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Program ranking · CIP 13.10 bachelor's · College Scorecard · Mar-Jul 2026 retrievals

Best Colleges for Special Education

Using U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study data retrieved March-July 2026, these colleges rank highest on median earnings for Special Education (CIP 13.10) bachelor's completers. Rankings use earnings only - not prestige, selectivity, or editorial judgment - and require at least 25 completers so tiny suppressed cohorts do not dominate the list.

$83,932
Highest special education earnings
89
Colleges ranked
$32,294
#89 cutoff

The list in one line

Every college on this list reports at least $32,294 median earnings for Special Education bachelor's (CIP 13.10) completers. Manhattan University leads at $83,932.

According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.

$83,932
#1 - Manhattan University
$32,294
#89 - the cutoff to make this list
25+
completers required per school
548
US schools offering this CIP

Earnings are field-of-study medians for federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled; see methodology for horizon and lag details.

Top 15 special education programs by median completer earnings

Special Education bachelor's (CIP 13.10) · higher is higher early-career pay

median earnings

What this shows Special-education medians track K-12 district pay bands - debt still matters when graduate credentials are common for advancement.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard Field of Study As of Mar-Jul 2026 retrievals

The full top 89

# School Name StateMedian EarningsMedian DebtCompleters
1 Manhattan University NY $83,932 $26,246 26
2 Utah State University UT $74,535 $11,250 80
3 State University of New York at Cortland NY $74,079 - 86
4 Molloy University NY $71,781 - 32
5 The College of New Jersey NJ $66,767 $23,625 76
6 CUNY Medgar Evers College NY $66,377 $5,500 39
7 Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia PA $64,827 $27,000 31
8 Western Washington University WA $64,780 $27,000 101
9 Syracuse University NY $62,864 $27,000 39
10 SUNY Old Westbury NY $62,389 $18,400 42
11 University of Hawaii at Manoa HI $62,087 $16,049 28
12 Kean University NJ $61,158 $25,479 42
13 University of Nevada-Las Vegas NV $60,958 $9,500 29
14 East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania PA $60,391 $25,500 45
15 Southern Connecticut State University CT $60,365 $25,750 34
16 University of North Florida FL $59,429 - 29
17 Broward College FL $59,330 - 49
18 Miami Dade College FL $59,174 $10,778 55
19 University of Minnesota-Twin Cities MN $58,675 $16,220 25
20 Michigan State University MI $58,522 $26,375 32
21 Towson University MD $56,971 $17,089 162
22 Arizona State University Campus Immersion AZ $56,311 $17,084 146
23 Keuka College NY $55,992 $27,000 35
24 St. Joseph's University-New York NY $55,812 $22,500 200
25 Bridgewater State University MA $55,692 $27,000 27
26 University of Nebraska at Omaha NE $55,665 $21,500 28
27 Auburn University AL $55,544 $22,000 79
28 SUNY at Fredonia NY $55,441 $24,500 36
29 Providence College RI $54,927 $27,000 35
30 SUNY College at Geneseo NY $54,908 $22,500 73
31 Kutztown University of Pennsylvania PA $54,845 $27,000 78
32 Eastern Michigan University MI $54,303 $31,000 40
33 Northern Arizona University AZ $53,619 $20,057 115
34 Indiana University of Pennsylvania PA $53,494 $27,000 61
35 Millersville University of Pennsylvania PA $53,356 $27,000 70
36 Northern Illinois University IL $53,148 $21,029 40
37 Illinois State University IL $52,864 $19,500 147
38 Western Governors University UT $52,090 $17,937 785
39 Indiana University-Bloomington IN $52,008 $19,500 27
40 Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania PA $51,949 $26,000 55
41 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater WI $51,908 $27,000 36
42 St Bonaventure University NY $51,664 $27,000 32
43 Minnesota State University-Mankato MN $51,630 $21,805 32
44 Lewis University IL $51,522 $22,500 37
45 University of Dayton OH $51,389 $19,985 29
46 Ball State University IN $51,267 $22,500 50
47 University of Georgia GA $51,259 $19,500 41
48 Ohio University-Main Campus OH $51,258 $26,950 30
49 University of Northern Colorado CO $51,008 $25,000 30
50 Niagara University NY $50,897 $25,750 31
51 Grand Canyon University AZ $50,892 $40,811 527
52 The University of Alabama AL $50,763 $25,473 42
53 Appalachian State University NC $50,264 $24,096 30
54 Ohio State University-Main Campus OH $50,194 $24,625 33
55 Central Michigan University MI $50,095 $31,000 53
56 Saginaw Valley State University MI $50,078 $29,500 82
57 Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania PA $50,069 $27,000 39
58 Winona State University MN $49,824 $27,000 27
59 Grand Valley State University MI $49,814 $28,288 43
60 Mercyhurst University PA $49,638 $24,923 29
61 University of North Carolina at Charlotte NC $49,301 $21,783 44
62 Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania PA $48,796 $27,000 100
63 University of Wisconsin-Stout WI $48,444 $27,000 28
64 East Carolina University NC $48,410 $26,018 30
65 University of North Carolina at Greensboro NC $48,151 $21,000 39
66 University of Cincinnati-Main Campus OH $48,124 $24,094 26
67 University of West Florida FL $47,968 $24,013 40
68 University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire WI $47,877 $27,000 77
69 University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh WI $47,828 $25,500 38
70 University of Nebraska-Lincoln NE $47,592 $25,500 29
71 Eastern Illinois University IL $47,566 $22,062 26
72 Athens State University AL $47,550 $23,144 25
73 University of Memphis TN $47,465 $21,852 60
74 Liberty University VA $47,241 $27,000 100
75 Miami University-Oxford OH $47,226 $26,000 25
76 University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point WI $46,315 $20,500 39
77 University of South Dakota SD $45,415 $25,000 26
78 Bowling Green State University-Main Campus OH $45,224 $26,000 204
79 Kent State University at Kent OH $43,835 $24,000 47
80 Ashland University OH $43,052 $26,699 27
81 University of Akron Main Campus OH $41,782 $23,063 97
82 Mississippi State University MS $41,627 $21,500 30
83 Southeast Missouri State University MO $41,163 $23,876 33
84 Western Kentucky University KY $40,705 $26,000 27
85 Morehead State University KY $39,777 $25,375 45
86 Youngstown State University OH $39,497 $26,063 43
87 Brigham Young University UT $39,325 - 46
88 Murray State University KY $36,657 $18,687 33
89 University of Puerto Rico PR $32,294 $5,500 35

About This Ranking

Schools are ranked by College Scorecard field-of-study median earnings for Special Education (CIP 13.10) bachelor's completers. Only operating schools with at least 25 completers and a published median are included. Ties break toward larger completer cohorts. For the full program profile - including every reporting school and national distribution - see Special Education (bachelor's). Methodology lives on our methodology page.

Caveats and limitations

"Best" here means highest reported median earnings for the stated CIP scope - not teaching quality, licensure pass rates, clinical placement strength, or fit for any one student. This list covers Special Education and Teaching (CIP 13.10) bachelor's programs - teacher-prep levels/methods (CIP 13.12) and subject-area teacher CIP 13.13 are ranked separately.

Figures cover federally aided completers only, use Treasury-linked earnings, and describe a lagged cohort. Regional pay scales and graduate-school paths both move the median without proving a causal school effect.

This ranking is for informational purposes only and does not constitute academic or career advice. Earnings do not predict any individual graduate's outcome.

Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Rankings are computed directly from College Scorecard field-of-study data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar-Jul 2026 retrievals.