2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Social Work in the Great Lakes Region
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 in the Great Lakes Region” ranking - to help you make that decision.
In 2019-2020, 57,618 people earned their degree in social work, making the major the 12th most popular in the United States. 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 the Great Lakes region, there were 10,171 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,708 and $29,897 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 4,358 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, we looked at 93 colleges that offer a degree in social work. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality social work programs that also have a lower cost than 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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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 the Great Lakes Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Social Work in the Great Lakes Region
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - River Falls. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region. UW - River Falls is a medium-sized school located in River Falls, Wisconsin that handed out 21 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - River Falls, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - River Falls is $13,748 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Wisconsin - River Falls Social Work Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. This fairly large school is located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and it awarded 72 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
UW - Eau Claire not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UW - Eau Claire is $16,020 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students.
Read full report on Social Work at University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region. Marion, Indiana is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 173 students in 2019-2020.
IWU also took the #10 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $22,207 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree social work students per year to attend IWU.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Purdue University Global. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region. Purdue University Global is a public institution located in Indianapolis, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 185 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. This medium-sized school is located in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, and it awarded 61 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree social work students list, UW - Stevens Point has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $14,465 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point.
University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, this fairly large public school handed out 35 degrees to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree social work students list, UW Oshkosh has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $15,463 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree social work students per year to attend UW Oshkosh.
University of Wisconsin - Green Bay came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. UW - Green Bay is a medium-sized school located in Green Bay, Wisconsin that handed out 31 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
UW - Green Bay did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $14,395 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students per year to attend UW - Green Bay.
University of Wisconsin - Superior landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Superior, Wisconsin, this small public school handed out 38 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2019-2020.
UW - Superior did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UW - Superior is $13,774 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree social work students.
Read full report on Social Work at University of Wisconsin - Superior
Western Illinois University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Macomb, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 39 degrees to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for WIU is $16,210 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students.
Saint Augustine College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #10. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 25 students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Saint Augustine College is $12,193 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree social work students.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #11. Edwardsville, Illinois 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.
The yearly cost to attend SIUE is $14,423 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree social work students.
Read full report on Social Work at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
University of Wisconsin - Whitewater landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. UW - Whitewater is located in Whitewater, Wisconsin and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 69 bachelors’s social work degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend UW - Whitewater is $15,249 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree social work students.
Read more about Social Work at University of Wisconsin - Whitewater
Ferris State University landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This fairly large school is located in Big Rapids, Michigan, and it awarded 67 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Ferris State University is $12,889 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students.
Youngstown State University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Youngstown State University is a fairly large school located in Youngstown, Ohio that handed out 81 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Youngstown State University is $11,947 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students.
Purdue University Northwest ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Hammond, Indiana is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 15 students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Purdue University Northwest is $11,250 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students.
With a ranking of #16, Western Michigan University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Western Michigan University is a public institution located in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 65 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend WMU is $19,433 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree social work students.
Grand Valley State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #17. GVSU is a large school located in Allendale, Michigan that handed out 90 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at GVSU, the school also landed the #23 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $17,646 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students per year to attend Grand Valley State University.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #18, Mount Vernon Nazarene University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Mount Vernon, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 38 students in 2019-2020.
MVNU also took the #12 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend MVNU is $20,282 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree social work students.
The low student loan default rate of 4.8% 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%.
Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #19. SIUC is located in Carbondale, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 47 bachelors’s social work degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for Southern Illinois University Carbondale is $16,945 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students.
Read more about Social Work at Southern Illinois University Carbondale
With a ranking of #20, Bowling Green State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. This fairly large school is located in Bowling Green, Ohio, and it awarded 57 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $18,394 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students per year to attend BGSU.
Read more about Social Work at Bowling Green State University - Main Campus
Illinois State University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Illinois State is located in Normal, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 51 bachelors’s social work degrees to qualified students.
Illinois State also took the #15 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $20,895 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students per year to attend Illinois State University.
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%.
With a ranking of #22, Eastern Michigan University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Ypsilanti, Michigan is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 160 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Eastern Michigan University is $15,924 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students.
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. UWM is a large public school situated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It awarded 94 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
UWM did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $17,876 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students per year to attend UWM.
University of Southern Indiana came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. USI is a fairly large public school situated in Evansville, Indiana. It awarded 59 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Southern Indiana is $13,437 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree social work students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Governors State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #25. This small school is located in University Park, Illinois, and it awarded 44 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Governors State University is $12,077 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students.
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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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