Grand Valley State Special Education (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Special Education and Teaching
- Public university
- Allendale, MI
- About 55 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Grand Valley State special education graduates earn more than graduates of most special education programs nationally, $49,494 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $30,350 in federal loans, more than at 92% of special education programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying special education degrees in Michigan.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Michigan and national columns are the medians across all special education bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Debt and first-year pay at every Michigan special education program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Michigan medians.
Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.
Does family income change the outcome?
Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned $2,882 less in their first year than other graduates. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $322 a month, or 7.8% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
41 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $29,352.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
92% of graduates (45 of 49) were working in Michigan one year after graduating. Prices in the Grand Rapids area are about 4% below the national average, so a $49,494 salary here buys what about $51,801 buys in a typical US city.
Careers this field leads to
These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to special education, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.
Special Education Teachers, Secondary School
$78,050Median pay in Michigan. 2,570 people work in this job in Michigan. Nationally, jobs are projected to stay about the same in number from 2025 to 2035, with about 10,400 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.
Special Education Teachers, Middle School
$76,040Median pay in Michigan. 1,410 people work in this job in Michigan. Nationally, jobs are projected to stay about the same in number from 2025 to 2035, with about 6,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.
Interpreters and Translators
$45,310Median pay in Michigan. 940 people work in this job in Michigan. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 6,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.
Special Education Teachers, Preschool
$75,860Median pay in Michigan. 430 people work in this job in Michigan. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 2,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.
About Grand Valley State
Special Education ranks 18th of 62 bachelor's programs at Grand Valley State by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Engineering ($80,746), Electrical Engineering ($80,732), and Manufacturing Engineering ($76,754).
Other special education bachelor's programs near Allendale
Common questions
The median graduate earns $49,494 one year after graduating. The median across special education bachelor's programs in Michigan is $45,340.
The median federal loan balance is $30,350, which ranks 3rd lowest of 7 special education bachelor's programs in Michigan. That works out to about $322 a month over 10 years.
It depends on your other options. Debt equals 61% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 58%. Compare the cost with other Michigan programs before deciding.
Most do. 92% (45 of 49) were working in Michigan one year after graduating.
About this data
- Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
- Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
- Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
- Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of Michigan comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
- Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
- School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the special education program.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
- Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
- NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024