2023 Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in Tennessee
19
Ranked Colleges
208
Degrees Awarded
$37,153
Avg Salary
When it comes to choosing a college, veterans have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Most Veteran Friendly in Tennessee for Special Ed for a Bachelor’s” 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 Tennessee, there were 354 special education graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,838 and $21,956 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 208 special education graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,466 and $26,819 respectively.
For this year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in Tennessee for Special Ed for a Bachelor’s” ranking, we looked at 19 colleges that offer a degree in special education. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality special education programs as well as strong veteran support.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the special education program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran population. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
More Ways to Rank Special Education Schools
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Veteran Friendly in Tennessee for Special Ed for a Bachelor’s” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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.
Most Veteran Friendly in Tennessee for Special Ed for a Bachelor’s
The colleges and universities below are the best for tennessee bachelor’s degree vets studying special ed.
Top 19 Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in Tennessee
Out of the 19 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Tennessee for Special Ed for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Tennessee - Knoxville landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Knoxville, Tennessee, and it awarded 38 bachelors’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
UT Knoxville also took the #4 spot in our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” ranking.According to our most recent data, The University of Tennessee - Knoxville supports 30,559 students, and 1,122 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 739 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $10,650. In addition to receiving other benefits, 8 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at The University of Tennessee - Knoxville]](/colleges/the-university-of-tennessee/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Memphis. The school came in at #2 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Tennessee for Special Ed for a Bachelor’s. University of Memphis is a large school located in Memphis, Tennessee that handed out 65 bachelors’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our tennessee bachelor’s degree vets studying special ed list, UofM has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 766 of the 22,205 students enrolled at UofM were GI Bill® students, of which 446 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,772. To help with additional expenses, 4 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Read More…
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend East Tennessee State University. The school came in at #3 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Tennessee for Special Ed for a Bachelor’s. ETSU is a fairly large public school situated in Johnson City, Tennessee. It awarded 14 bachelors’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
ETSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” list.Our most recent data shows that 6 of the 13,713 students enrolled at East Tennessee State University were GI Bill® students, of which 3 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $25,115. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Read More…
Out of the 19 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Tennessee for Special Ed for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Lipscomb University landed the #4 spot on the list. This small school is located in Nashville, Tennessee, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
Lipscomb did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” list.Our most recent data shows that 235 of the 4,884 students enrolled at Lipscomb University were GI Bill® students, of which 184 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $15,878. In addition to receiving other benefits, 72 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Lipscomb University offers credit for military training for eligible students.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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%.
Full Lipscomb University Veteran Student Life Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Middle Tennessee State University. The school came in at #5 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Tennessee for Special Ed for a Bachelor’s. Middle Tennessee State University is a public institution located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The school has a large population, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Middle Tennessee State University also took the #10 spot in our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 1,284 of the 22,080 students enrolled at Middle Tennessee State University were GI Bill® students, of which 799 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,132. During this same period, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Read More…
Austin Peay State University ranked #6 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Tennessee for Special Ed for a Bachelor’s list. Clarksville, Tennessee is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s special ed degrees to 10 students in 2020-2021.
Austin Peay State University also took the #14 spot in our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” ranking.According to our most recent data, Austin Peay State University supports 10,272 students, and 1 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $13. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Austin Peay State University]](/colleges/austin-peay-state-university/student-life/veterans/)
Tennessee Technological University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Tennessee for Special Ed for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #7. This medium-sized school is located in Cookeville, Tennessee, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
Tennessee Tech University also took the #11 spot in our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 403 of the 10,177 students enrolled at Tennessee Technological University were GI Bill® students, of which 229 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,510. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Tennessee Tech University]](/colleges/tennessee-technological-university/student-life/veterans/)
With a ranking of #8, The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Tennessee for Special Ed for a Bachelor’s list. The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga is a fairly large school located in Chattanooga, Tennessee that handed out 1 bachelors’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our tennessee bachelor’s degree vets studying special ed list, UT Chattanooga has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” ranking.Of the 11,728 students enrolled at The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga, 431 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 270 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,374. In addition to receiving other benefits, 1 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga offers credit for military training for eligible students.
