2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking - to help you make that decision.
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.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 21,855 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, we looked at 450 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.
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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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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 Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k” list to help you make the college decision.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Social Work (Income $48-$75k)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Los Angeles. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k. Cal State LA is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 224 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
On top of its placing in this ranking, Cal State LA also did well on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend Cal State LA is $5,644 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $48-$75k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. UW Seattle is a large public school situated in Seattle, Washington. It awarded 33 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW Seattle, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UW Seattle is $9,694 for bachelor’s degree 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 93%. The low student loan default rate of 2.2% 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 more about Social Work at University of Washington - Seattle Campus
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k. UC Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 90 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
UC Berkeley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $13,081 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Social Work at University of California - Berkeley
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k. UT Rio Grande Valley is a large public school situated in Edinburg, Texas. It awarded 121 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is $6,405 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Social Work at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k. Madison, Wisconsin is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 71 students in 2019-2020.
UW - Madison also took the #4 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Madison is $13,227 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 0.8% 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%.
Heritage University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Heritage University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Toppenish, Washington. The school has a small population, and it awarded 59 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $9,318 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Heritage University.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
With a ranking of #7, Hunter College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. New York, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 49 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $6,894 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Hunter.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Lehman College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. This fairly large school is located in Bronx, New York, and it awarded 136 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Lehman is also in the top of our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend Lehman College is $6,993 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a ranking of #9, Florida International University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Miami, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 71 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Florida International University is $10,298 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #10. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school handed out 78 degrees to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $48-$75k list, UIUC has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $13,351 for Bachelor’s Degree 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 student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #11, Minot State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Minot State University is a small public school situated in Minot, North Dakota. It awarded 60 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $48-$75k list, MSU has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Minot State University is $11,401 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $48-$75k.
California State University - Fresno did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #12. This large school is located in Fresno, California, and it awarded 119 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fresno is $7,549 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - Fresno Social Work Report
The University of West Florida came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. UWF is located in Pensacola, Florida and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 73 bachelors’s social work degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend The University of West Florida is $7,511 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $48-$75k.
Read more about Social Work at The University of West Florida
University of Wyoming did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #14. UW is located in Laramie, Wyoming and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 38 bachelors’s social work degrees to qualified students.
UW also claimed a top spot on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $11,491 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Wyoming.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of South Florida - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #15. University of South Florida - Main Campus is a public institution located in Tampa, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 79 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for University of South Florida - Main Campus is $9,809 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $48-$75k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Social Work at University of South Florida - Main Campus
University of Central Florida came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. University of Central Florida is a large school located in Orlando, Florida that handed out 123 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for UCF is $11,161 for bachelor’s degree 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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
York College landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Jamaica, New York, and it awarded 79 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend York College is $8,209 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $48-$75k.
University of Nevada - Las Vegas ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. UNLV is located in Las Vegas, Nevada and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 73 bachelors’s social work degrees to qualified students.
On top of its placing in this ranking, UNLV also did well on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for University of Nevada - Las Vegas is $12,470 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a ranking of #19, Brigham Young University - Idaho did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. BYU - I is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Rexburg, Idaho. It awarded 63 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend BYU - I is $6,287 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $48-$75k.
The low 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%.
California State University - San Bernardino ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. CSUSB is a fairly large public school situated in San Bernardino, California. It awarded 52 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend CSUSB is $8,924 for bachelor’s degree 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.
Florida State University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Tallahassee, Florida, this large public school handed out 104 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Florida State is also in the top of our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $10,583 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Florida State.
The low student loan default rate of 3.5% 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 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
California State University - Long Beach did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #22. California State University - Long Beach is a large public school situated in Long Beach, California. It awarded 69 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
On top of its placing in this ranking, CSULB also did well on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend CSULB is $10,807 for bachelor’s degree 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 89%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Winona State University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Winona, Minnesota is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 73 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $48-$75k list, Winona State has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Winona State is $15,140 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $48-$75k.
The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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%.
University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, this fairly large public school handed out 72 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2019-2020.
UW - Eau Claire not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UW - Eau Claire is $14,887 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $48-$75k.
Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #25. Ohio State University - Main Campus is a large public school situated in Columbus, Ohio. It awarded 154 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
Ohio State also made our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #25. The estimated yearly cost for Ohio State University - Main Campus is $13,982 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 4.4% 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%.
Rest of the Best 50 in Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s 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:
Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k
While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis | Indianapolis, IN |
| 52 | University of Wisconsin - Green Bay | Green Bay, WI |
| 52 | University of Northern Iowa | Cedar Falls, IA |
| 52 | Minnesota State University - Moorhead | Moorhead, MN |
| 55 | Colorado State University - Fort Collins | Fort Collins, CO |
| 56 | North Carolina State University | Raleigh, NC |
| 57 | Appalachian State University | Boone, NC |
| 58 | University of Missouri - Columbia | Columbia, MO |
| 59 | University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh | Oshkosh, WI |
| 60 | Florida Atlantic University | Boca Raton, FL |
| 60 | University of Alaska Fairbanks | Fairbanks, AK |
| 62 | San Diego State University | San Diego, CA |
| 63 | MSU Texas | Wichita Falls, TX |
| 64 | University of North Florida | Jacksonville, FL |
| 65 | University of Missouri - St Louis | Saint Louis, MO |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 66 | University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras | San Juan, PR |
| 67 | Northeastern State University | Tahlequah, OK |
| 68 | St Catherine University | Saint Paul, MN |
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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.
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- Credit for the banner image above goes to Army Medicine.
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