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Best Value Special Education Schools in Tennessee

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2023 Best Value Special Education Schools in Tennessee

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

12 Colleges
$23,271 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$39,838 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Special Education School for You

With 146 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, special education is the #27 most popular major in Tennessee.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Grad Degree Search has created the Best Value Special Education Schools in Tennessee to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 12 schools in Tennessee to see which ones offered the best value programs for special ed students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

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

2023 Best Value Special Education Schools in Tennessee

Check out the special ed programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Top 10 Best Special Education Schools

#1

University of Memphis

Memphis, TN
$10,056 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found University of Memphis to be the best value school for special education students who want to pursue a degree in Tennessee. UofM is a very large public school located in the large city of Memphis.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UofM are $10,056 a year.

Full Special Education at University of Memphis Report

#2

Freed-Hardeman University

Henderson, TN
$23,300 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 12 schools in Tennessee that were part of this year’s ranking, Freed-Hardeman University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the distant town of Henderson, FHU is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at FHU are $23,300 per year.

Read full report on Special Education at Freed-Hardeman University

#3

Carson - Newman University

Jefferson City, TN
$31,320 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Carson - Newman University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Special Education Schools in Tennessee list. Located in the suburb of Jefferson City, Carson - Newman is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Carson - Newman are $31,320 per year.

Read More…

$9,232 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Middle Tennessee State University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Special Education Schools in Tennessee list. Located in the city of Murfreesboro, Middle Tennessee State University is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Middle Tennessee State University undergraduate students pay an average of $9,232 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Special Education at Middle Tennessee State University

$9,438 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend East Tennessee State University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Special Education Schools in Tennessee list. ETSU is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Johnson City.

ETSU undergraduate students pay an average of $9,438 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Special Education at East Tennessee State University

$26,898 Average Tuition & Fees

Trevecca Nazarene University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Special Education Schools in Tennessee list. TNU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Nashville.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at TNU are $26,898 per year.

Read More…

$34,820 Average Tuition & Fees

Christian Brothers University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for special education students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the city of Memphis, Christian Brothers is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Christian Brothers are $34,820 a year.

Read More…

#8

Lipscomb University

Nashville, TN
$35,752 Average Tuition & Fees

Lipscomb University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value special education programs. Located in the city of Nashville, Lipscomb is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Lipscomb are $35,752 a year.

Lipscomb did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our Best Special Education Schools in Tennessee list.

Full Special Education at Lipscomb University Report

#9

Tennessee State University

Nashville, TN
$8,336 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #9, Tennessee State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for special education students. Located in the city of Nashville, Tennessee State University is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Tennessee State University are $8,336 per year.

Read full report on Special Education at Tennessee State University

#9

Lee University

Cleveland, TN
$20,500 Average Tuition & Fees

Lee University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Special Education Schools in Tennessee ranking. Lee University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Cleveland.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Lee University are $20,500 per year.

Read full report on Special Education at Lee University

Best Value Special Education Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Value Special Education Colleges in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Virginia 1,110
Florida 689
Georgia 398
North Carolina 194
Kentucky 428
Louisiana 82
Alabama 248
South Carolina 118
Mississippi 216
Arkansas 304
West Virginia 41

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 12 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.

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