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).

#	School	Median Salary (4yr)	Starting Salary (1yr)	Graduates	Median Debt	Admit Rate
1	Pace University New York, NY	N/A	$62,346	23	$24,000	77.1%
2	UIUC Champaign, IL	$61,326	$51,922	32	$18,925	43.7%
3	Western Washington University Bellingham, WA	$58,469	$52,912	95	$29,284	91.3%
4	FIU Miami, FL	$57,130	$36,598	16	$20,031	58.8%
5	University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu, HI	$56,026	$60,396	25	$16,500	69.7%
6	Syracuse University Syracuse, NY	N/A	$55,881	24	$27,000	41.7%
7	Kean University Union, NJ	$55,172	$48,628	65	$27,000	76.9%
8	Providence College Providence, RI	$55,130	$49,664	36	$27,000	48.7%
9	St. Joseph's University-New York Brooklyn, NY	$55,060	$35,041	149	$27,000	71.4%
10	Eastern Washington University Cheney, WA	$54,887	$41,883	19	$23,000	91.8%
11	University of Nebraska at Omaha Omaha, NE	$54,167	$37,998	37	$22,860	86.9%
12	Miami Dade College Miami, FL	N/A	$53,935	53	$9,671	N/A
13	Salve Regina University Newport, RI	$53,660	$51,308	19	$27,000	69.9%
14	Texas A & M International University Laredo, TX	$53,223	$47,820	23	$18,229	46.0%
15	Nevada State University Henderson, NV	N/A	$53,159	30	$22,334	86.2%
16	Towson University Towson, MD	$52,508	$53,331	138	$19,750	82.8%
17	Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL	$52,345	$56,009	19	N/A	73.4%
18	University of Nevada-Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV	$51,927	$49,827	29	$11,000	96.3%
19	East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania East Stroudsburg, PA	$51,821	$50,327	56	$27,000	92.9%
20	Indiana University Bloomington, IN	$51,531	$51,306	39	$19,500	80.4%
21	Rhode Island College Providence, RI	$50,947	$50,060	26	$29,851	81.1%
22	Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA	N/A	$50,698	19	$27,000	86.4%
23	Utah Valley University Orem, UT	N/A	$50,647	20	N/A	N/A
24	SUNY Buffalo State University Buffalo, NY	$49,909	$16,737	36	$22,610	75.9%
25	Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania Shippensburg, PA	N/A	$49,835	40	$28,500	85.5%
26	University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN	N/A	$49,771	29	$18,387	77.0%
27	Florida Gulf Coast University Fort Myers, FL	$49,745	$46,866	18	$22,931	76.8%
28	Utah State University Logan, UT	$49,647	$61,474	167	$18,125	93.6%
29	Kutztown University of Pennsylvania Kutztown, PA	$49,619	$50,645	108	$27,000	94.8%
30	Grand Valley State University Allendale, MI	N/A	$49,494	49	$30,350	94.7%
31	Northern Illinois University Dekalb, IL	$49,485	$46,578	57	$21,452	70.5%
32	Bridgewater State University Bridgewater, MA	$49,481	$50,061	22	$27,000	89.2%
33	CUNY Medgar Evers College Brooklyn, NY	N/A	$49,413	39	$5,500	83.4%
34	Illinois State University Normal, IL	$49,411	$48,358	192	$20,436	89.0%
35	Broward College Fort Lauderdale, FL	$49,391	$49,262	16	N/A	N/A
36	Minnesota State University-Mankato Mankato, MN	$49,281	$47,132	47	$27,000	91.3%
37	University of Hartford West Hartford, CT	$49,271	$48,049	26	$27,000	83.0%
38	Southern Connecticut State University New Haven, CT	$49,147	$50,641	35	$27,000	81.1%
39	Purdue University West Lafayette, IN	N/A	$48,773	29	$26,276	50.3%
40	York College of Pennsylvania York, PA	$48,651	$52,199	34	$27,000	94.2%
41	Alvernia University Reading, PA	N/A	$48,649	16	N/A	62.3%
42	Hope College Holland, MI	N/A	$48,630	16	N/A	75.8%
43	University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI	N/A	$48,378	28	$26,375	88.4%
44	La Salle University Philadelphia, PA	N/A	$48,302	21	$27,000	86.2%
45	University of Central Florida Orlando, FL	N/A	$48,147	20	N/A	39.5%
46	Trinity Christian College Palos Heights, IL	$47,999	$48,840	21	$35,611	88.6%
47	University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI	$47,683	$50,174	34	$22,863	43.4%
48	Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ	$47,304	$49,882	111	$19,375	90.2%
49	Concordia University Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI	N/A	$47,295	21	N/A	72.1%
50	Concordia University-Wisconsin Mequon, WI	N/A	$47,295	21	N/A	67.5%
51	University of Georgia Athens, GA	$47,248	$43,137	43	$25,000	37.2%
52	University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Whitewater, WI	$47,106	$47,592	63	$27,000	82.8%
53	Millersville University of Pennsylvania Millersville, PA	$46,704	$51,664	99	$29,737	89.4%
54	Carroll University Waukesha, WI	N/A	$46,661	18	N/A	58.4%
55	Winona State University Winona, MN	$46,505	$46,697	51	$27,000	68.5%
56	University of South Florida Tampa, FL	$46,434	$50,975	17	N/A	41.0%
57	Lebanon Valley College Annville, PA	$45,900	$51,415	41	$27,000	74.5%
58	New Mexico State University-Main Campus Las Cruces, NM	$45,862	$31,963	26	$19,000	75.7%
59	Lewis University Romeoville, IL	N/A	$45,831	57	$25,000	72.7%
60	Georgia College & State University Milledgeville, GA	$45,735	$45,167	26	$26,000	87.8%

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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