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2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid

13 Ranked Colleges
598 Degrees Awarded
$21,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor's in Virginia For Those Getting Aid

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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 Virginia, there were 951 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,492 and $31,406 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 598 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 13 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.

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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most 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 in Virginia For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for virginia bachelor’s degree social work students with aid.

Top 13 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Social Work in Virginia (With Aid)

#1

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, Virginia

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, James Madison University landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and it awarded 41 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

JMU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for JMU is $22,169 for Virginia 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 89%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Social Work at JMU

#2

Radford University

Radford, Virginia

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Radford University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid. Radford, Virginia is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 38 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our virginia bachelor’s degree social work students with aid list, Radford has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $16,447 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students with aid per year to attend Radford University.

Read more about Social Work at Radford

#3

George Mason University

Fairfax, Virginia

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, George Mason University landed the #3 spot on the list. GMU is a public institution located in Fairfax, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 58 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

GMU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend George Mason University is $21,048 for virginia bachelor’s degree social work students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read more about Social Work at GMU

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Virginia Commonwealth University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid. VCU is a public institution located in Richmond, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 114 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our virginia bachelor’s degree social work students with aid list, VCU has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend VCU is $22,021 for virginia bachelor’s degree social work students with aid.

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%.

Read full report on Social Work at Virginia Commonwealth University

#5

Norfolk State University

Norfolk, Virginia
#8 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Norfolk State University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Norfolk, Virginia, this medium-sized public school awarded 56 degrees to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2019-2020.

Norfolk State also made our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #8. It costs about $12,645 for virginia bachelor’s degree social work students with aid per year to attend Norfolk State.

Read more about Social Work at Norfolk State University

#6

Mary Baldwin University

Staunton, Virginia

Mary Baldwin University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Staunton, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 22 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2019-2020.

Mary Baldwin also made our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #7. It costs about $16,982 for virginia bachelor’s degree social work students with aid per year to attend Mary Baldwin University.

Full Mary Baldwin University Social Work Report

#7

Eastern Mennonite University

Harrisonburg, Virginia

Eastern Mennonite University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid list. Eastern Mennonite is a private not-for-profit institution located in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our virginia bachelor’s degree social work students with aid list, Eastern Mennonite has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Eastern Mennonite is $23,763 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students with aid.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Social Work at Eastern Mennonite

#8

Virginia State University

Petersburg, Virginia

Virginia State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid list. Virginia State is a public institution located in Petersburg, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 28 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Virginia State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $16,970 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students with aid per year to attend Virginia State University.

Read full report on Social Work at Virginia State

#9

Christopher Newport University

Newport News, Virginia

Christopher Newport University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid ranking. CNU is a small public school situated in Newport News, Virginia. It awarded 17 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our virginia bachelor’s degree social work students with aid list, CNU has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Christopher Newport University is $25,596 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Social Work at CNU

#10

Virginia Union University

Richmond, Virginia

Virginia Union University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid ranking. This small school is located in Richmond, Virginia, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at VUU, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Virginia Union University is $21,813 for virginia bachelor’s degree social work students with aid.

Read full report on Social Work at Virginia Union University

#11

Ferrum College

Ferrum, Virginia

With a ranking of #11, Ferrum College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid list. This small school is located in Ferrum, Virginia, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

Ferrum College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend Ferrum College is $22,159 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students with aid.

Read full report on Social Work at Ferrum College

#12

Virginia Wesleyan University

Virginia Beach, Virginia

Virginia Wesleyan University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid list. Virginia Wesleyan University is a small school located in Virginia Beach, Virginia that handed out 8 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

VWU also took the #12 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $23,425 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students with aid per year to attend Virginia Wesleyan University.

Full VWU Social Work Report

#13

Liberty University

Lynchburg, Virginia
#11 in overall quality

With a ranking of #13, Liberty University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid list. Liberty University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lynchburg, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 154 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Liberty University also took the #11 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Liberty University is $28,903 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students with aid.

Read more about Social Work at Liberty University

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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