Special Education is one of 14 different types of Education programs to choose from.
Footnotes
*Avg Cost is for the top 25 schools only.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.
