2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Social Work in Virginia (With Aid)

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 Master’s in Virginia 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.

Across Virginia, there were 951 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,492 and $31,406 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 349 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 4 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.

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.

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 Master’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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 Master’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid.

Top 4 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Social Work in Virginia (With Aid)

#1

George Mason University

Fairfax, Virginia

#2 in overall quality

$37,410 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$51,762 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, George Mason University landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Fairfax, Virginia, this large public school awarded 87 diplomas to qualified masters’s social work students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our virginia master’s degree social work students with aid list, GMU has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at GMU are $37,410, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full GMU Social Work Report

#2

Radford University

Radford, Virginia

#3 in overall quality

$21,382 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$40,089 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Radford University landed the #2 spot on the list. Radford is a public institution located in Radford, Virginia. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 47 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Radford also made our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #3. Average graduate tuition and fees at Radford are $21,382, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Social Work at Radford University

#3

Virginia Commonwealth University

Richmond, Virginia

#1 in overall quality

$29,228 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$44,699 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Virginia Commonwealth University landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Richmond, Virginia, this large public school handed out 173 degrees to qualified masters’s social work students in 2019-2020.

VCU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Virginia Commonwealth University are $29,228, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Social Work at VCU

#4

Norfolk State University

Norfolk, Virginia

#4 in overall quality

$24,742 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$45,604 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Norfolk State University landed the #4 spot on the list. Norfolk State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Norfolk, Virginia. It awarded 42 masters’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

Norfolk State also took the #4 spot in our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Norfolk State are $24,742, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Social Work at Norfolk State

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Social Work in the Southeast Region (With Aid)
• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Social Work (With Aid)

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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