2023 Best Social Work Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region
22
Ranked Colleges
3,132
Degrees Awarded
$44,574
Avg Salary
When it comes to choosing a college, veterans have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Social Work for a Master’s” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
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 Southwest region, there were 6,355 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,306 and $23,188 respectively.
This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Social Work for a Master’s” ranking analyzed 22 colleges that offered a degree 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.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the social work program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran satisfaction. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Social Work for a Master’s” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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 by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Social Work for a Master’s
The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region master’s degree vets studying social work.
Top 22 Best Social Work Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Oklahoma Norman Campus. The school came in at #1 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Social Work for a Master’s. University of Oklahoma is a large public school situated in Norman, Oklahoma. It awarded 153 masters’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southwest region master’s degree vets studying social work list, University of Oklahoma has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.Among the 27,772 students enrolled at University of Oklahoma Norman Campus, 12 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 10 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,720. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of Oklahoma Norman Campus does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, 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 More…
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas at Arlington. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Social Work for a Master’s list. UT Arlington is located in Arlington, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 679 masters’s social work degrees to qualified students.
UT Arlington also took the #2 spot in our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.According to our most recent data, UT Arlington supports 48,072 students, and 2,109 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1,211 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,630. During this same period, 0 students qualified for 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 The University of Texas at Arlington]](/colleges/the-university-of-texas-at-arlington/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Houston. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Social Work for a Master’s list. This large school is located in Houston, Texas, and it awarded 226 masters’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UH, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.According to our most recent data, UH supports 47,090 students, and 1,382 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 730 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,264. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. UH offers credit for military training for eligible students.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 More…
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Texas Christian University. The school came in at #4 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Social Work for a Master’s. TCU is a fairly large school located in Fort Worth, Texas that handed out 21 masters’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
TCU also made our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #3.Among the 11,379 students enrolled at Texas Christian University, 520 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 405 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $23,096. On top of their other funding sources, 343 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas at Austin. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Social Work for a Master’s list. Austin, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s social work degrees to 155 students in 2020-2021.
UT Austin not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list.Among the 50,476 students enrolled at UT Austin, 7 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 $2,893. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read More…
Texas State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Social Work for a Master’s ranking. San Marcos, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s social work degrees to 98 students in 2020-2021.
Texas State also took the #10 spot in our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.Of the 37,812 students enrolled at Texas State, 2,559 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1,197 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,635. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Full Texas State University Veteran Student Life Report
Northern Arizona University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Social Work for a Master’s ranking. NAU is a large school located in Flagstaff, Arizona that handed out 43 masters’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
NAU also took the #8 spot in our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.Among the 29,566 students enrolled at NAU, 1,055 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 622 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,378. On top of their other funding sources, 56 students received scholarships through 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%.
Full Northern Arizona University Veteran Student Life Report
Tarleton State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Social Work for a Master’s ranking. Tarleton State University is a fairly large school located in Stephenville, Texas that handed out 50 masters’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
Tarleton not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list.Our most recent data shows that 755 of the 14,016 students enrolled at Tarleton were GI Bill® students, of which 317 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,304. 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.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Tarleton State University]](/colleges/tarleton-state-university/student-life/veterans/)
The University of Texas at San Antonio landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Social Work for a Master’s ranking. The University of Texas at San Antonio is located in San Antonio, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 76 masters’s social work degrees to qualified students.
UTSA also made our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #23.Of the 34,742 students enrolled at UTSA, 3,565 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1,847 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,531. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. UTSA offers credit for military training for eligible students.
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 UTSA Veteran Student Life Report
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley ranked #10 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Social Work for a Master’s list. UT Rio Grande Valley is a public institution located in Edinburg, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 126 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UT Rio Grande Valley also made our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #9.Our most recent data shows that 871 of the 32,441 students enrolled at UT Rio Grande Valley were GI Bill® students, of which 302 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,560. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. UT Rio Grande Valley offers 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%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley]](/colleges/the-university-of-texas-pan-american/student-life/veterans/)
University of North Texas ranked #11 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Social Work for a Master’s list. UNT is located in Denton, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 18 masters’s social work degrees to qualified students.
