Special Education and Teaching at Regis University

The $27,000 estimated debt load here exceeds what similar special education programs in Colorado typically produce—the state median sits at $23,296. While the debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.67 appears manageable on paper, it's worth noting that comparable programs in the state suggest first-year earnings around $40,000, which trails the national median of $44,139 for this credential. That gap may seem modest, but for a field where earnings growth tends to follow predictable salary schedules, starting lower means potentially staying lower throughout a teaching career.

What complicates the picture is that other Colorado programs producing similar outcomes report lower debt burdens. University of Northern Colorado graduates, for instance, earn slightly more at $44,009, while Metropolitan State University of Denver achieves comparable earnings with what's likely a smaller price tag. Given that special education teachers in Colorado face identical certification requirements and similar district pay scales regardless of where they earned their degree, the premium at Regis becomes harder to justify purely on career outcomes.

For families considering this path, the question centers on whether Regis's smaller class sizes and private university environment—benefits that likely explain the higher cost—are worth the additional debt when teaching salaries will ultimately be determined by district contracts, not alma mater. The program will lead to a viable career, but the financial starting point matters when those first years of loan payments coincide with entry-level teacher pay.