by our College Data Analytics Team
[Social Work](/majors/social-services-public-administration/social-work/) graduates earn very different salaries depending on where they study. The schools below stand out for the salaries their social work graduates go on to command.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 69 schools on the early-career earnings of their social work graduates.
What’s on this page:
If you want to know which schools send social work graduates into the highest-paying careers, see the list below.
George Mason University earned the #1 spot for highest-paid social work graduates in the Southeast Region. Set in the suburb of Fairfax, George Mason University is a public institution. Social Work graduates of George Mason University earn a median of about $68,977 a year early in their careers.
University Of Arkansas At Little Rock came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying social work schools. Set in the city of Little Rock, University Of Arkansas At Little Rock is a public institution. After graduating, social work degree recipients from University Of Arkansas At Little Rock typically earn about $63,303 annually.
Norfolk State University came in at #3 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying social work schools. Set in the city of Norfolk, Norfolk State University is a public institution. Social Work graduates of Norfolk State University earn a median of about $60,811 a year early in their careers.
A rank of #4 makes University Of Arkansas one of the highest-paying schools for social work. University Of Arkansas is a public school located in the city of Fayetteville. Early-career social work graduates from University Of Arkansas make a median of around $58,940 per year.
Arkansas State University Main Campus came in at #5 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying social work schools. Located in the city of Jonesboro, Arkansas State University Main Campus is a public institution. After graduating, social work degree recipients from Arkansas State University Main Campus typically earn about $60,708 annually.
Virginia Commonwealth University placed #6 among the highest-paying schools for social work. Virginia Commonwealth University is a public school located in the city of Richmond. Early-career social work graduates from Virginia Commonwealth University make a median of around $59,722 per year.
Barry University came in at #7 for social work graduate earnings this year. Barry University is a private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Miami. Early-career social work graduates from Barry University make a median of around $58,756 per year.
Valdosta State University earned the #8 position for social work graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of Valdosta, Valdosta State University is a public institution. Social Work graduates of Valdosta State University earn a median of about $57,839 a year early in their careers.
Florida Gulf Coast University ranked #9 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying social work schools. Set in the suburb of Fort Myers, Florida Gulf Coast University is a public institution. Students who complete the social work program here go on to a median salary of roughly $52,802.
Saint Leo University came in at #10 for social work graduate earnings this year. Located in the town of Saint Leo, Saint Leo University is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career social work graduates from Saint Leo University make a median of around $56,826 per year.
East Carolina University came in at #11 for social work graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of Greenville, East Carolina University is a public institution. Students who complete the social work program here go on to a median salary of roughly $57,838.
University Of North Carolina At Chapel Hill ranked #12 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying social work schools. Set in the city of Chapel Hill, University Of North Carolina At Chapel Hill is a public institution. Social Work graduates of University Of North Carolina At Chapel Hill earn a median of about $59,920 a year early in their careers.
University Of South Florida Main Campus landed the #13 spot for social work salaries this year. Located in the city of Tampa, University Of South Florida Main Campus is a public institution. Social Work graduates of University Of South Florida Main Campus earn a median of about $58,130 a year early in their careers.
Middle Tennessee State University ranked #14 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying social work schools. Set in the city of Murfreesboro, Middle Tennessee State University is a public institution. After graduating, social work degree recipients from Middle Tennessee State University typically earn about $55,797 annually.
University Of Memphis ranked #15 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying social work schools. Set in the city of Memphis, University Of Memphis is a public institution. Early-career social work graduates from University Of Memphis make a median of around $59,724 per year.
Radford University ranked #16 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying social work schools. Set in the town of Radford, Radford University is a public institution. Early-career social work graduates from Radford University make a median of around $55,439 per year.
University Of North Carolina At Wilmington placed #17 among the highest-paying schools for social work. University Of North Carolina At Wilmington is a public school located in the city of Wilmington. After graduating, social work degree recipients from University Of North Carolina At Wilmington typically earn about $57,858 annually.
Kennesaw State University landed the #18 spot for social work salaries this year. Set in the suburb of Kennesaw, Kennesaw State University is a public institution. Social Work graduates of Kennesaw State University earn a median of about $57,548 a year early in their careers.
Johnson C Smith University placed #19 among the highest-paying schools for social work. Johnson C Smith University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Charlotte. After graduating, social work degree recipients from Johnson C Smith University typically earn about $56,861 annually.
Tulane University Of Louisiana earned the #20 position for social work graduate earnings this year. Located in the city of New Orleans, Tulane University Of Louisiana is a private not-for-profit institution. Social Work graduates of Tulane University Of Louisiana earn a median of about $58,865 a year early in their careers.
Western Carolina University placed #21 among the highest-paying schools for social work. Western Carolina University is a public school located in the town of Cullowhee. Early-career social work graduates from Western Carolina University make a median of around $56,936 per year.
University Of Central Florida ranked #22 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying social work schools. Set in the suburb of Orlando, University Of Central Florida is a public institution. Students who complete the social work program here go on to a median salary of roughly $56,344.
West Virginia University ranked #23 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying social work schools. Set in the city of Morgantown, West Virginia University is a public institution. Students who complete the social work program here go on to a median salary of roughly $56,148.
University Of North Carolina At Charlotte came in at #24 for social work graduate earnings this year. Located in the city of Charlotte, University Of North Carolina At Charlotte is a public institution. After graduating, social work degree recipients from University Of North Carolina At Charlotte typically earn about $56,678 annually.
Tennessee State University came in at #25 for social work graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of Nashville, Tennessee State University is a public institution. Early-career social work graduates from Tennessee State University make a median of around $54,458 per year.
These schools rounded out the top of this year’s highest-paid social work ranking:
The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition. Schools are ranked on the median early-career earnings of their social work graduates, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).
Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 69 schools evaluated.
*Salary figures reflect median early-career earnings (about 5 years after graduation) and may vary by how long a person takes to complete their degree.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
