by our College Data Analytics Team
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 “Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s” 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 the Great Lakes region, there were 10,408 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,459 and $27,818 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 4,501 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,343 and $26,790 respectively.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s” ranking analyzed 124 colleges that offered a degree in social work. To top this list, a school must have a successful social work program that graduates more students in the field than other colleges that offer the same major.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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 “Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s” list to help you make the college decision.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region bachelor’s degree social work students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Purdue University Global. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s list. Purdue University Global is a large school located in Indianapolis, Indiana that handed out 221 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
Out of the 124 schools in the Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Eastern Michigan University landed the #2 spot on the list. Eastern Michigan is a public institution located in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 173 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Aurora University. The school came in at #3 for the Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s. This medium-sized school is located in Aurora, Illinois, and it awarded 167 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
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%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Ohio State University - Main Campus. The school came in at #4 for the Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s. Ohio State University - Main Campus is a public institution located in Columbus, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 165 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Read more about Social Work at Ohio State University - Main Campus
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis. The school came in at #5 for the Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s. Located in Indianapolis, Indiana, this large public school awarded 164 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis Social Work Report
Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s ranking. Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global is a private not-for-profit institution located in Marion, Indiana. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 127 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Social Work at Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global
With a ranking of #7, Wayne State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s list. Wayne State University is located in Detroit, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 123 bachelors’s social work degrees to qualified students.
Grand Valley State University ranked #8 on this year’s Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s list. Grand Valley State University is a large school located in Allendale, Michigan that handed out 112 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%.
Ohio University - Athens Campus landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s ranking. Ohio University - Athens Campus is a large public school situated in Athens, Ohio. It awarded 110 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #10, Northeastern Illinois University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s list. Northeastern Illinois University is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 102 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Social Work at Northeastern Illinois University
Youngstown State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #11. Located in Youngstown, Ohio, this fairly large public school handed out 101 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Social Work at Youngstown State University
Saginaw Valley State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #12. This medium-sized school is located in University Center, Michigan, and it awarded 88 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.8% 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 Saginaw Valley State University
Cleveland State University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s ranking. Cleveland State University is a public institution located in Cleveland, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 85 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Spring Arbor University ranked #14 on this year’s Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s list. Spring Arbor, Michigan is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 83 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Wisconsin - Whitewater ranked #15 on this year’s Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s list. This fairly large school is located in Whitewater, Wisconsin, and it awarded 80 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
Full University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Social Work Report
University of Akron Main Campus landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Akron, Ohio, this fairly large public school awarded 77 degrees to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Social Work at University of Akron Main Campus
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee ranked #16 on this year’s Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s list. University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 77 bachelors’s social work degrees to qualified students.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #18 on this year’s Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 68 bachelors’s social work degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Social Work at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Oakland University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s ranking. This fairly large school is located in Rochester Hills, Michigan, and it awarded 68 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%.
Bowling Green State University - Main Campus landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s ranking. Bowling Green State University - Main Campus is a fairly large public school situated in Bowling Green, Ohio. It awarded 68 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Social Work at Bowling Green State University - Main Campus
University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #21. Madison, Wisconsin is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 67 students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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 University of Wisconsin - Madison
Ball State University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s ranking. Ball State is a public institution located in Muncie, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 66 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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%.
University of Toledo ranked #23 on this year’s Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Toledo, Ohio, this fairly large public school handed out 65 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2020-2021.
University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #23. Eau Claire, Wisconsin is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 65 students in 2020-2021.
Illinois State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #25. Illinois State is a large school located in Normal, Illinois that handed out 60 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%.
Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s ranking. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is located in Carbondale, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 60 bachelors’s social work degrees to qualified students.
Read full report on Social Work at Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
