2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Social Work in California
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking.
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 California, there were 4,949 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $45,770 and $31,817 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,465 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking analyzed 18 colleges that offered 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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More Ways to Rank Social Work Schools
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 in California” list to help you make the college 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. 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 in California
The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree social work students.
Top 18 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Social Work in California
Out of the 18 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fresno landed the #1 spot on the list. Fresno, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 119 students in 2019-2020.
Fresno State also made our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #9. The estimated yearly cost for Fresno State is $5,464 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. 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%.
Out of the 18 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Long Beach landed the #2 spot on the list. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 69 students in 2019-2020.
CSULB also made our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Long Beach is $9,622 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students.
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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - San Bernardino. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. 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.
CSUSB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend CSUSB is $7,342 for california bachelor’s degree social work students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Social Work at California State University - San Bernardino
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend San Francisco State University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. SFSU is a large school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 23 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree social work students list, SFSU has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SFSU is $15,113 for california bachelor’s degree social work students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Los Angeles. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Cal State LA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 224 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
Cal State LA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Cal State LA is $2,768 for california bachelor’s degree social work students.
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%.
San Jose State University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. San Jose State is a large school located in San Jose, California that handed out 77 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree social work students list, San Jose State has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Jose State University is $14,928 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Brandman University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Located in Irvine, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 123 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2019-2020.
Brandman also took the #2 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $21,604 for california bachelor’s degree social work students per year to attend Brandman University.
California State University - Chico ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Chico State is located in Chico, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 74 bachelors’s social work degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Chico State, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Chico State is $15,017 for california bachelor’s degree social work students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Social Work at California State University - Chico
California State University - Sacramento ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. This large school is located in Sacramento, California, and it awarded 244 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree social work students list, Sac State has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $9,979 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students per year to attend Sac State.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of California - Berkeley came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. UC Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 90 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Berkeley is $15,329 for california bachelor’s degree social work students.
The low student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 96%.
Read more about Social Work at University of California - Berkeley
With a ranking of #11, San Diego State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 106 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
SDSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for San Diego State University is $14,788 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national 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.
California State University - East Bay came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Cal State East Bay is located in Hayward, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s social work degrees to qualified students.
Cal State East Bay also made our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #15. It costs about $11,116 for california bachelor’s degree social work students per year to attend Cal State East Bay.
Read full report on Social Work at California State University - East Bay
Humboldt State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #13. Located in Arcata, California, this medium-sized public school awarded 52 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Humboldt State University, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Humboldt State University is $14,692 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students.
Fresno Pacific University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #14. Located in Fresno, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 79 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2019-2020.
Fresno Pacific also made our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #13. The estimated yearly cost for Fresno Pacific is $16,356 for california bachelor’s degree social work students.
La Sierra University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. La Sierra is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 17 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
La Sierra also took the #12 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $24,046 for california bachelor’s degree social work students per year to attend La Sierra.
The low student loan default rate of 4.2% 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%.
With a ranking of #16, Azusa Pacific University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Located in Azusa, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 48 degrees to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2019-2020.
Azusa Pacific also made our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #14. It costs about $26,293 for california bachelor’s degree social work students per year to attend Azusa Pacific University.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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.
Mount Saint Mary’s University landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 22 degrees to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at MSMU, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $29,214 for california bachelor’s degree social work students per year to attend Mount Saint Mary’s University.
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. 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 more about Social Work at Mount Saint Mary’s University
Whittier College ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. This small school is located in Whittier, California, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree social work students list, Whittier has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $24,570 for california bachelor’s degree social work students per year to attend Whittier.
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%.
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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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