Full The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga Veteran Student Life Report
The University of Tennessee - Martin came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Tennessee for Special Ed for a Bachelor’s ranking. The University of Tennessee - Martin is a medium-sized school located in Martin, Tennessee that handed out 1 bachelors’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our tennessee bachelor’s degree vets studying special ed list, UT Martin has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” ranking.According to our most recent data, The University of Tennessee - Martin supports 7,117 students, and 234 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 138 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,843. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Full The University of Tennessee - Martin Veteran Student Life Report
Lincoln Memorial University ranked #10 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Tennessee for Special Ed for a Bachelor’s list. LMU is located in Harrogate, Tennessee and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s special ed degrees to qualified students.
LMU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” list.Our most recent data shows that 121 of the 4,885 students enrolled at LMU were GI Bill® students, of which 60 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $13,838. On top of their other funding sources, 3 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. LMU does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read More…
With a ranking of #11, Trevecca Nazarene University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Tennessee for Special Ed for a Bachelor’s list. Trevecca Nazarene University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Nashville, Tennessee. It awarded 1 bachelors’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our tennessee bachelor’s degree vets studying special ed list, TNU has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” ranking.According to our most recent data, Trevecca Nazarene University supports 3,968 students, and 152 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 98 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $9,987. In addition to receiving other benefits, 10 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
[Read full report on veteran student life at TNU]](/colleges/trevecca-nazarene-university/student-life/veterans/)
Freed-Hardeman University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Tennessee for Special Ed for a Bachelor’s ranking. Freed-Hardeman University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Henderson, Tennessee. It awarded 2 bachelors’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our tennessee bachelor’s degree vets studying special ed list, FHU has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” ranking.According to our most recent data, Freed-Hardeman University supports 2,188 students, and 43 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 26 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $13,165. On top of their other funding sources, 1 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Freed-Hardeman University]](/colleges/freed-hardeman-university/student-life/veterans/)
Carson - Newman University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Tennessee for Special Ed for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #13. Jefferson City, Tennessee is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s special ed degrees to 8 students in 2020-2021.
Carson - Newman did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” list.Among the 2,911 students enrolled at Carson - Newman University, 98 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 60 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $11,328. In addition to receiving other benefits, 4 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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%.
Full Carson - Newman Veteran Student Life Report
Lee University ranked #14 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Tennessee for Special Ed for a Bachelor’s list. This small school is located in Cleveland, Tennessee, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
Lee University also made our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” list, coming in at #2.Of the 5,204 students enrolled at Lee University, 121 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 71 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $13,028. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Lee University Veteran Student Life Report
Vanderbilt University ranked #15 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Tennessee for Special Ed for a Bachelor’s list. This fairly large school is located in Nashville, Tennessee, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our tennessee bachelor’s degree vets studying special ed list, Vanderbilt has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” ranking.Among the 13,537 students enrolled at Vanderbilt, 13 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 3 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $17,769. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Vanderbilt]](/colleges/vanderbilt-university/student-life/veterans/)
Union University ranked #16 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Tennessee for Special Ed for a Bachelor’s list. Jackson, Tennessee is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s special ed degrees to 7 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Union, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 78 of the 3,071 students enrolled at Union were GI Bill® students, of which 53 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $12,190. During this same period, 13 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, 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 [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read More…
Cumberland University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Tennessee for Special Ed for a Bachelor’s ranking. Lebanon, Tennessee is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s special ed degrees to 2 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our tennessee bachelor’s degree vets studying special ed list, CU has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” ranking.Of the 2,704 students enrolled at Cumberland University, 67 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 40 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $10,347. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Cumberland University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Full Cumberland University Veteran Student Life Report
Tusculum University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Tennessee for Special Ed for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #18. Tusculum is a small school located in Greeneville, Tennessee that handed out 4 bachelors’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our tennessee bachelor’s degree vets studying special ed list, Tusculum has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” ranking.Of the 1,664 students enrolled at Tusculum University, 63 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 31 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $11,491. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Full Tusculum University Veteran Student Life Report
With a ranking of #19, Bethel University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Tennessee for Special Ed for a Bachelor’s list. Bethel University is located in McKenzie, Tennessee and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s special ed degrees to qualified students.
Bethel did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” list.Among the 4,001 students enrolled at Bethel University, 194 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 18 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $11,991. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Bethel University]](/colleges/bethel-university-tennessee/student-life/veterans/)
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Notes and References
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
Credits
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