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2023 Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k

440 Ranked Colleges
58,326 Degrees Awarded
Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Social Work is the 13th most popular major in the country with 58,326 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, social work graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $37,651 and had an average of $26,679 in loans still to pay off.

For this year’s “Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, we looked at 440 colleges that offer a degree in social work. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent social work programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the social work program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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The social work school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k”.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k

The colleges and universities below are the best for social work students whose families make $48-$75k.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Social Work (Income $48-$75k)

1

Out of the 440 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Columbia University in the City of New York landed the #1 spot on the list. Columbia is a private not-for-profit institution located in New York, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 501 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our social work students whose families make $48-$75k list, Columbia has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Social Work Schools” ranking. It costs about $8,106 for social work students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Columbia University in the City of New York.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Social Work at Columbia University in the City of New York

2
UChicago crest
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Out of the 440 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #2 spot on the list. University of Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 175 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UChicago, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Social Work Schools” ranking. It costs about $8,375 for Social Work students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UChicago.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Social Work at UChicago

3

Out of the 440 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school handed out 197 diplomas to qualified ’s social work students in 2020-2021.

UC Berkeley also took the #1 spot in our “Best Social Work Schools” ranking. It costs about $13,423 for social work students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UC Berkeley.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full University of California - Berkeley Social Work Report

4

Out of the 440 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #4 spot on the list. U-M is a large public school situated in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It awarded 403 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

U-M also took the #9 spot in our “Best Social Work Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for U-M is $10,481 for social work students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Social Work at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k. This large school is located in Seattle, Washington, and it awarded 170 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

UW Seattle did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Social Work Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UW Seattle is $8,393 for social work students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full University of Washington - Seattle Campus Social Work Report

6

Washington University in St Louis landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Washington University in St Louis is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Louis, Missouri. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 267 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our social work students whose families make $48-$75k list, WUSTL has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Social Work Schools” ranking. It costs about $8,149 for social work students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Washington University in St Louis.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Full Washington University in St Louis Social Work Report

7

California State University - Los Angeles landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 308 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for Cal State LA is $5,700 for social work students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

8
Hunter crest
Hunter College
New York, New York

Hunter College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in New York, New York, this large public school awarded 661 degrees to qualified ’s social work students in 2020-2021.

Hunter also claimed a top spot on our “Best Social Work Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend Hunter is $6,908 for social work students whose families make $48-$75k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Social Work at Hunter College

9
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 180 diplomas to qualified ’s social work students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UPenn, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Social Work Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Pennsylvania is $12,020 for Social Work students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Social Work at UPenn

10
Camden County College crest
Camden County College
Blackwood, New Jersey

Camden County College landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Blackwood, New Jersey, and it awarded 38 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

On top of its placing in this ranking, Camden County College also did well on our “Best Social Work Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Social Work Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Camden County College is $7,439 for social work students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full Camden County College Social Work Report

11

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is located in Edinburg, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 281 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend UT Rio Grande Valley is $5,452 for Social Work students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Social Work at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

12

California State University - Fresno ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Fresno State is located in Fresno, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 184 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fresno is $8,030 for social work students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Social Work at Fresno State

13
Bristol crest
Bristol Community College
Fall River, Massachusetts

Bristol Community College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Bristol is a medium-sized public school situated in Fall River, Massachusetts. It awarded 31 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $7,443 for social work students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Bristol Community College.

Read more about Social Work at Bristol Community College

14

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. UNC Chapel Hill is a public institution located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 137 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on this list, UNC Chapel Hill is in the top on our “Best Social Work Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. It costs about $11,619 for social work students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UNC Chapel Hill.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Social Work Report

15

California State University - San Bernardino came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. CSUSB is a public institution located in San Bernardino, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 155 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

CSUSB excels when it comes to social work quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Social Work Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - San Bernardino is $9,854 for Social Work students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Social Work at CSUSB

16

University of California - Los Angeles ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 92 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

UCLA also took the #13 spot in our “Best Social Work Schools” ranking. It costs about $12,644 for social work students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of California - Los Angeles.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

17
Lehman crest
Lehman College
Bronx, New York

Lehman College ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Bronx, New York, this fairly large public school handed out 213 diplomas to qualified ’s social work students in 2020-2021.

It costs about $8,084 for Social Work students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Lehman.

Full Lehman College Social Work Report

18

University of Wisconsin - Madison came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Madison, Wisconsin is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social work degrees to 208 students in 2020-2021.

UW - Madison also took the #16 spot in our “Best Social Work Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Madison is $10,364 for social work students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.

Full University of Wisconsin - Madison Social Work Report

19

With a ranking of #19, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. UIUC is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 226 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.

UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Social Work Schools” list. It costs about $11,505 for Social Work students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Social Work at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

20
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, Florida

Florida State University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Florida State is a large school located in Tallahassee, Florida that handed out 101 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

Florida State also claimed a top spot on our “Best Social Work Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend Florida State University is $11,506 for social work students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Social Work at Florida State

21
FAU crest
Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, Florida

Florida Atlantic University landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. FAU is a large public school situated in Boca Raton, Florida. It awarded 208 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

On top of its placing in this ranking, FAU also did well on our “Best Social Work Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Social Work Schools” list. It costs about $12,323 for social work students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Florida Atlantic University.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Social Work at Florida Atlantic University

22

Florida International University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. FIU is a public institution located in Miami, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 79 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on this list, FIU is in the top on our “Best Social Work Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Social Work Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Florida International University is $7,292 for Social Work students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full FIU Social Work Report

23

California State University - Long Beach did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #23. CSULB is a large public school situated in Long Beach, California. It awarded 301 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

On top of its placing in this ranking, CSULB also did well on our “Best Social Work Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. It costs about $11,189 for Social Work students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend CSULB.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Social Work at California State University - Long Beach

24

University of South Florida - Main Campus ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of South Florida - Main Campus is a large school located in Tampa, Florida that handed out 182 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend University of South Florida - Main Campus is $9,669 for Social Work students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full USF Tampa Social Work Report

25

With a ranking of #25, Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Ohio State is a large school located in Columbus, Ohio that handed out 526 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

Ohio State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Social Work Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Ohio State University - Main Campus is $13,273 for Social Work students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Social Work at Ohio State University - Main Campus

Rest of the Best 50 in Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k

Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26
York crest
York College
Jamaica, New York
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California
35
U of U crest
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
36
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California
37
38
39
Rutgers Camden crest
Rutgers University - Camden
Camden, New Jersey
39
41
42
NAU crest
Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff, Arizona
43
44
45
UW crest
University of Wyoming
Laramie, Wyoming
45
47
48
49
50
Murray State crest
Murray State University
Murray, Kentucky

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k

While not in the ’top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

RankCollegeLocation
51University of GeorgiaAthens, GA
52Texas Woman’s UniversityDenton, TX
53California State University - BakersfieldBakersfield, CA
54Brigham Young University - IdahoRexburg, ID
55Rutgers University - NewarkNewark, NJ
56Minot State UniversityMinot, ND
57San Juan CollegeFarmington, NM
58Fayetteville State UniversityFayetteville, NC
59Northern Kentucky UniversityHighland Heights, KY
60University of Wisconsin - Eau ClaireEau Claire, WI
61Colorado State University - Fort CollinsFort Collins, CO
62Capital Community CollegeHartford, CT
63Boston UniversityBoston, MA
64California State University - East BayHayward, CA
65Brigham Young University - ProvoProvo, UT
RankCollegeLocation
66Boston CollegeChestnut Hill, MA
67Portland State UniversityPortland, OR

Notes and References

References

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