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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Social Work in Tennessee

12 Ranked Colleges
514 Degrees Awarded
$17,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor's in Tennessee

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 Tennessee” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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 Tennessee, there were 1,148 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,383 and $29,720 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 514 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 Tennessee” ranking looked at 12 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 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 in Tennessee” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee.

Top 12 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Social Work in Tennessee

#1

Middle Tennessee State University

Murfreesboro, Tennessee

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Middle Tennessee State University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee. Middle Tennessee State University is located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 56 bachelors’s social work degrees to qualified students.

Middle Tennessee State University also took the #3 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Middle Tennessee State University is $12,464 for tennessee bachelor’s degree social work students.

Read more about Social Work at Middle Tennessee State University

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Tennessee - Martin. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee list. This medium-sized school is located in Martin, Tennessee, and it awarded 29 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UT Martin, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The yearly cost to attend The University of Tennessee - Martin is $10,955 for tennessee bachelor’s degree social work students.

Full UT Martin Social Work Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee. Located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, this fairly large public school handed out 21 degrees to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UT Chattanooga, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UT Chattanooga is $12,952 for Tennessee Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students.

Read full report on Social Work at The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga

#4

Tennessee State University

Nashville, Tennessee

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee that were part of this year’s ranking, Tennessee State University landed the #4 spot on the list. Nashville, Tennessee is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 21 students in 2019-2020.

Tennessee State University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” list. The yearly cost to attend Tennessee State University is $12,443 for tennessee bachelor’s degree social work students.

Read full report on Social Work at Tennessee State University

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Tennessee - Knoxville landed the #4 spot on the list. UT Knoxville is a large school located in Knoxville, Tennessee that handed out 36 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Knoxville not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” list. It costs about $18,825 for tennessee bachelor’s degree social work students per year to attend UT Knoxville.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Social Work at The University of Tennessee - Knoxville

#6

East Tennessee State University

Johnson City, Tennessee

East Tennessee State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee ranking, coming in at #6. East Tennessee State University is a public institution located in Johnson City, Tennessee. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 64 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our tennessee bachelor’s degree social work students list, ETSU has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” ranking. It costs about $14,332 for tennessee bachelor’s degree social work students per year to attend ETSU.

Read more about Social Work at ETSU

#7

University of Memphis

Memphis, Tennessee

University of Memphis ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee list. UofM is a large school located in Memphis, Tennessee that handed out 44 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

UofM not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Memphis is $13,248 for Tennessee Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students.

Full University of Memphis Social Work Report

#8

Austin Peay State University

Clarksville, Tennessee

Austin Peay State University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee ranking. Austin Peay State University is a public institution located in Clarksville, Tennessee. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 79 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Austin Peay State University also took the #11 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Austin Peay State University is $13,692 for tennessee bachelor’s degree social work students.

Full Austin Peay State University Social Work Report

#9

Union University

Jackson, Tennessee

Union University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee ranking. Jackson, Tennessee is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 30 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Union, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Union is $28,249 for Tennessee Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Union Social Work Report

#10

Trevecca Nazarene University

Nashville, Tennessee

With a ranking of #10, Trevecca Nazarene University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee list. Trevecca Nazarene University is a small school located in Nashville, Tennessee that handed out 17 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

TNU also took the #5 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Trevecca Nazarene University is $17,499 for Tennessee Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students.

Read full report on Social Work at Trevecca Nazarene University

#11

Southern Adventist University

Collegedale, Tennessee
#12 in overall quality

Southern Adventist University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee list. Southern Adventist University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Collegedale, Tennessee. The school has a small population, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Southern Adventist also took the #12 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” ranking. It costs about $22,661 for Tennessee Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students per year to attend Southern Adventist.

Read full report on Social Work at Southern Adventist University

#12

Belmont University

Nashville, Tennessee

Belmont University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee ranking, coming in at #12. This medium-sized school is located in Nashville, Tennessee, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

Belmont did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” list. The yearly cost to attend Belmont is $35,548 for Tennessee Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Social Work at Belmont University

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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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