2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Social Work (Income $30-$48k)
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
Social Work is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 8th of all the majors we analyze. In 2019-2020, 56,762 degrees were awarded to students with this major.
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.
This year’s “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 447 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in social work. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent social work programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the social work program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. 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 “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Social Work (Income $30-$48k)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k 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.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Madison, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Madison is $6,860 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $30-$48k.
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 student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Social Work at University of Wisconsin - Madison
Out of the 447 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Los Angeles landed the #2 spot on the list. Cal State LA is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 224 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Cal State LA also claimed a top spot on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Los Angeles is $2,117 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low student loan default rate of 1.4% 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 California State University - Los Angeles
Out of the 447 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Hunter College landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 49 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $2,394 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $30-$48k 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%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lehman College. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. This fairly large school is located in Bronx, New York, and it awarded 136 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
Lehman excels when it comes to social work quality. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend Lehman is $3,289 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $30-$48k.
Out of the 447 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley landed the #5 spot on the list. This large school is located in Edinburg, Texas, and it awarded 121 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend UT Rio Grande Valley is $3,473 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $30-$48k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Social Work at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
With a ranking of #6, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of California - Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 90 bachelors’s social work degrees to qualified students.
UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Berkeley is $9,130 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $30-$48k.
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 freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in Seattle, Washington, and it awarded 33 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
UW Seattle not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $7,467 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UW Seattle.
The low student loan default rate of 2.2% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
California State University - Fresno landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Fresno, California, this large public school handed out 119 degrees to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $3,731 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California State University - Fresno.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
Full California State University - Fresno Social Work Report
York College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. York is located in Jamaica, New York and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 79 bachelors’s social work degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend York is $3,967 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $30-$48k.
The University of West Florida ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. The University of West Florida is a fairly large school located in Pensacola, Florida that handed out 73 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for UWF is $3,912 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $30-$48k.
Read full report on Social Work at The University of West Florida
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 78 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
UIUC also made our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $8,464 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 2.4% 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 about Social Work at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Florida International University landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in Miami, Florida, and it awarded 71 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Florida International University is $6,683 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Read more about Social Work at Florida International University
University of South Florida - Main Campus ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Tampa, Florida, this large public school awarded 79 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for University of South Florida - Main Campus is $5,616 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $30-$48k.
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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Social Work at University of South Florida - Main Campus
With a ranking of #14, Minot State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. MSU is a public institution located in Minot, North Dakota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 60 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
MSU also made our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend Minot State University is $8,187 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a ranking of #15, University of Wyoming did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. UW is a fairly large public school situated in Laramie, Wyoming. It awarded 38 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
UW excels when it comes to social work quality. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wyoming is $9,200 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $30-$48k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Florida State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #16. Located in Tallahassee, Florida, this large public school handed out 104 diplomas 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 reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend Florida State University is $6,816 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 3.5% 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%.
Ohio State University - Main Campus landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in Columbus, Ohio, and it awarded 154 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Ohio State, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Ohio State University - Main Campus is $10,037 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low student loan default rate of 4.4% 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 freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read more about Social Work at Ohio State University - Main Campus
University of Central Florida ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Orlando, Florida, this large public school awarded 123 degrees to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for UCF is $7,847 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, 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 students.
Read more about Social Work at University of Central Florida
Indiana University - Northwest came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This small school is located in Gary, Indiana, and it awarded 30 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Indiana University - Northwest is $4,960 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $30-$48k.
University of Minnesota - Duluth came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Minnesota - Duluth is a fairly large public school situated in Duluth, Minnesota. It awarded 25 bachelors’s social work 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 ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $7,992 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Minnesota - Duluth.
The low student loan default rate of 3.1% 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 University of Minnesota - Duluth
Heritage University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Heritage University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Toppenish, Washington. The school has a small population, and it awarded 59 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Heritage University is $10,065 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $30-$48k.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
California State University - Long Beach came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. California State University - Long Beach is a large public school situated in Long Beach, California. It awarded 69 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, CSULB 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 $7,595 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California State University - Long Beach.
The low student loan default rate of 1.6% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
With a ranking of #23, California State University - San Bernardino did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. California State University - San Bernardino is a public institution located in San Bernardino, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 52 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend CSUSB is $5,869 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #24, University of Wisconsin - River Falls did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. UW - River Falls is a medium-sized public school situated in River Falls, Wisconsin. It awarded 21 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
UW - River Falls did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UW - River Falls is $10,124 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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 #25, Northern Kentucky University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Highland Heights, Kentucky is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 69 students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend NKU is $6,295 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $30-$48k.
Read full report on Social Work at Northern Kentucky University
Rest of the Best 50 in Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k
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 $30-$48k
While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Indiana University - South Bend | South Bend, IN |
| 52 | Minnesota State University - Mankato | Mankato, MN |
| 53 | University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh | Oshkosh, WI |
| 54 | University of North Dakota | Grand Forks, ND |
| 55 | Saint Cloud State University | Saint Cloud, MN |
| 56 | Northeastern State University | Tahlequah, OK |
| 57 | University of Wisconsin - Superior | Superior, WI |
| 58 | University of Missouri - St Louis | Saint Louis, MO |
| 59 | Indiana University - East | Richmond, IN |
| 60 | Shepherd University | Shepherdstown, WV |
| 61 | University of Utah | Salt Lake City, UT |
| 62 | University of Alaska Fairbanks | Fairbanks, AK |
| 63 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | Edwardsville, IL |
| 64 | San Francisco State University | San Francisco, CA |
| 65 | The University of Texas at Austin | Austin, TX |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 66 | University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras | San Juan, PR |
| 67 | Ball State University | Muncie, IN |
| 68 | Colorado State University - Fort Collins | Fort Collins, CO |
| 68 | Texas State University | San Marcos, TX |
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Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Social Work (Income $30-$48k) in the Southeast Region
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Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Social Work (Income $30-$48k) in the Rocky Mountains Region
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Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Social Work (Income $30-$48k) in the Middle Atlantic Region
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Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Social Work (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region
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Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Social Work (Income $30-$48k) in the New England Region
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Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Social Work (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region
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Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Social Work (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region
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Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Social Work (Income $30-$48k) in the Great Lakes Region
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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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