2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Social Work (With Aid)
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 Getting Aid” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
In 2019-2020, 56,762 social work students received their degree, making the major the 8th most popular in the country.
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 Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 449 colleges that offered a degree 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.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the social work program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” list to help you make the college decision.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Social Work (With Aid)
Out of the 449 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Los Angeles landed the #1 spot on the 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.
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 reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Los Angeles is $2,768 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students with aid.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - Los Angeles Social Work Report
Out of the 449 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Lehman College landed the #2 spot on the list. Lehman College is a fairly large public school situated in Bronx, New York. It awarded 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 $1,814 for bachelor’s degree social work students with aid per year to attend Lehman College.
Out of the 449 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Hunter College landed the #3 spot on the list. Hunter College is a large public school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 49 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $2,490 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students with aid 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 join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is located in Edinburg, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 121 bachelors’s social work degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend UT Rio Grande Valley is $4,514 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students with aid.
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 full report on Social Work at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Out of the 449 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, York College landed the #5 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Jamaica, New York, and it awarded 79 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for York College is $3,433 for bachelor’s degree social work students with aid.
University of Washington - Seattle Campus came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Seattle, Washington is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 33 students in 2019-2020.
UW Seattle also took the #16 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UW Seattle is $13,297 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. 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%.
With a ranking of #7, California State University - Fresno did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Fresno, California, this large public school handed out 119 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $5,464 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students with aid per year to attend Fresno State.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Social Work at California State University - Fresno
Heritage University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Toppenish, Washington is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 59 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Heritage University is $10,056 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students with aid.
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.
Minot State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #9. This small school is located in Minot, North Dakota, and it awarded 60 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
MSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $11,898 for bachelor’s degree social work students with aid per year to attend Minot State University.
With a ranking of #10, California State University - San Bernardino did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. CSUSB is a fairly large school located in San Bernardino, California that handed out 52 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $7,342 for bachelor’s degree social work students with aid per year to attend California State University - San Bernardino.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Indiana University - Northwest did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #11. Indiana University - Northwest is located in Gary, Indiana and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 30 bachelors’s social work degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for IU Northwest is $7,755 for bachelor’s degree social work students with aid.
University of North Carolina at Greensboro did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #12. Greensboro, North Carolina is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 94 students in 2019-2020.
UNC Greensboro excels when it comes to social work quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UNC Greensboro is $12,748 for bachelor’s degree social work students with aid.
Florida International University landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. 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 Florida International University is $7,296 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students with aid.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
College of Staten Island CUNY ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. College of Staten Island CUNY is located in Staten Island, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 33 bachelors’s social work degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend CSI is $5,118 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students with aid.
University of South Florida - Main Campus ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. USF Tampa is a public institution located in Tampa, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 79 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for USF Tampa is $8,355 for bachelor’s degree social work students with aid.
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%.
The University of West Florida landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. 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.
It costs about $7,406 for bachelor’s degree social work students with aid per year to attend UWF.
University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #17. UW - Madison is a public institution located in Madison, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 71 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UW - Madison not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UW - Madison is $17,708 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students with aid.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. 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 estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $15,880 for bachelor’s degree social work students with aid.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Social Work Report
California State University - Long Beach came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school awarded 69 degrees to qualified bachelors’s social work students 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. The estimated yearly cost for CSULB is $9,622 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Nevada - Las Vegas came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Nevada - Las Vegas is a large public school situated in Las Vegas, Nevada. It awarded 73 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
UNLV excels when it comes to social work quality. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend University of Nevada - Las Vegas is $11,424 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students with aid.
Rhode Island College came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Providence, Rhode Island, and it awarded 76 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
On top of its placing in this ranking, RIC also did well 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 RIC is $10,922 for bachelor’s degree social work students with aid.
University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire is a fairly large public school situated in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. It awarded 72 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Eau Claire, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UW - Eau Claire is $16,020 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students with aid.
Appalachian State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #23. Boone, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 89 students in 2019-2020.
Appalachian State excels when it comes to social work quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $13,920 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students with aid per year to attend Appalachian State.
The low student loan default rate of 3.9% 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 86%.
Florida Gulf Coast University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #24. Fort Myers, Florida is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 54 students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend FGCU is $11,606 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students with aid.
University of Wisconsin - River Falls landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. 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 not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #23 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - River Falls is $13,748 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students with aid.
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%.
Rest of the Best 51 in Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid
Not only did these schools make the top 51 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 Getting Aid
While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Rank | College | Location |
---|---|---|
52 | Saint Cloud State University | Saint Cloud, MN |
53 | Florida Atlantic University | Boca Raton, FL |
54 | Bemidji State University | Bemidji, MN |
55 | University of North Dakota | Grand Forks, ND |
56 | University of Alaska Fairbanks | Fairbanks, AK |
57 | Indiana University - East | Richmond, IN |
58 | Indiana University - South Bend | South Bend, IN |
59 | Texas State University | San Marcos, TX |
60 | North Carolina State University | Raleigh, NC |
61 | University of North Florida | Jacksonville, FL |
62 | Metropolitan State University | Saint Paul, MN |
63 | MSU Texas | Wichita Falls, TX |
64 | Utah Valley University | Orem, UT |
64 | Angelo State University | San Angelo, TX |
66 | Ball State University | Muncie, IN |
Rank | College | Location |
---|---|---|
67 | San Francisco State University | San Francisco, CA |
68 | University of Maryland - Baltimore County | Baltimore, MD |
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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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