2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
With 56,762 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, social work is the 8th most popular major in the United States.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 21,554 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 449 colleges that offer a degree in social work. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great social work programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the social work program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” 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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Social Work (Income $0-$30k)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Lehman College. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. Lehman College is a fairly large school located in Bronx, New York that handed out 136 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Lehman is also in the top of our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $234 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Lehman College.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Madison, Wisconsin is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 71 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k list, UW - Madison has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $4,367 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UW - Madison.
The student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Hunter College. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. Hunter is a large school located in New York, New York that handed out 49 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $320 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Hunter College.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 449 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Los Angeles landed the #4 spot on the list. California State University - Los Angeles is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 224 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
On top of its placing in this ranking, Cal State LA also did well on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Los Angeles is $1,379 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 90 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
UC Berkeley also made our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #1. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Berkeley is $8,392 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #6, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 78 students in 2019-2020.
UIUC also took the #9 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UIUC is $5,477 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Social Work at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Edinburg, Texas, this large public school awarded 121 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for UT Rio Grande Valley is $2,993 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Social Work at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
York College landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. York College is a medium-sized school located in Jamaica, New York that handed out 79 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend York College is $1,826 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k.
University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is located in Seattle, Washington and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 33 bachelors’s social work degrees to qualified students.
UW Seattle also took the #16 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $7,850 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UW Seattle.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Social Work at University of Washington - Seattle Campus
With a ranking of #10, Florida International University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Miami, Florida, and it awarded 71 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend FIU is $5,002 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
With a ranking of #11, University of South Florida - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. USF Tampa is a large public school situated in Tampa, Florida. It awarded 79 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for USF Tampa is $3,950 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
California State University - Fresno ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - Fresno is located in Fresno, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 119 bachelors’s social work degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fresno is $3,264 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Social Work at California State University - Fresno
Florida State University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Tallahassee, Florida, this large public school awarded 104 degrees to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2019-2020.
Florida State also claimed a top spot on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for Florida State University is $5,360 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #14, University of Central Florida did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Orlando, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 123 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Central Florida is $6,211 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Social Work at University of Central Florida
Ohio State University - Main Campus came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Columbus, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 154 students in 2019-2020.
Ohio State also made our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #24. The yearly cost to attend Ohio State is $8,194 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #16, The University of West Florida did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. The University of West Florida is a fairly large public school situated in Pensacola, Florida. It awarded 73 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend The University of West Florida is $4,140 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read more about Social Work at The University of West Florida
Michigan State University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Michigan State University is located in East Lansing, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 43 bachelors’s social work degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Michigan State is also in the top of our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend Michigan State is $6,686 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low 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 91%.
Read full report on Social Work at Michigan State University
Indiana University - Northwest landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. IU Northwest is a public institution located in Gary, Indiana. The school has a small population, and it awarded 30 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $3,287 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend IU Northwest.
Minot State University landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. MSU is located in Minot, North Dakota and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 60 bachelors’s social work degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k list, MSU has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for MSU is $8,923 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $0-$30k.
University of Maryland - Baltimore County came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UMBC is a public institution located in Baltimore, Maryland. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 112 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k list, UMBC has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Maryland - Baltimore County is $10,820 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 4.3% 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%.
With a ranking of #21, University of Minnesota - Duluth did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. UMN Duluth is a public institution located in Duluth, Minnesota. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 25 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UMN Duluth is also in the top of our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for University of Minnesota - Duluth is $7,443 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Social Work at University of Minnesota - Duluth
With a ranking of #22, Northern Kentucky University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. NKU is a fairly large school located in Highland Heights, Kentucky that handed out 69 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for NKU is $4,156 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $0-$30k.
California State University - Long Beach ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school awarded 69 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2019-2020.
CSULB also claimed a top spot on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. It costs about $6,364 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend CSULB.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Wisconsin - River Falls ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. UW - River Falls is a public institution located in River Falls, Wisconsin. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UW - River Falls also took the #23 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $8,366 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Wisconsin - River Falls.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Wisconsin - River Falls Social Work Report
San Diego State University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in San Diego, California, this large public school handed out 106 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, SDSU is also in the top of our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend San Diego State University is $8,870 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Rest of the Best 50 in Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k
While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Ball State University | Muncie, IN |
| 52 | Bemidji State University | Bemidji, MN |
| 53 | University of Northern Iowa | Cedar Falls, IA |
| 54 | University of Alaska Fairbanks | Fairbanks, AK |
| 55 | Indiana University - South Bend | South Bend, IN |
| 56 | University of Nevada - Reno | Reno, NV |
| 57 | University of Southern Indiana | Evansville, IN |
| 58 | University of Georgia | Athens, GA |
| 59 | University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh | Oshkosh, WI |
| 60 | Rhode Island College | Providence, RI |
| 61 | Indiana University - East | Richmond, IN |
| 62 | University of North Dakota | Grand Forks, ND |
| 62 | University of Wisconsin - Whitewater | Whitewater, WI |
| 64 | Shepherd University | Shepherdstown, WV |
| 65 | University of Utah | Salt Lake City, UT |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 66 | Minnesota State University - Mankato | Mankato, MN |
| 67 | University of Wisconsin - Superior | Superior, WI |
| 68 | Saint Cloud State University | Saint Cloud, MN |
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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).
- 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
Footnotes
- *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
- 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.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Army Medicine.
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