College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2023 Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in the Great Lakes Region

10 Ranked Colleges
56 Degrees Awarded
$35,500 Avg Cost*
Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Social Work for a Doctorate

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, veterans have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Social Work for a Doctorate” ranking.

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.

This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Social Work for a Doctorate” ranking looked at 10 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 a strong support system for veterans and active service members.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the social work program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran population. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Social Work Rankings Other Ranking Categories

The social work school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Social Work for a Doctorate”.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most 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 Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Social Work for a Doctorate

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Social Work for a Doctorate”.

Top 10 Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in the Great Lakes Region

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Ohio State University - Main Campus. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Social Work for a Doctorate list. Ohio State is a public institution located in Columbus, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Ohio State also made our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #5.Among the 61,369 students enrolled at Ohio State University - Main Campus, 2 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Ohio State University - Main Campus does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read More…

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. The school came in at #2 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Social Work for a Doctorate. This large school is located in Madison, Wisconsin, and it awarded 8 doctorate’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

UW - Madison also took the #2 spot in our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.According to our most recent data, University of Wisconsin - Madison supports 44,640 students, and 4 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 0 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of Wisconsin - Madison offers credit for military training for eligible students.

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 low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 Wisconsin - Madison Veteran Student Life Report

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Social Work for a Doctorate list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 3 doctorate’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

UIUC also made our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #3.Of the 52,679 students enrolled at UIUC, 10 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Veteran Student Life Report

4
UChicago crest
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Chicago. The school came in at #4 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Social Work for a Doctorate. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 6 degrees to qualified doctorate’s social work students in 2020-2021.

UChicago not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list.Among the 17,834 students enrolled at University of Chicago, 241 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 113 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $18,948. During this same period, 58 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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…

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Social Work for a Doctorate list. IUPUI is located in Indianapolis, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 doctorate’s social work degrees to qualified students.

IUPUI did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list.Among the 29,390 students enrolled at Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis, 1 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,439. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 IUPUI Veteran Student Life Report

6
Loyola Chicago crest
Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Social Work for a Doctorate ranking. Loyola University Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 6 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Loyola Chicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list.According to our most recent data, Loyola University Chicago supports 16,893 students, and 261 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 165 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $17,263. On top of their other funding sources, 78 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 85%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Loyola Chicago]](/colleges/loyola-university-chicago/student-life/veterans/)

7

University of Illinois at Chicago ranked #7 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Social Work for a Doctorate list. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 3 doctorate’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

UIC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list.Among the 33,518 students enrolled at UIC, 1 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $23,878. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 UIC Veteran Student Life Report

8
Aurora crest
Aurora University
Aurora, Illinois

Aurora University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Social Work for a Doctorate ranking. Aurora University is located in Aurora, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 9 doctorate’s social work degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Aurora, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.Among the 6,265 students enrolled at Aurora, 3 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,999. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

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

[Read full report on veteran student life at Aurora]](/colleges/aurora-university/student-life/veterans/)

9

Case Western Reserve University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Social Work for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #9. Cleveland, Ohio is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s social work degrees to 5 students in 2020-2021.

Case Western not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list.Among the 11,465 students enrolled at Case Western, 109 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 69 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $18,799. In addition to receiving other benefits, 35 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Case Western Veteran Student Life Report

10
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan

Michigan State University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Social Work for a Doctorate ranking. East Lansing, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s social work degrees to 3 students in 2020-2021.

Michigan State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Social Work Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list.Of the 49,695 students enrolled at Michigan State, 2 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $14,686. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Michigan State]](/colleges/michigan-state-university/student-life/veterans/)

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

Credits

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options