2025 Best Special Education Schools in Illinois
19
Colleges in Illinois
1,088
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 reviewed 19 schools in Illinois to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of special education. Combined, these schools handed out 1,088 degrees in special education to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Special Education School
Your choice of special education school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. 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.
You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.
Pick Your Special Education Degree Level
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 Best Special Education Schools in Illinois list to help you make the college decision.
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 Illinois
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 Illinois Schools in Special Ed
Illinois State University is a great choice for students interested in a degree in special education. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #210 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Illinois State is a great university overall.
There were approximately 193 special education students who graduated with this degree at Illinois State 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 earnings of $48,358.
More information about a degree in special education from Illinois State University
Concordia University, Chicago is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in special education. Concordia University, Chicago is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of River Forest. A Best Colleges rank of #125 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Concordia University, Chicago is a great university overall.
There were approximately 37 special education students who graduated with this degree at Concordia University, Chicago in the most recent year we have data available. Those special education students who get their degree from Concordia University, Chicago receive $11,811 more than the typical special ed student.
More information about a degree in special education from Concordia University, Chicago
Graduate Certificate
Highest Degree Type
23rd
Most Popular In IL
Every student who is interested in special education needs to take a look at Loyola University Chicago. Located in the city of Chicago, Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #100 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Loyola Chicago is a great university overall.
There were about 15 special education students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Chicago in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in special education from Loyola University Chicago
Every student pursuing a degree in special education has to check out University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #41 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.
There were roughly 36 special education students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the special education major at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign earn $2,994 above the typical college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a degree in special education from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Located in the large city of Chicago, NLU is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #385 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means NLU is a great university overall.
There were approximately 84 special education students who graduated with this degree at NLU in the most recent data year. Special Education degree recipients from National Louis University get an earnings boost of around $4,782 above the typical income of special education majors.
More information about a degree in special education from National Louis University
NIU is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Dekalb. A Best Colleges rank of #529 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means NIU is a great university overall.
There were roughly 89 special education students who graduated with this degree at NIU 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 $52,314.
More information about a degree in special education from Northern Illinois University
Located in the suburb of Romeoville, Lewis is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 39th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.
There were roughly 59 special education students who graduated with this degree at Lewis 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 earnings of $45,831.
More information about a degree in special education from Lewis University
Located in the city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #135 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means DePaul is a great university overall.
There were about 55 special education students who graduated with this degree at DePaul in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the special education degree program at DePaul University make $14,699 more than the average graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a degree in special education from DePaul University
UIC is a fairly large public university located in the city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #254 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UIC is a great university overall.
There were roughly 46 special education students who graduated with this degree at UIC in the most recent year we have data available. Those special education students who get their degree from University of Illinois at Chicago make $20,460 more than the standard special ed student.
More information about a degree in special education from University of Illinois at Chicago
Located in the large suburb of Aurora, Aurora is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #348 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Aurora is a great university overall.
There were roughly 47 special education students who graduated with this degree at Aurora in the most recent year we have data available. Those special education students who get their degree from Aurora University make $4,130 more than the standard special ed student.
More information about a degree in special education from Aurora University
