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2023 Most Popular Colleges for Social Work in the Great Lakes Region

175 Ranked Colleges
10,408 Degrees Awarded
$30,500 Avg Cost*
Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.

Social Work is the 13th most popular major in the country with 58,326 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. 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.

For this year’s “Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, we looked at 175 colleges that offer a degree in social work. This ranking identifies schools that graduate the most students in social work.

For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. 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.

Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region”.

1
Aurora crest
Aurora University
Aurora, Illinois

Out of the 175 schools in the Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Aurora University landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Aurora, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 712 degrees to qualified ’s social work students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.2% 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%.

Full Aurora Social Work Report

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Indianapolis, Indiana, this large public school handed out 617 degrees to qualified ’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%.

Read more about Social Work at Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis

3

Out of the 175 schools in the Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Ohio State University - Main Campus landed the #3 spot on the list. Ohio State is a large school located in Columbus, Ohio that handed out 526 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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%.

Read more about Social Work at Ohio State University - Main Campus

4
Wayne State crest
Wayne State University
Detroit, Michigan

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Wayne State University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Wayne State University is a large school located in Detroit, Michigan that handed out 454 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Wayne State Social Work Report

5

Out of the 175 schools in the Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #5 spot on the list. This large school is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and it awarded 403 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full U-M Social Work Report

6
Loyola Chicago crest
Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #6, Loyola University Chicago did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Loyola University Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 317 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Social Work at Loyola University Chicago

7

Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Marion, Indiana, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 283 degrees to qualified ’s social work students 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

8

University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. UWM is a public institution located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 254 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Social Work at University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

9

University of Illinois at Chicago ranked #9 on this year’s Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Illinois at Chicago is a large public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 251 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Social Work at UIC

10
Eastern Michigan crest
Eastern Michigan University
Ypsilanti, Michigan

Eastern Michigan University ranked #10 on this year’s Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Eastern Michigan is a public institution located in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 236 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Eastern Michigan Social Work Report

11

With a ranking of #11, Grand Valley State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Allendale, Michigan, this large public school handed out 227 diplomas to qualified ’s social work students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Social Work at Grand Valley State University

12

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #12 on this year’s Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social work degrees to 226 students in 2020-2021.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Social Work Report

13
Purdue University Global crest
Purdue University Global
Indianapolis, Indiana

Purdue University Global ranked #13 on this year’s Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Purdue University Global is a large public school situated in Indianapolis, Indiana. It awarded 221 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Purdue University Global Social Work Report

14
Spring Arbor crest
Spring Arbor University
Spring Arbor, Michigan

Spring Arbor University ranked #14 on this year’s Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Spring Arbor is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Spring Arbor, Michigan. It awarded 209 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

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 Spring Arbor University Social Work Report

15

University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #15. UW - Madison is a large school located in Madison, Wisconsin that handed out 208 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, 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 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Social Work at University of Wisconsin - Madison

16

With a ranking of #16, Case Western Reserve University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Case Western is a fairly large school located in Cleveland, Ohio that handed out 202 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Social Work at Case Western Reserve University

17

Cleveland State University ranked #17 on this year’s Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, this fairly large public school awarded 185 diplomas to qualified ’s social work students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Social Work at Cleveland State University

18
UChicago crest
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

University of Chicago landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. UChicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 175 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Social Work at University of Chicago

19

Youngstown State University ranked #19 on this year’s Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Youngstown State University is located in Youngstown, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 164 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.

Full Youngstown State University Social Work Report

20

Northeastern Illinois University ranked #20 on this year’s Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Northeastern Illinois University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 163 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.

Read more about Social Work at Northeastern Illinois University

21

University of Akron Main Campus ranked #21 on this year’s Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Akron, Ohio, this fairly large public school handed out 147 diplomas to qualified ’s social work students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Social Work at University of Akron Main Campus

22
Saginaw Valley State University crest
Saginaw Valley State University
University Center, Michigan

Saginaw Valley State University landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Saginaw Valley State University is a public institution located in University Center, Michigan. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 142 ’s 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 full report on Social Work at Saginaw Valley State University

23

With a ranking of #23, Ohio University - Athens Campus did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region list. OHIO Athens is a public institution located in Athens, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 138 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Social Work at OHIO Athens

24

With a ranking of #24, University of Cincinnati - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Cincinnati, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social work degrees to 123 students in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. 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 University of Cincinnati - Main Campus Social Work Report

25

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #25. This fairly large school is located in Whitewater, Wisconsin, and it awarded 119 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Social Work at University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

Rest of the Best 27 in Most Well Attended Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region

Not only did these schools make the top 27 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

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Notes and References

References

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