Special Education and Teaching at Upper Iowa University

Upper Iowa University's special education program graduates earn right at the state median ($44,304), which also happens to match the national median almost exactly. That's straightforward competence—you're getting the market rate for special education teachers coming out of this program. With a 60th percentile ranking among Iowa's six programs, this sits comfortably in the middle of the pack for in-state options.

The real story here is the debt load. At $35,455, graduates carry significantly more debt than the national median of $26,717, placing this program in just the 5th percentile nationally—meaning 95% of special education programs saddle students with less debt. For a field where first-year salaries hover in the mid-$40,000s everywhere, that extra $8,700 in borrowing matters. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.80 is manageable but not ideal for a teaching career, where salary growth tends to be steady but slow.

The bottom line: If your child wants to teach special education in Iowa and Upper Iowa offers specific advantages—location, program structure, support services—the earnings outcome won't disappoint. But the higher debt load means this should be weighed against other Iowa programs where students might borrow less to reach the same salary destination. The market doesn't pay Upper Iowa graduates more for that additional debt.