2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid
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 Getting Aid” 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.
This year’s “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 452 colleges that offered 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.
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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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 Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” 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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid
The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree social work students with aid.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Social Work (With Aid)
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 Getting Aid. California State University - Los Angeles is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 224 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
Cal State LA excels when it comes to social work quality. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category. It costs about $2,768 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students with aid per year to attend California State University - Los Angeles.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - Los Angeles Social Work Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Lehman College. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid. This fairly large school is located in Bronx, New York, and it awarded 136 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
On top of its placing in this ranking, Lehman also did well 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 $1,814 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students with aid per year to attend Lehman College.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Hunter College. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid. This large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 49 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Hunter is $2,490 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students with aid.
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%.
Out of the 452 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley landed the #4 spot on the list. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is a public institution located in Edinburg, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 121 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for UT Rio Grande Valley is $4,514 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students with aid.
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 York College. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid. York is a medium-sized school located in Jamaica, New York that handed out 79 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend York College is $3,433 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students with aid.
University of Washington - Seattle Campus came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Seattle, Washington, this large public school awarded 33 degrees to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2019-2020.
UW Seattle also made our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #17. It costs about $13,297 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students with aid per year to attend UW Seattle.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Social Work at University of Washington - Seattle Campus
California State University - Fresno ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Fresno is a large school located in Fresno, California that handed out 119 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Fresno State is $5,464 for bachelor’s degree social work students with aid.
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%.
Read more about Social Work at California State University - Fresno
Heritage University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Heritage University is located in Toppenish, Washington and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 59 bachelors’s social work degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for Heritage University is $10,056 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students with aid.
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.
Minot State University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Minot State University is a small public school situated in Minot, North Dakota. It awarded 60 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
MSU also took the #6 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Minot State University is $11,898 for bachelor’s degree social work students with aid.
California State University - San Bernardino did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #10. California State University - San Bernardino is a public institution located in San Bernardino, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 52 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $7,342 for bachelor’s degree social work students with aid per year to attend CSUSB.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Indiana University - Northwest came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Indiana University - Northwest is a small school located in Gary, Indiana that handed out 30 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $7,755 for bachelor’s degree social work students with aid per year to attend Indiana University - Northwest.
University of North Carolina at Greensboro ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Greensboro, North Carolina is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 94 students in 2019-2020.
UNC Greensboro excels when it comes to social work quality. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend University of North Carolina at Greensboro is $12,748 for bachelor’s degree social work students with aid.
Florida International University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #13. 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 FIU is $7,296 for bachelor’s degree social work students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
College of Staten Island CUNY ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Staten Island, New York, this fairly large public school handed out 33 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend CSI is $5,118 for bachelor’s degree social work students with aid.
University of South Florida - Main Campus ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Tampa, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 79 students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend University of South Florida - Main Campus is $8,355 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 4.5% 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%.
The University of West Florida came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. This fairly large school is located in Pensacola, Florida, and it awarded 73 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for The University of West Florida is $7,406 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students with aid.
Read full report on Social Work at The University of West Florida
University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #17. UW - Madison is a large public school situated in Madison, Wisconsin. It awarded 71 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree social work students with aid list, UW - Madison has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison is $17,708 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #18, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school awarded 78 degrees to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2019-2020.
UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $15,880 for bachelor’s degree social work students with aid.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #19, California State University - Long Beach did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. CSULB is a public institution located in Long Beach, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 69 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
CSULB also claimed a top spot on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for CSULB is $9,622 for bachelor’s degree social work students with aid.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Social Work at California State University - Long Beach
University of Nevada - Las Vegas landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Nevada - Las Vegas 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.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UNLV is also in the top of our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UNLV is $11,424 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students with aid.
Rhode Island College landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Providence, Rhode Island is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 100 students in 2019-2020.
RIC excels when it comes to social work quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $10,922 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students with aid per year to attend RIC.
With a ranking of #22, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire is a fairly large school located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin that handed out 72 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree social work students with aid list, UW - Eau Claire has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire is $16,020 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students with aid.
Appalachian State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #23. Appalachian State University is a large public school situated in Boone, North Carolina. It awarded 89 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Appalachian State is also in the top of our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. 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 Appalachian State University is $13,920 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 3.9% 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%.
Florida Gulf Coast University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Fort Myers, Florida is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 54 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $11,606 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students with aid per year to attend FGCU.
With a ranking of #25, University of Wisconsin - River Falls did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. University of Wisconsin - River Falls is a public institution located in River Falls, Wisconsin. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UW - River Falls also made our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #24. It costs about $13,748 for bachelor’s degree social work students with aid per year to attend University of Wisconsin - River Falls.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Rest of the Best 51 in Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid
Not only did these schools make the top 51 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 Getting Aid
While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 52 | Saint Cloud State University | Saint Cloud, MN |
| 53 | Florida Atlantic University | Boca Raton, FL |
| 54 | Bemidji State University | Bemidji, MN |
| 55 | University of North Dakota | Grand Forks, ND |
| 56 | University of Alaska Fairbanks | Fairbanks, AK |
| 57 | Indiana University - East | Richmond, IN |
| 58 | Indiana University - South Bend | South Bend, IN |
| 59 | Texas State University | San Marcos, TX |
| 60 | North Carolina State University | Raleigh, NC |
| 61 | University of North Florida | Jacksonville, FL |
| 62 | Metropolitan State University | Saint Paul, MN |
| 63 | MSU Texas | Wichita Falls, TX |
| 64 | Angelo State University | San Angelo, TX |
| 64 | Utah Valley University | Orem, UT |
| 66 | Ball State University | Muncie, IN |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 67 | San Francisco State University | San Francisco, CA |
| 68 | University of Maryland - Baltimore County | Baltimore, MD |
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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.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Army Medicine.
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