College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2024 Best Social Work Bachelor's Degree Schools in Virginia

9 Colleges in Virginia
636 Bachelor's Degrees
$31,906 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #24 in popularity, social work is one of the most sought-after bachelor's degree programs in the nation. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 9 schools in Virginia to determine which ones were the best for social work students pursuing a bachelor's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 636 bachelor's degrees in social work during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Social Work School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Social Work Bachelor's Degree Schools in Virginia The social work bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Early-Career Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of bachelor's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their bachelor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for social work students working on their bachelor's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 the Best Social Work Bachelor's Degree Schools in Virginia.

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.


 

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Social Work in Virginia

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in social work.

Top Virginia Schools for a Bachelor's in Social Work

1
107 Annual Graduates
$32,157 Median Starting Salary
$25,000 Median Student Debt

Every student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in social work has to look into Virginia Commonwealth University. Located in the midsize city of Richmond, VCU is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the social work program earn around $32,157 in their early career salary.

More information about a bachelor’s in social work from Virginia Commonwealth University

2
49 Annual Graduates
$33,725 Median Starting Salary
$24,188 Median Student Debt

George Mason University is a wonderful choice for individuals pursuing a bachelor's degree in social work. GMU is a very large public university located in the suburb of Fairfax.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the social work program earn an average of $33,725 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a bachelor’s in social work from George Mason University

3
JMU crest
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA
57 Annual Graduates
$31,086 Median Starting Salary
$18,989 Median Student Debt

Any student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in social work needs to take a look at James Madison University. JMU is a very large public university located in the city of Harrisonburg.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the social work program make around $31,086 for their early career.

More information about a bachelor’s in social work from James Madison University

4
Liberty University crest
Liberty University
Lynchburg, VA
192 Annual Graduates
$31,302 Median Starting Salary
$29,000 Median Student Debt

Liberty University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in social work. Located in the city of Lynchburg, Liberty University is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the social work program make about $31,302 for their early career.

More information about a bachelor’s in social work from Liberty University

5
Radford crest
Radford University
Radford, VA
44 Annual Graduates
$30,821 Median Starting Salary
$26,000 Median Student Debt

Radford is a moderately-sized public university located in the suburb of Radford.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the social work program state that they receive average early career wages of $30,821.

More information about a bachelor’s in social work from Radford University

6
44 Annual Graduates

Located in the midsize city of Norfolk, Norfolk State is a public university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in social work from Norfolk State University

7
22 Annual Graduates
$31,721 Median Starting Salary
$25,492 Median Student Debt

CNU is a small public university located in the medium-sized city of Newport News.

Soon after graduation, social work bachelor's recipients typically earn an average of $31,721 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in social work from Christopher Newport University

8
25 Annual Graduates
$34,555 Median Starting Salary
$33,375 Median Student Debt

Mary Baldwin is a small private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Staunton.

Bachelor's recipients from the social work program at Mary Baldwin University get $2,649 more than the standard graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in social work from Mary Baldwin University

9
35 Annual Graduates
$29,882 Median Starting Salary
$31,000 Median Student Debt

Virginia State is a small public university located in the suburb of Petersburg.

Soon after graduating, social work bachelor's recipients usually earn about $29,882 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in social work from Virginia State University

Best Social Work Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Social Work Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Florida 225 839
Georgia 224 240
Tennessee 220 574
North Carolina 213 912
South Carolina 195 165
Kentucky 187 651
Alabama 184 543
Louisiana 171 268
Mississippi 169 363
Arkansas 167 269
West Virginia 147 166

View All Rankings >

One of 0 majors within the <nil> area of study, Social Work has other similar majors worth exploring.

Social Work Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Social Work 636

Notes and References

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options