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Major Rankings

Best Colleges for Special Education and Teaching

Ranked by graduate earnings. Data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard — updated 2026.

Programs tracked: 170
Avg grad salary: $44,562
Total graduates: 8,246

Top Colleges for Special Education and Teaching — Ranked by Graduate Earnings

Showing schools with reported earnings data. Earnings reflect median graduate salary 4 years after graduation (or 1 year where 4-year data is unavailable).

#SchoolMedian Salary (4yr)
1Pace University

New York, NY

N/A
2UIUC

Champaign, IL

$61,326
3Western Washington University

Bellingham, WA

$58,469
4FIU

Miami, FL

$57,130
5University of Hawaii at Manoa

Honolulu, HI

$56,026
6Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY

N/A
7Kean University

Union, NJ

$55,172
8Providence College

Providence, RI

$55,130
9St. Joseph's University-New York

Brooklyn, NY

$55,060
10Eastern Washington University

Cheney, WA

$54,887
11University of Nebraska at Omaha

Omaha, NE

$54,167
12Miami Dade College

Miami, FL

N/A
13Salve Regina University

Newport, RI

$53,660
14Texas A & M International University

Laredo, TX

$53,223
15Nevada State University

Henderson, NV

N/A
16Towson University

Towson, MD

$52,508
17Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL

$52,345
18University of Nevada-Las Vegas

Las Vegas, NV

$51,927
19East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania

East Stroudsburg, PA

$51,821
20Indiana University

Bloomington, IN

$51,531
21Rhode Island College

Providence, RI

$50,947
22Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia

Philadelphia, PA

N/A
23Utah Valley University

Orem, UT

N/A
24SUNY Buffalo State University

Buffalo, NY

$49,909
25Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania

Shippensburg, PA

N/A
26University of Minnesota

Minneapolis, MN

N/A
27Florida Gulf Coast University

Fort Myers, FL

$49,745
28Utah State University

Logan, UT

$49,647
29Kutztown University of Pennsylvania

Kutztown, PA

$49,619
30Grand Valley State University

Allendale, MI

N/A
31Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, IL

$49,485
32Bridgewater State University

Bridgewater, MA

$49,481
33CUNY Medgar Evers College

Brooklyn, NY

N/A
34Illinois State University

Normal, IL

$49,411
35Broward College

Fort Lauderdale, FL

$49,391
36Minnesota State University-Mankato

Mankato, MN

$49,281
37University of Hartford

West Hartford, CT

$49,271
38Southern Connecticut State University

New Haven, CT

$49,147
39Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN

N/A
40York College of Pennsylvania

York, PA

$48,651
41Alvernia University

Reading, PA

N/A
42Hope College

Holland, MI

N/A
43University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Milwaukee, WI

N/A
44La Salle University

Philadelphia, PA

N/A
45University of Central Florida

Orlando, FL

N/A
46Trinity Christian College

Palos Heights, IL

$47,999
47University of Wisconsin-Madison

Madison, WI

$47,683
48Arizona State University Campus Immersion

Tempe, AZ

$47,304
49Concordia University Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI

N/A
50Concordia University-Wisconsin

Mequon, WI

N/A
51University of Georgia

Athens, GA

$47,248
52University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

Whitewater, WI

$47,106
53Millersville University of Pennsylvania

Millersville, PA

$46,704
54Carroll University

Waukesha, WI

N/A
55Winona State University

Winona, MN

$46,505
56University of South Florida

Tampa, FL

$46,434
57Lebanon Valley College

Annville, PA

$45,900
58New Mexico State University-Main Campus

Las Cruces, NM

$45,862
59Lewis University

Romeoville, IL

N/A
60Georgia College & State University

Milledgeville, GA

$45,735

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Earnings are median among graduates who received federal financial aid.

Choosing the Best Special Education and Teaching Program

Graduate Earnings

Median salary 4 years post-graduation measures the long-term ROI of a program. Higher earnings with lower debt means better financial outcomes.

Program Size

Graduate count signals program maturity. Larger programs often have stronger alumni networks and more job placement resources.

Debt-to-Earnings Ratio

Compare median debt against starting salary. A ratio below 1x means most graduates can repay loans within a year of earnings.

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