2024 Best Value Social Work Schools in Minnesota
17
Ranked Colleges
2,143
Degrees Awarded
$19,600
Avg Net Price*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Social Work Schools in Minnesota” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2020-2021, 58,326 people earned their degree in social work, making the major the 13th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, social work graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $37,651 and had an average of $26,679 in loans still to pay off.
Across Minnesota, there were 2,143 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $45,407 and $27,097 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Social Work Schools in Minnesota” ranking looked at 17 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.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the social work program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
More Ways to Rank Social Work Schools
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 in Minnesota” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. 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 in Minnesota
The colleges and universities below are the best for minnesota social work students.
Top 17 Best Value Colleges for Social Work in Minnesota
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Winona State University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Social Work Schools in Minnesota. Located in Winona, Minnesota, this medium-sized public school handed out 81 degrees to qualified ’s social work students in 2020-2021.
Winona State also took the #1 spot in our “Best Social Work Schools in Minnesota” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Winona State is $17,634 for Minnesota Social Work students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Social Work at Winona State
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Metropolitan State University. It ranked #2 on our 2024 Best Value Social Work Schools in Minnesota list. Located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, this medium-sized public school handed out 61 diplomas to qualified ’s social work students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our minnesota social work students list, Metro State has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Social Work Schools in Minnesota” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Metro State is $16,044 for Minnesota Social Work students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Metropolitan State University Social Work Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Walden University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Social Work Schools in Minnesota. Minneapolis, Minnesota is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out ’s social work degrees to 936 students in 2020-2021.
Walden University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Social Work Schools in Minnesota” list.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Walden University Social Work Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Minnesota State University - Moorhead. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Social Work Schools in Minnesota. Minnesota State University - Moorhead is a medium-sized school located in Moorhead, Minnesota that handed out 57 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at MSU Moorhead, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Social Work Schools in Minnesota” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for MSU Moorhead is $17,680 for minnesota social work students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.0% 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 more about Social Work at MSU Moorhead
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Minnesota State University - Mankato. It ranked #5 on our 2024 Best Value Social Work Schools in Minnesota list. Minnesota State Mankato is a public institution located in Mankato, Minnesota. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 94 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Minnesota State Mankato did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Social Work Schools in Minnesota” list. The estimated yearly cost for Minnesota State University - Mankato is $17,159 for Minnesota Social Work students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Minnesota State University - Mankato Social Work Report
Capella University did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Social Work Schools in Minnesota ranking, coming in at #6. Minneapolis, Minnesota is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out ’s social work degrees to 69 students in 2020-2021.
Capella University also took the #10 spot in our “Best Social Work Schools in Minnesota” ranking. It costs about $16,545 for Minnesota Social Work students per year to attend Capella University.
Read more about Social Work at Capella University
Saint Cloud State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools in Minnesota ranking. Saint Cloud, Minnesota is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social work degrees to 94 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our minnesota social work students list, St. Cloud State University has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Social Work Schools in Minnesota” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Saint Cloud State University is $14,581 for Minnesota Social Work students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Social Work at St. Cloud State University
Bemidji State University did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Social Work Schools in Minnesota ranking, coming in at #8. Bemidji State University is a public institution located in Bemidji, Minnesota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 33 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Bemidji State University, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Social Work Schools in Minnesota” ranking. It costs about $16,033 for minnesota social work students per year to attend Bemidji State University.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Bemidji State University Social Work Report
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools in Minnesota list. This large school is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and it awarded 117 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
UMN Twin Cities also made our “Best Social Work Schools in Minnesota” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $17,878 for Minnesota Social Work students per year to attend UMN Twin Cities.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Social Work Report
University of Minnesota - Duluth ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools in Minnesota list. Duluth, Minnesota is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social work degrees to 80 students in 2020-2021.
UMN Duluth also took the #15 spot in our “Best Social Work Schools in Minnesota” ranking. It costs about $18,505 for minnesota social work students per year to attend University of Minnesota - Duluth.
The low undergrad 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 more about Social Work at UMN Duluth
Augsburg University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools in Minnesota ranking. Augsburg is a private not-for-profit institution located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 102 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Augsburg not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Social Work Schools in Minnesota” list. The estimated yearly cost for Augsburg University is $23,898 for minnesota social work students.
Full Augsburg Social Work Report
University of St Thomas Minnesota did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Social Work Schools in Minnesota ranking, coming in at #12. UST MN is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It awarded 147 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
UST MN also took the #4 spot in our “Best Social Work Schools in Minnesota” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of St Thomas Minnesota is $31,066 for Minnesota 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. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% 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%.
Full University of St Thomas Minnesota Social Work Report
Southwest Minnesota State University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools in Minnesota list. Southwest Minnesota State University is a medium-sized school located in Marshall, Minnesota that handed out 14 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
Southwest Minnesota State University also made our “Best Social Work Schools in Minnesota” list, coming in at #17. The estimated yearly cost for Southwest Minnesota State University is $13,872 for Minnesota Social Work students.
Read full report on Social Work at Southwest Minnesota State University
St Catherine University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools in Minnesota ranking. Located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 66 degrees to qualified ’s social work students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our minnesota social work students list, St. Kate’s has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Social Work Schools in Minnesota” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for St. Kate’s is $17,814 for minnesota social work students.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Social Work at St. Kate’s
The College of Saint Scholastica came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools in Minnesota ranking. St. Scholastica is a private not-for-profit institution located in Duluth, Minnesota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 105 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
St. Scholastica also took the #2 spot in our “Best Social Work Schools in Minnesota” ranking. It costs about $22,545 for Minnesota Social Work students per year to attend St. Scholastica.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Social Work at The College of Saint Scholastica
Bethel University Minnesota did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Social Work Schools in Minnesota ranking, coming in at #16. This small school is located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and it awarded 14 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
Bethel University Minnesota also took the #6 spot in our “Best Social Work Schools in Minnesota” ranking. It costs about $28,178 for minnesota social work students per year to attend Bethel University Minnesota.
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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Social Work at Bethel University Minnesota
St Olaf College landed the #17 spot on the 2024 Best Value Social Work Schools in Minnesota ranking. Northfield, Minnesota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s social work degrees to 11 students in 2020-2021.
St. Olaf not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Social Work Schools in Minnesota” list. The yearly cost to attend St Olaf College is $24,052 for minnesota social work students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full St. Olaf Social Work Report
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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
- *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
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