Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k

11 Ranked Colleges
47 Degrees Awarded
$33,000 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k

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 Great Lakes 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 Great Lakes region, there were 10,171 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,708 and $29,897 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 47 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $74,428 and $121,375 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 11 colleges that offer a degree in social work. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great social work programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the social work program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Social Work Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region doctor’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 11 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Social Work (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

#1

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 11 degrees to qualified doctorate’s social work students in 2019-2020.

UChicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UChicago are $61,548.

Full University of Chicago Social Work Report

#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Madison, Wisconsin is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s social work degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Madison, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UW - Madison are $25,523, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full UW - Madison Social Work Report

#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UIUC is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 doctorate’s social work degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our great lakes region doctor’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k list, UIUC has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are $30,083, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Social Work Report

#4

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan
#5 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Michigan State University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Michigan State University is a large school located in East Lansing, Michigan that handed out 4 doctorate’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

Michigan State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Michigan State are $37,056, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Social Work at Michigan State

#6 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Ohio State University - Main Campus landed the #5 spot on the list. Columbus, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s social work degrees to 3 students in 2019-2020.

Ohio State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Ohio State are $37,141, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Social Work at Ohio State

#8 in overall quality

Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. IUPUI is a public institution located in Indianapolis, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region doctor’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k list, IUPUI has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis are $26,013.

Read more about Social Work at Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis

#9 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and it awarded 3 doctorate’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

UWM not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee are $25,295, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full UWM Social Work Report

#8

Aurora University

Aurora, Illinois
#7 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, Aurora University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Aurora University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Aurora, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 8 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Aurora not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Aurora University are $13,200, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Aurora Social Work Report

#4 in overall quality

Case Western Reserve University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Case Western is a fairly large school located in Cleveland, Ohio that handed out 1 doctorate’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

Case Western did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Case Western are $47,958, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Case Western Social Work Report

#10

Wayne State University

Detroit, Michigan
#10 in overall quality

Wayne State University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Wayne State University is a large public school situated in Detroit, Michigan. It awarded 2 doctorate’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

Wayne State also took the #10 spot in our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Wayne State University are $37,215.

Read full report on Social Work at Wayne State

#11

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

Loyola University Chicago came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Loyola University Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 3 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Loyola Chicago also took the #4 spot in our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Loyola University Chicago are $19,154.

Read more about Social Work at Loyola University Chicago

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

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

Featured Social Work Schools

Find Schools Near You