How much debt do Purdue special education graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $26,276, which ranks 5th lowest of 6 special education bachelor's programs in Indiana. That works out to about $279 a month over 10 years.

Is a special education degree from Purdue worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 54% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 58%.

Purdue Special Education (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Purdue special education graduates stay in Indiana?

Most do. 79% (23 of 29) were working in Indiana one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Special Education and Teaching
Public university
West Lafayette, IN
About 17 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Purdue special education graduates earn more than graduates of most special education programs nationally, $48,773 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $26,276 in federal loans, close to the national median of $26,564. One other Indiana program reports higher pay.

First-year earnings$48,77378th percentile of 166 programs nationally

Median federal debt$26,2765th lowest of 6 Indiana programs

Debt-to-earnings54%Indiana median 54%, national 58%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Indiana and national columns are the medians across all special education bachelor's programs that report the figure.

	Purdue	Indiana	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$48,773	$45,802	$44,195
Median federal debt at graduation	$26,276	$23,251	$26,564
Debt as share of first-year pay	54%	54%	58%
Programs compared		6	166

Debt and first-year pay at every Indiana special education program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Indiana medians.

PurdueOther Indiana programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $279 a month, or 6.9% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (21 borrowers)	Share
Paying down the balance	40–59%

The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

79% of graduates (23 of 29) were working in Indiana one year after graduating. Prices in the Lafayette area are about 7% below the national average, so a $48,773 salary here buys what about $52,203 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

$61,130

Median pay in Indiana. 2,580 people work in this job in Indiana. 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.

Bottom 10%: $46,940Top 10%: $85,710

Special Education Teachers, Middle School

$58,900

Median pay in Indiana. 1,070 people work in this job in Indiana. 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.

Bottom 10%: $46,500Top 10%: $78,160

Interpreters and Translators

$48,140

Median pay in Indiana. 1,170 people work in this job in Indiana. 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.

Bottom 10%: $41,460Top 10%: $80,810

Special Education Teachers, Preschool

$48,680

Median pay in Indiana. 380 people work in this job in Indiana. 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.

Bottom 10%: $35,620Top 10%: $76,530

About Purdue

In-state tuition and fees	$9,992 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$28,794 / year
Average net price after aid	$14,600 / year
Admission rate	50%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	83%
Undergraduate students	44,503

Special Education ranks 38th of 70 bachelor's programs at Purdue by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Science ($94,786), Computer Engineering ($89,965), and Electrical Engineering ($84,300).

Common questions

The median graduate earns $48,773 one year after graduating. The median across special education bachelor's programs in Indiana is $45,802.

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 Indiana 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

Special Education bachelor's programs in Indiana, ranked6 programs by pay and debt Special Education bachelor's programs in the US, ranked166 programs by pay and debt All Purdue programs, ranked74 programs by pay and debt