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2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k

447 Ranked Colleges
21,554 Degrees Awarded
Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Making $48-$75k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking.

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 $48-$75k” ranking looked at 447 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Social Work Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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 a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k

The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $48-$75k.

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

Top 15% in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Los Angeles. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 224 students in 2019-2020.

Cal State LA 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 yearly cost to attend California State University - Los Angeles is $5,644 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%.

Read more about Social Work at California State University - Los Angeles

#16 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Seattle, Washington, this large public school handed out 33 degrees to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW Seattle, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $9,694 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UW Seattle.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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.

Read full report on Social Work at UW Seattle

#1 in overall quality

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 a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 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 UC Berkeley is $13,081 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, 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 96%.

Read more about Social Work at UC Berkeley

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in Edinburg, Texas, and it awarded 121 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for UT Rio Grande Valley is $6,405 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.8% 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%.

Read more about Social Work at UT Rio Grande Valley

#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Wisconsin - Madison is a large school located in Madison, Wisconsin that handed out 71 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $48-$75k list, UW - Madison has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UW - Madison is $13,227 for Bachelor’s Degree 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 95%. The low student loan default rate of 0.8% 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 University of Wisconsin - Madison Social Work Report

#6

Heritage University

Toppenish, Washington

Heritage University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. This small school is located in Toppenish, Washington, and it awarded 59 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Heritage University is $9,318 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Heritage University Social Work Report

#7

Hunter College

New York, New York

Hunter College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k 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 $6,894 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Hunter College.

The low student loan default rate of 4.0% 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 Hunter College

#8

Lehman College

Bronx, New York
Top 20% in overall quality

Lehman College landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Bronx, New York, this fairly large public school awarded 136 degrees to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on this list, Lehman is in the top on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend Lehman is $6,993 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Social Work at Lehman

With a ranking of #9, Florida International University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Miami, Florida, this large public school awarded 71 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend FIU is $10,298 for bachelor’s degree 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 91%.

Read more about Social Work at FIU

#9 in overall quality

With a ranking of #10, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 78 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $13,351 for bachelor’s degree 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 student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Social Work Report

#11

Minot State University

Minot, North Dakota
#6 in overall quality

Minot State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #11. MSU is a small public school situated in Minot, North Dakota. It awarded 60 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at MSU, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for MSU is $11,401 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Social Work at Minot State University

Top 25% in overall quality

California State University - Fresno did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #12. Located in Fresno, California, this large public school awarded 119 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fresno is $7,549 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 Fresno State Social Work Report

#13

The University of West Florida

Pensacola, Florida

With a ranking of #13, The University of West Florida did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k 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.

It costs about $7,511 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend The University of West Florida.

Read more about Social Work at The University of West Florida

#14

University of Wyoming

Laramie, Wyoming
Top 20% in overall quality

With a ranking of #14, University of Wyoming did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Laramie, Wyoming is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 38 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UW is also in the top of our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $11,491 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UW.

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 Wyoming

Top 25% in overall quality

University of South Florida - Main Campus ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. USF Tampa is a large public school situated in Tampa, Florida. It awarded 79 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of South Florida - Main Campus is $9,809 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.5% 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%. 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 USF Tampa

#16

University of Central Florida

Orlando, Florida

University of Central Florida ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k 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.

It costs about $11,161 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Central Florida.

The low student loan default rate of 4.2% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.

Read more about Social Work at University of Central Florida

#17

York College

Jamaica, New York

With a ranking of #17, York College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Jamaica, New York, this medium-sized public school handed out 79 degrees to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend York College is $8,209 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full York Social Work Report

Top 10% in overall quality

University of Nevada - Las Vegas ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Las Vegas, Nevada, this large public school awarded 73 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2019-2020.

On top of its placing in this ranking, UNLV also did well on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UNLV is $12,470 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full UNLV Social Work Report

With a ranking of #19, Brigham Young University - Idaho did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in Rexburg, Idaho, and it awarded 63 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $6,287 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend BYU - I.

The low student loan default rate of 3.2% 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%.

Read more about Social Work at Brigham Young University - Idaho

#20

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

With a ranking of #20, California State University - San Bernardino did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. CSUSB is located in San Bernardino, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 52 bachelors’s social work degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - San Bernardino is $8,924 for Bachelor’s Degree 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 85%.

Read more about Social Work at CSUSB

#21

Florida State University

Tallahassee, Florida
Top 15% in overall quality

With a ranking of #21, Florida State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Tallahassee, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 104 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on this list, Florida State is in the top on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for Florida State is $10,583 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Florida State University Social Work Report

Top 20% in overall quality

With a ranking of #22, California State University - Long Beach did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 69 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on this list, CSULB is in the top on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for CSULB is $10,807 for Bachelor’s Degree 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 89%. 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%.

Read more about Social Work at California State University - Long Beach

#23

Winona State University

Winona, Minnesota
#3 in overall quality

With a ranking of #23, Winona State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Winona, Minnesota is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 73 students in 2019-2020.

Winona State also made our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $15,140 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Winona State.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Social Work at Winona State University

#24

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

Eau Claire, Wisconsin
#5 in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Eau Claire, Wisconsin is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 72 students in 2019-2020.

UW - Eau Claire did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $14,887 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UW - Eau Claire.

Read more about Social Work at UW - Eau Claire

#24 in overall quality

Ohio State University - Main Campus ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Ohio State is a large school located in Columbus, Ohio that handed out 154 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

Ohio State also took the #24 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Ohio State is $13,982 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The 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 Ohio State University - Main Campus Social Work Report

Rest of the Best 50 in Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s 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:

#27

Northern Kentucky University

Highland Heights, Kentucky
#31

Texas Woman's University

Denton, Texas
#32

Florida Gulf Coast University

Fort Myers, Florida
#33

St Olaf College

Northfield, Minnesota
#34

University of Wisconsin - River Falls

River Falls, Wisconsin
#35

Dalton State College

Dalton, Georgia
#36

College of Staten Island CUNY

Staten Island, New York
#37

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

Stevens Point, Wisconsin
#38

University of North Dakota

Grand Forks, North Dakota
#39

Rhode Island College

Providence, Rhode Island
#41

Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, Minnesota
#42

Eastern Washington University

Cheney, Washington
#44

Bemidji State University

Bemidji, Minnesota
#45

University of Utah

Salt Lake City, Utah
#46

Texas State University

San Marcos, Texas
#47

University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Greensboro, North Carolina
#48

University of Wisconsin - Superior

Superior, Wisconsin
#49

Shepherd University

Shepherdstown, West Virginia
#50

Oakland University

Rochester Hills, Michigan

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

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

Rank College Location
51 Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN
52 Minnesota State University - Moorhead Moorhead, MN
52 University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA
52 University of Wisconsin - Green Bay Green Bay, WI
55 Colorado State University - Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO
56 North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC
57 Appalachian State University Boone, NC
58 University of Missouri - Columbia Columbia, MO
59 University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh Oshkosh, WI
60 Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL
60 University of Alaska Fairbanks Fairbanks, AK
62 San Diego State University San Diego, CA
63 MSU Texas Wichita Falls, TX
64 University of North Florida Jacksonville, FL
65 University of Missouri - St Louis Saint Louis, MO
Rank College Location
66 University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras San Juan, PR
67 Northeastern State University Tahlequah, OK
68 St Catherine University Saint Paul, MN

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.

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