UNT did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list.Of the 40,953 students enrolled at University of North Texas, 2,038 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1,138 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $9,999. 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.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full UNT Veteran Student Life Report
With a ranking of #12, Stephen F Austin State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Social Work for a Master’s list. SFASU is a fairly large school located in Nacogdoches, Texas that handed out 70 masters’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southwest region master’s degree vets studying social work list, SFASU has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.According to our most recent data, SFASU supports 12,620 students, and 427 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 177 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,500. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. SFASU does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Read More…
New Mexico State University - Main Campus came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Social Work for a Master’s ranking. NMSU Main Campus is located in Las Cruces, New Mexico and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 65 masters’s social work degrees to qualified students.
NMSU Main Campus also took the #15 spot in our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.Among the 14,227 students enrolled at NMSU Main Campus, 620 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 285 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $3,880. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. NMSU Main Campus offers credit for military training for eligible students.
[Read full report on veteran student life at New Mexico State University - Main Campus]](/colleges/new-mexico-state-university-main-campus/student-life/veterans/)
Texas Woman’s University ranked #14 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Social Work for a Master’s list. Located in Denton, Texas, this fairly large public school handed out 20 diplomas to qualified masters’s social work students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southwest region master’s degree vets studying social work list, TWU has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 495 of the 16,433 students enrolled at TWU were GI Bill® students, of which 251 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,466. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Read More…
Texas A&M University - Commerce landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Social Work for a Master’s ranking. This fairly large school is located in Commerce, Texas, and it awarded 50 masters’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
Texas A&M Commerce also made our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #17.Our most recent data shows that 594 of the 12,249 students enrolled at Texas A&M University - Commerce were GI Bill® students, of which 337 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,401. During this same period, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Read More…
Angelo State University landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Social Work for a Master’s ranking. Angelo State is a public institution located in San Angelo, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 23 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Angelo State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #22 on our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list.According to our most recent data, Angelo State University supports 10,775 students, and 507 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 225 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,911. During this same period, 3 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Angelo State University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Full Angelo State Veteran Student Life Report
Northeastern State University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Social Work for a Master’s ranking. Located in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, this medium-sized public school handed out 27 degrees to qualified masters’s social work students in 2020-2021.
NSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list.Among the 7,349 students enrolled at Northeastern State University, 304 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 118 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,801. In addition to receiving other benefits, 1 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%.
Read More…
Our Lady of the Lake University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Social Work for a Master’s ranking. This small school is located in San Antonio, Texas, and it awarded 309 masters’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
OLLU also made our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #11.Among the 2,771 students enrolled at OLLU, 245 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 125 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $14,248. To help with additional expenses, 34 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. OLLU does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Full Our Lady of the Lake University Veteran Student Life Report
With a ranking of #19, Western New Mexico University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Social Work for a Master’s list. Western New Mexico University is located in Silver City, New Mexico and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 138 masters’s social work degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Western New Mexico University, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 99 of the 2,896 students enrolled at Western New Mexico University were GI Bill® students, of which 50 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,538. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Western New Mexico University]](/colleges/western-new-mexico-university/student-life/veterans/)
West Texas A&M University ranked #20 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Social Work for a Master’s list. West Texas A&M University is a public institution located in Canyon, Texas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 18 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southwest region master’s degree vets studying social work list, West Texas A&M University has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.Among the 10,036 students enrolled at West Texas A&M University, 446 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 191 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,617. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. West Texas A&M University offers credit for military training for eligible students.
Read More…
Baylor University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Social Work for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #21. Waco, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s social work degrees to 155 students in 2020-2021.
Baylor did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list.Among the 19,297 students enrolled at Baylor University, 876 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 593 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $17,744. On top of their other funding sources, 263 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Baylor University offers credit for military training for eligible students.
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 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 Baylor Veteran Student Life Report
With a ranking of #22, The University of Texas at El Paso did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Social Work for a Master’s list. This large school is located in El Paso, Texas, and it awarded 36 masters’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
UTEP also made our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #21.According to our most recent data, The University of Texas at El Paso supports 24,879 students, and 1,873 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 942 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,990. On top of their other funding sources, 2 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
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Notes and References
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
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