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Best Special Education Schools in Iowa

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2023 Best Special Education Schools in Iowa

9 Colleges
$51,893 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Special Education School for You

With 151 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, special education is the #18 most popular major in Iowa.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

The Best Special Education Schools in Iowa ranking is one of many tools that Grad Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 9 schools in Iowa to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Special Education Schools in Iowa

The following schools top our list of the Best Special Education Colleges.

Top Iowa Schools in Special Education

#1

Northwestern College

Orange City, IA

Our 2023 rankings named Northwestern College the best school in Iowa for special education students. NWC is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Orange City.

Full Special Education at Northwestern College Report

#2

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, IA

Out of the 9 schools in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Northern Iowa landed the # 2 spot on the list. UNI is a moderately-sized public school located in the small city of Cedar Falls.

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#3

Buena Vista University

Storm Lake, IA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Buena Vista University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Special Education Schools in Iowa list. BVU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Storm Lake.

Full Special Education at Buena Vista University Report

#4

Morningside College

Sioux City, IA

The excellent programs at Morningside College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best special education schools in Iowa. Morningside is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Sioux City.

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#5

University of Iowa

Iowa City, IA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Iowa. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Special Education Schools in Iowa list. Iowa is a very large public school located in the city of Iowa City.

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#6

Mount Mercy University

Cedar Rapids, IA

Mount Mercy University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Special Education Schools in Iowa list. Mount Mercy is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Cedar Rapids.

Read full report on Special Education at Mount Mercy University

Iowa State University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best special education programs. Located in the small city of Ames, Iowa State is a public school with a very large student population.

Full Special Education at Iowa State University Report

#8

Upper Iowa University

Fayette, IA

With a ranking of #8, Upper Iowa University did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students. UIU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Fayette.

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Graceland University - Lamoni did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for special education students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the remote area of Lamoni, Graceland Lamoni is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Read full report on Special Education at Graceland University - Lamoni

Best Special Education Colleges in the Plains States Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
Missouri 358
Minnesota 679
Kansas 441
Nebraska 155
North Dakota 161
South Dakota 11

Special Education is one of 14 different types of programs to choose from.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Educational Administration 45,458
Teacher Education Grade Specific 34,451
General Education 21,189
Teacher Education Subject Specific 20,616
Curriculum & Instruction 19,784

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 9 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to woodleywonderworks.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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