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2023 Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k

438 Ranked Colleges
57,401 Degrees Awarded
Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

With 57,401 degrees handed out in 2020-2021, social work is the 9th most popular major in the United States.

For this year’s “Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, we looked at 438 colleges that offer a degree in social work. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality social work programs that also have a lower cost than 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Social Work Schools

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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 “Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k”.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. 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 Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Social Work (Income $48-$75k)

1

Out of the 438 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Columbia University in the City of New York landed the #1 spot on the list. Columbia University in the City of New York is a private not-for-profit institution located in New York, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 501 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Columbia, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Social Work Schools” ranking. It costs about $8,106 for Social Work students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Columbia.

The undergraduate 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. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, 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 undergraduate students.

Read more about Social Work at Columbia University in the City of New York

2
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 #2 for the Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s social work degrees to 175 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UChicago, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Social Work Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Chicago is $8,375 for Social Work students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%.

Read more about Social Work at University of Chicago

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 197 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Berkeley also made our “Best Social Work Schools” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $13,423 for social work students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Social Work at UC Berkeley

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k. This large school is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and it awarded 403 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

U-M also made our “Best Social Work Schools” list, coming in at #9. It costs about $10,481 for Social Work students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend U-M.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Read more about Social Work at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

5

Out of the 438 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #5 spot on the list. Seattle, Washington is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social work degrees to 140 students in 2020-2021.

UW Seattle did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Social Work Schools” list. It costs about $8,393 for social work students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UW Seattle.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Social Work at University of Washington - Seattle Campus

6

Washington University in St Louis did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #6. Washington University in St Louis is a fairly large school located in Saint Louis, Missouri that handed out 267 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

WUSTL also took the #6 spot in our “Best Social Work Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for WUSTL is $8,149 for Social Work students whose families make $48-$75k.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Social Work at Washington University in St Louis

7

California State University - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #7. Cal State LA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 308 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for Cal State LA is $5,700 for social work students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low undergrad 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%.

Read more about Social Work at Cal State LA

8
Hunter crest
Hunter College
New York, New York

Hunter College landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. New York, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social work degrees to 661 students in 2020-2021.

Hunter excels when it comes to social work quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Social Work Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Hunter College is $6,908 for Social Work students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low undergrad 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%.

Full Hunter Social Work Report

9
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #9. University of Pennsylvania is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 180 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.

UPenn also took the #8 spot in our “Best Social Work Schools” ranking. It costs about $12,020 for Social Work students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UPenn.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Pennsylvania Social Work Report

10
Camden County College crest
Camden County College
Blackwood, New Jersey

Camden County College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Camden County College is located in Blackwood, New Jersey and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 38 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.

Camden County College excels when it comes to social work quality. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. It costs about $7,439 for social work students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Camden County College.

Read more about Social Work at Camden County College

11

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. UT Rio Grande Valley is a large public school situated in Edinburg, Texas. It awarded 281 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend UT Rio Grande Valley is $5,452 for social work students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Social Work at UT Rio Grande Valley

12

California State University - Fresno came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Fresno, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social work degrees to 184 students in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fresno is $8,030 for Social Work students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Social Work at California State University - Fresno

13
Bristol crest
Bristol Community College
Fall River, Massachusetts

Bristol Community College landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Fall River, Massachusetts is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social work degrees to 27 students in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend Bristol is $7,443 for social work students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Social Work at Bristol

14

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a large school located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina that handed out 137 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

On top of its placing in this ranking, UNC Chapel Hill also did well on our “Best Social Work Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Social Work Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UNC Chapel Hill is $11,619 for Social Work students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Social Work at UNC Chapel Hill

15

California State University - San Bernardino came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. CSUSB is located in San Bernardino, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 153 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on this list, CSUSB is in the top on our “Best Social Work Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - San Bernardino is $9,854 for social work students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Full CSUSB Social Work Report

16

University of California - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #16. UCLA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 92 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.

UCLA also made our “Best Social Work Schools” list, coming in at #13. The estimated yearly cost for UCLA is $12,644 for social work students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low undergrad 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 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full UCLA Social Work Report

17
Lehman crest
Lehman College
Bronx, New York

Lehman College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #17. Lehman College is a fairly large public school situated in Bronx, New York. It awarded 213 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend Lehman College is $8,084 for social work students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Social Work at Lehman College

18

University of Wisconsin - Madison ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in Madison, Wisconsin, and it awarded 208 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

UW - Madison not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Social Work Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UW - Madison is $10,364 for Social Work students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Social Work at University of Wisconsin - Madison

19

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #19. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 226 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Social Work Schools” list. It costs about $11,505 for social work students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Social Work at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

20
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, Florida

Florida State University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Florida State University is a public institution located in Tallahassee, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 101 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Florida State also claimed a top spot on our “Best Social Work Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Social Work Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Florida State is $11,506 for Social Work students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.8% 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 Florida State Social Work Report

21
FAU crest
Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, Florida

Florida Atlantic University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #21. FAU is a public institution located in Boca Raton, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 208 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, FAU is also in the top of our “Best Social Work Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for Florida Atlantic University is $12,323 for Social Work students whose families make $48-$75k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full FAU Social Work Report

22

Florida International University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #22. Miami, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social work degrees to 79 students in 2020-2021.

FIU also claimed a top spot on our “Best Social Work Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Social Work Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for FIU is $7,292 for social work students whose families make $48-$75k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Social Work at FIU

23

California State University - Long Beach did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #23. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school awarded 301 degrees to qualified ’s social work students in 2020-2021.

CSULB excels when it comes to social work quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Social Work Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend CSULB is $11,189 for Social Work students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad 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 full report on Social Work at California State University - Long Beach

24

University of South Florida - Main Campus landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Tampa, Florida, this large public school awarded 182 diplomas to qualified ’s social work students in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend University of South Florida - Main Campus is $9,669 for social work students whose families make $48-$75k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Social Work at University of South Florida - Main Campus

25

With a ranking of #25, Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Ohio State is a large public school situated in Columbus, Ohio. It awarded 526 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.

Ohio State also took the #17 spot in our “Best Social Work Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Ohio State University - Main Campus is $13,273 for Social Work students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low undergrad 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%.

Read full report on Social Work at Ohio State

Rest of the Best 50 in Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k

Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26
York crest
York College
Jamaica, New York
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California
35
U of U crest
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
36
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California
37
38
39
39
Rutgers Camden crest
Rutgers University - Camden
Camden, New Jersey
41
42
NAU crest
Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff, Arizona
43
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45
UW crest
University of Wyoming
Laramie, Wyoming
45
47
48
49
50
Murray State crest
Murray State University
Murray, Kentucky

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Best Value Social Work Schools For Those Making $48-$75k

While not in the ’top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

RankCollegeLocation
51University of GeorgiaAthens, GA
52Texas Woman’s UniversityDenton, TX
53California State University - BakersfieldBakersfield, CA
54Brigham Young University - IdahoRexburg, ID
55Rutgers University - NewarkNewark, NJ
56Minot State UniversityMinot, ND
57San Juan CollegeFarmington, NM
58Fayetteville State UniversityFayetteville, NC
59Northern Kentucky UniversityHighland Heights, KY
60University of Wisconsin - Eau ClaireEau Claire, WI
61Boston UniversityBoston, MA
62Colorado State University - Fort CollinsFort Collins, CO
63Capital Community CollegeHartford, CT
64California State University - East BayHayward, CA
65Brigham Young University - ProvoProvo, UT
RankCollegeLocation
66Boston CollegeChestnut Hill, MA

Notes and References

References

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