Find Grad Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Best Value Special Education Master's Degree Schools in Illinois

Find Schools Near

2023 Best Value Special Education Master's Degree Schools in Illinois

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

22 Colleges
$14,242 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$49,761 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Special Education Master's Degree School for You

In 2020-2021, 631 degrees and certificates were awarded to special education students who went to a Illinois college or university. This makes it the #20 most popular major in the state.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Grad Degree Search has created its Best Value Special Education Master's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. Our analysis looked at 22 schools in Illinois to see which master's degree programs offered the best value experiences for special ed students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

2023 Best Value Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois

The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for special ed majors pursuing a master's degree.

Top 10 Best Special Education Master's Degree Schools

Our 2023 rankings named Illinois State University the best value school in Illinois for special education students working on their master’s degree. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public college with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at Illinois State are $9,773 a year.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Illinois State is ranked #5 for overall quality for special ed in Illinois.

Full Special Education at Illinois State University Report

#2

Governors State University

University Park, IL

Out of the 22 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Governors State University landed the # 2 spot on the list. GSU is a small public school located in the rural area of University Park.

GSU graduate students pay an average of $8,320 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Special Education at Governors State University

#3

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, IL

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Eastern Illinois University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. EIU is a moderately-sized public school located in the distant town of Charleston.

EIU graduate students pay an average of $10,640 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Special Education at Eastern Illinois University Report

#4

Trinity Christian College

Palos Heights, IL

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Trinity Christian College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Trinity Christian is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Palos Heights.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at Trinity Christian are $10,708 a year.

Read More…

#5

Concordia University, Chicago

River Forest, IL

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Concordia University, Chicago. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Located in the suburb of River Forest, Concordia University, Chicago is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Concordia University, Chicago are $9,378 per year.

Full Special Education at Concordia University, Chicago Report

Northeastern Illinois University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for special education students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the large city of Chicago, Northeastern Illinois University is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Northeastern Illinois University graduate students pay an average of $9,428 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read More…

With a ranking of #7, Northern Illinois University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for special education students working on their master’s degree. Located in the small suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at NIU are $11,390 per year.

Full Special Education at Northern Illinois University Report

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in the suburb of Edwardsville, SIUE is a public college with a fairly large student population.

SIUE graduate students pay an average of $9,316 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Special Education at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Report

#9

Lewis University

Romeoville, IL

Lewis University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree special education programs. Located in the large suburb of Romeoville, Lewis is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

Lewis graduate students pay an average of $14,960 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read More…

University of St Francis landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree special education programs. Located in the suburb of Joliet, University of Saint Francis is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at University of Saint Francis are $13,839 a year.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, University of Saint Francis is ranked #4 for overall quality for special ed in Illinois.

Read full report on Special Education at University of St Francis

Best Value Special Education Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Value Special Education Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 287
Ohio 484
Indiana 2,044
Wisconsin 288

One of 14 majors within the area of study, special education has other similar majors worth exploring.

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 22 schools only.

  • 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.

Featured Schools

Find Graduate Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited graduate schools across the U.S.