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2025 Best Special Education Schools in Kentucky

11 Colleges in Kentucky
555 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
$52,862 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #29 in popularity, special education is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

College Factual looked at 11 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Special Education Schools in Kentucky ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 555 degrees in special education annually.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Special Education School

Best Special Education Schools in Kentucky The special ed program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Special Education rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for special education schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Special Education Rankings by Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Special Ed
Master's Degrees in Special Ed
Doctor's Degrees in Special Ed

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Special Education Schools in Kentucky list, to help you choose the best school for you. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to 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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Special Education in Kentucky

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the special ed degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Kentucky Schools in Special Ed

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
46 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
$41,217 Median Starting Salary

University of Kentucky is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in special education. Located in the large city of Lexington, UK is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #220 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UK is a great university overall.

There were roughly 46 special education students who graduated with this degree at UK in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the special ed program state that they receive average early career wages of $41,217.

More information about a degree in special education from University of Kentucky

2
Bellarmine U crest
Bellarmine University
Louisville, KY
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$40,785 Median Starting Salary

It's hard to beat Bellarmine University if you want to pursue a degree in special education. Located in the large city of Louisville, Bellarmine U is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #873 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Bellarmine U is a great university overall.

There were about 18 special education students who graduated with this degree at Bellarmine U in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, special ed degree recipients usually earn about $40,785 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in special education from Bellarmine University

3

University of Louisville is a good choice for students pursuing a degree in special education. UofL is a fairly large public university located in the city of Louisville. A Best Colleges rank of #421 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UofL is a great university overall.

There were about 22 special education students who graduated with this degree at UofL in the most recent data year. Those special education students who get their degree from University of Louisville receive $3,824 more than the standard special ed student.

More information about a degree in special education from University of Louisville

4
WKU crest
Western Kentucky University
Bowling Green, KY
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
64 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
28.1% Growth in Graduates

Western Kentucky University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in special education. WKU is a large public university located in the city of Bowling Green. A Best Colleges rank of #851 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means WKU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 64 special education students who graduated with this degree at WKU in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the special ed program state that they receive average early career wages of $41,586.

More information about a degree in special education from Western Kentucky University

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
70 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
$41,347 Median Starting Salary

Located in the distant town of Richmond, Eastern is a public university with a large student population. This university ranks 12th out of 39 colleges for overall quality in the state of Kentucky.

There were approximately 70 special education students who graduated with this degree at Eastern in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, special ed degree recipients generally earn about $41,347 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in special education from Eastern Kentucky University

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
44 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
15.9% Growth in Graduates

Murray State is a moderately-sized public university located in the distant town of Murray. This university ranks 16th out of 39 colleges for overall quality in the state of Kentucky.

There were approximately 44 special education students who graduated with this degree at Murray State in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, special ed degree recipients usually earn an average of $36,197 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in special education from Murray State University

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
108 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
$43,283 Median Starting Salary

Located in the remote town of Williamsburg, Cumberlands is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 9th out of 39 schools for overall quality in the state of Kentucky.

There were about 108 special education students who graduated with this degree at Cumberlands in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the special ed program state that they receive average early career income of $43,283.

More information about a degree in special education from University of the Cumberlands

8
NKU crest
Northern Kentucky University
Highland Heights, KY

Located in the suburb of Highland Heights, NKU is a public university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #842 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means NKU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 9 special education students who graduated with this degree at NKU in the most recent data year. After graduation, special ed degree recipients generally make around $40,333 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in special education from Northern Kentucky University

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
47 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
6.4% Growth in Graduates

Morehead State University is a medium-sized public university located in the remote town of Morehead. This university ranks 27th out of 39 schools for overall quality in the state of Kentucky.

There were roughly 47 special education students who graduated with this degree at Morehead State University in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the special ed program report average early career earnings of $36,999.

More information about a degree in special education from Morehead State University

10
Asbury crest
Asbury University
Wilmore, KY
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
11th Most Popular In KY

Located in the town of Wilmore, Asbury is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 11th out of 39 colleges for overall quality in the state of Kentucky.

There were roughly 4 special education students who graduated with this degree at Asbury in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in special education from Asbury University

Best Special Education Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Special Education Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Georgia 287 423
Florida 282 999
North Carolina 279 372
Virginia 274 994
Tennessee 269 344
South Carolina 248 255
Louisiana 242 68
Mississippi 234 269
Arkansas 234 274
Alabama 233 404
West Virginia 207 46

View All Rankings >

One of 14 majors within the Education area of study, Special Education has other similar majors worth exploring.

Special Ed Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
General Special Education 485
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Speech or Language Impairments 29
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Vision Impairments Including Blindness 21
Education/Teaching of the Gifted & Talented 14
Education of the Deaf 4
Education/Teaching of Individuals Who are Developmentally Delayed 2

View All Special Ed Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Teacher Education Grade Specific 1,927
Teacher Education Subject Specific 1,225
Educational Administration 1,201
Curriculum & Instruction 450
Student Counseling 402
General Education 100
Teaching Assistants 81
Instructional Media Design 77
Educational Assessment 68
Teaching English or French 37

View All Special Ed Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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