Is a special education degree from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 55% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 58%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Indiana programs report higher pay.

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College Special Education (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: How much debt do Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College special education graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $23,252, which ranks 4th lowest of 6 special education bachelor's programs in Indiana. That works out to about $247 a month over 10 years.

Q: Do Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College special education graduates stay in Indiana?

Most do. 85% (33 of 39) were working in Indiana one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Special Education and Teaching
Private nonprofit college
Saint Mary of the Woods, IN
About 27 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College special education graduates earn about what special education graduates earn nationally, $41,943 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $23,252 in federal loans, close to the national median of $26,564. Several Indiana programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$41,94331st percentile of 166 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$43,2543% more than year one

Median federal debt$23,2524th lowest of 6 Indiana programs

Debt-to-earnings55%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.

	Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College	Indiana	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$41,943	$45,802	$44,195
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$43,254	$45,045	$49,900
Median federal debt at graduation	$23,252	$23,251	$26,564
Debt as share of first-year pay	55%	54%	58%
Programs compared		6	166

Five years out, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College graduates earn less than the national figure and about $1,791 less than the Indiana median.

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.

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods CollegeOther Indiana programs

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

What graduates earn over time

Pay rises about 3% between the first and fifth year.

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College grads, year 1$41,943

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College grads, year 5$43,254

All Indiana special education grads, year 5$45,045

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $247 a month, or 7.1% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

85% of graduates (33 of 39) were working in Indiana one year after graduating. Prices in the Terre Haute area are about 12% below the national average, so a $41,943 salary here buys what about $47,773 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 Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College

Tuition and fees	$35,270 / year
Average net price after aid	$31,872 / year
Admission rate	72%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	47%
Undergraduate students	853

Special Education ranks 3rd of 3 bachelor's programs at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College by first-year earnings. The others are Nursing ($69,460) and Business Administration ($44,481).

Other special education bachelor's programs near Saint Mary of the Woods

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods CollegeSaint Mary of the Woods, IN · private nonprofit		$41,943	$23,252
Eastern Illinois UniversityCharleston, IL · public	38 mi	$43,955	$26,046
IU BloomingtonBloomington, IN · public	55 mi	$51,306	$19,500
Vincennes UniversityVincennes, IN · public	57 mi	$39,867	$21,710
UIUCChampaign, IL · public	58 mi	$51,922	$18,925

Common questions

The median graduate earns $41,943 one year after graduating and $43,254 five years after. 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 Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College programs, ranked5 programs by pay and debt