Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Find Schools Near

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

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

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 Virginia” 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 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” ranking analyzed 13 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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 Virginia” list to help you make the college decision.

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. 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

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

Top 13 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Social Work in Virginia

#1

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, Virginia

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, James Madison University landed the #1 spot on the list. JMU is located in Harrisonburg, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 41 bachelors’s social work degrees to qualified students.

JMU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $22,169 for virginia bachelor’s degree social work students per year to attend JMU.

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 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 more about 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. Radford is a public institution located in Radford, Virginia. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 38 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Radford also took the #6 spot 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 per year to attend Radford.

Read more about Social Work at Radford

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Virginia Commonwealth University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia list. VCU is a large school located in Richmond, Virginia that handed out 114 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

VCU also made our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for VCU is $22,021 for virginia bachelor’s degree social work students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Social Work at Virginia Commonwealth University

#4

George Mason University

Fairfax, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend George Mason University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia list. This large school is located in Fairfax, Virginia, and it awarded 58 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

GMU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #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 a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 2.6% 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%.

Read full report on Social Work at GMU

#5

Christopher Newport University

Newport News, Virginia

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Christopher Newport University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia. Christopher Newport University is a small school located in Newport News, Virginia that handed out 17 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

CNU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend Christopher Newport University is $25,596 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%.

Full Christopher Newport University Social Work Report

#6

Norfolk State University

Norfolk, Virginia
#8 in overall quality

Norfolk State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia ranking, coming in at #6. Norfolk State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Norfolk, Virginia. It awarded 56 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our virginia bachelor’s degree social work students list, Norfolk State has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $12,645 for virginia bachelor’s degree social work students per year to attend Norfolk State University.

Read more about Social Work at Norfolk State

#7

Virginia State University

Petersburg, Virginia

Virginia State University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia ranking. Virginia State University is a public institution located in Petersburg, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 28 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Virginia State, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $16,970 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students per year to attend Virginia State.

Read full report on Social Work at Virginia State University

#8

Virginia Union University

Richmond, Virginia

With a ranking of #8, Virginia Union University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia list. Located in Richmond, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 11 degrees to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2019-2020.

VUU also made our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #13. The estimated yearly cost for Virginia Union University is $21,813 for virginia bachelor’s degree social work students.

Read full report on Social Work at Virginia Union University

#9

Liberty University

Lynchburg, Virginia
#11 in overall quality

Liberty University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia ranking. Liberty University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Lynchburg, Virginia. It awarded 154 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

Liberty University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $28,903 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students per year to attend Liberty University.

Read full report on Social Work at Liberty University

#10

Mary Baldwin University

Staunton, Virginia

Mary Baldwin University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia ranking. Mary Baldwin is a small school located in Staunton, Virginia that handed out 22 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

Mary Baldwin did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $16,982 for virginia bachelor’s degree social work students per year to attend Mary Baldwin University.

Read full report on Social Work at Mary Baldwin University

#11

Eastern Mennonite University

Harrisonburg, Virginia

Eastern Mennonite University landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia ranking. Located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 15 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2019-2020.

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

The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Eastern Mennonite University Social Work Report

#12

Virginia Wesleyan University

Virginia Beach, Virginia

With a ranking of #12, Virginia Wesleyan University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia 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.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at VWU, the school also landed 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 per year to attend VWU.

Full Virginia Wesleyan University Social Work Report

#13

Ferrum College

Ferrum, Virginia

Ferrum College landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia ranking. Ferrum College is a small school located in Ferrum, Virginia that handed out 10 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our virginia bachelor’s degree social work students list, Ferrum College has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Ferrum College is $22,159 for virginia bachelor’s degree social work students.

Read more about Social Work at Ferrum College

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

Featured Social Work Schools

Find Schools Near You