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2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California

34 Ranked Colleges
4,819 Degrees Awarded
$28,000 Avg Cost*
Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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 California, there were 4,819 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $48,229 and $20,404 respectively.

This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California” ranking analyzed 34 colleges that offered a degree in social work. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their social work program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Social Work Schools

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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 “Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California” list to help you make the college decision.

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 when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California

The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California”.

Top 25 Most Focused Colleges for Social Work in California

1
Fresno Pacific crest
Fresno Pacific University
Fresno, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Fresno Pacific University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California list. Fresno Pacific University is a small school located in Fresno, California that handed out 210 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% 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 Fresno Pacific

2
Brandman crest
Brandman University
Irvine, California

Out of the 34 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Brandman University landed the #2 spot on the list. Brandman is located in Irvine, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 215 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Social Work at Brandman University

3
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

Out of the 34 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Southern California landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 1,081 degrees to qualified ’s social work students in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Social Work at USC

4
Humboldt State University crest
Humboldt State University
Arcata, California

Out of the 34 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Humboldt State University landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Arcata, California, this medium-sized public school handed out 113 degrees to qualified ’s social work students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Social Work at Humboldt State University

5
La Sierra crest
La Sierra University
Riverside, California

Out of the 34 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, La Sierra University landed the #5 spot on the list. La Sierra is a small school located in Riverside, California that handed out 26 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Social Work at La Sierra

6
Azusa Pacific crest
Azusa Pacific University
Azusa, California

Azusa Pacific University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California ranking, coming in at #6. Azusa Pacific is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Azusa, California. It awarded 118 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergraduate 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. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Azusa Pacific University Social Work Report

7

California State University - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California ranking, coming in at #7. Cal State LA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 308 ’s social work degrees to qualified 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 Cal State LA Social Work Report

8

California State University - Chico did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California ranking, coming in at #8. This fairly large school is located in Chico, California, and it awarded 173 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.0% 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 California State University - Chico

9

California State University - Sacramento came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California ranking. This large school is located in Sacramento, California, and it awarded 310 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Sacramento Social Work Report

10

California State University - San Bernardino ranked #10 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California list. San Bernardino, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social work degrees to 155 students in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Social Work at California State University - San Bernardino

11
Cal Baptist crest
California Baptist University
Riverside, California

California Baptist University ranked #11 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California list. Located in Riverside, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 108 degrees to qualified ’s social work students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Social Work at California Baptist University

12

California State University - Stanislaus came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California ranking. Turlock, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social work degrees to 87 students in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Social Work at California State University - Stanislaus

13

California State University - Fresno came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California ranking. California State University - Fresno is a public institution located in Fresno, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 184 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.2% 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 freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full California State University - Fresno Social Work Report

14

California State University - Long Beach did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California ranking, coming in at #14. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school handed out 301 degrees to qualified ’s social work students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full CSULB Social Work Report

15

California State University - Bakersfield landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California ranking. This fairly large school is located in Bakersfield, California, and it awarded 81 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Social Work at California State University - Bakersfield

16
MSMU crest
Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, California

With a ranking of #16, Mount Saint Mary’s University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California list. MSMU is a small school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 18 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate 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.

Read full report on Social Work at MSMU

17
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

With a ranking of #17, San Jose State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California list. San Jose State University is a large school located in San Jose, California that handed out 211 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full San Jose State Social Work Report

18
PUC crest
Pacific Union College
Angwin, California

Pacific Union College ranked #18 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California list. PUC is located in Angwin, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 6 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.

Read more about Social Work at PUC

19

California State University - Monterey Bay did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California ranking, coming in at #19. Located in Seaside, California, this medium-sized public school handed out 42 diplomas to qualified ’s social work students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Social Work at CSUMB

20
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

San Diego State University ranked #20 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California list. San Diego State University is located in San Diego, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 201 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% 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 San Diego State University

21

With a ranking of #21, California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California list. California State University - Dominguez Hills is a public institution located in Carson, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 86 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Social Work at California State University - Dominguez Hills

22
Whittier crest
Whittier College
Whittier, California

With a ranking of #22, Whittier College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California list. Whittier is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Whittier, California. It awarded 8 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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 Whittier College

23
TUW crest
Touro University Worldwide
Los Alamitos, California

Touro University Worldwide landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California ranking. Located in Los Alamitos, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 12 diplomas to qualified ’s social work students in 2020-2021.

The undergraduate 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.

Read full report on Social Work at Touro University Worldwide

24

California State University - East Bay landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California ranking. Cal State East Bay is a fairly large school located in Hayward, California that handed out 77 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Social Work at Cal State East Bay

25

With a ranking of #25, California State University - San Marcos did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California list. CSUSM is a fairly large public school situated in San Marcos, California. It awarded 58 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Social Work at California State University - San Marcos

Notes and References

References

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