2022 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Social Work (Income $0-$30k) in the Far Western US Region

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Social Work is the 12th most popular major in the country with 57,618 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, social work graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $36,459 and had an average of $30,084 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Far Western US region, there were 7,074 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $43,332 and $30,809 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 168 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $72,342 and $136,270 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 5 colleges that offered a degree in social work. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality social work programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the social work program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 5 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Social Work (Income $0-$30k) in the Far Western US Region

#1

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, California

#2 in overall quality

$29,347 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 4 doctorate’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley also made our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #2. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UC Berkeley are $29,347.

Read more about Social Work at University of California - Berkeley

#2

University of Washington - Seattle Campus

Seattle, Washington

#4 in overall quality

$30,294 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #2 spot on the list. UW Seattle is a large public school situated in Seattle, Washington. It awarded 3 doctorate’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

UW Seattle not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Washington - Seattle Campus are $30,294.

Read more about Social Work at University of Washington - Seattle Campus

#3

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

#3 in overall quality

$28,131 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$76,460 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #3 spot on the list. University of California - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 4 doctorate’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCLA are $28,131, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Social Work at University of California - Los Angeles

#4

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California

#1 in overall quality

$48,715 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Southern California. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s social work degrees to 152 students in 2019-2020.

USC also made our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #1. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Southern California are $48,715, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full USC Social Work Report

#5

Portland State University

Portland, Oregon

#4 in overall quality

$23,784 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Portland State University landed the #5 spot on the list. This large school is located in Portland, Oregon, and it awarded 5 doctorate’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

Portland State University also made our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #4. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Portland State University are $23,784.

Read more about Social Work at Portland State University

• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Social Work (Income $0-$30k)

Notes and References

References

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
• Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

• *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
• Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to Army Medicine.

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