University of Minnesota Special Education (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Special Education and Teaching
- Public university
- Minneapolis, MN
- About 24 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
University of Minnesota special education graduates earn more than graduates of most special education programs nationally, $49,771 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $18,387 in federal loans, less than at 94% of special education programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying special education degrees in Minnesota.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Minnesota and national columns are the medians across all special education bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Debt and first-year pay at every Minnesota special education program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Minnesota medians.
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 $195 a month, or 4.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
86% of graduates (25 of 29) were working in Minnesota one year after graduating. Prices in the Minneapolis area are about 5% above the national average, so a $49,771 salary here buys what about $47,481 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
$76,600Median pay in Minnesota. 4,130 people work in this job in Minnesota. 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
$63,630Median pay in Minnesota. 1,930 people work in this job in Minnesota. 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
$66,410Median pay in Minnesota. 1,030 people work in this job in Minnesota. 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
$75,880Median pay in Minnesota. 1,250 people work in this job in Minnesota. 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 University of Minnesota
Special Education ranks 36th of 88 bachelor's programs at University of Minnesota by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Engineering ($85,672), Computer Science ($82,861), and Electrical Engineering ($79,808).
Other special education bachelor's programs near Minneapolis
Common questions
The median graduate earns $49,771 one year after graduating. The median across special education bachelor's programs in Minnesota is $46,697.
The median federal loan balance is $18,387, which ranks the lowest of 5 special education bachelor's programs in Minnesota. That works out to about $195 a month over 10 years.
On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 37% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 58%.
Most do. 86% (25 of 29) were working in Minnesota 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 Minnesota 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