2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.
In 2019-2020, 56,762 social work students received their degree, making the major the 8th most popular in the country.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 9,933 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 4,146 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking analyzed 91 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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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 in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region
The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region bachelor’s degree social work students.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Social Work in the Great Lakes Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - River Falls. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. UW - River Falls is located in River Falls, Wisconsin and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 21 bachelors’s social work degrees to qualified students.
UW - River Falls also took the #5 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - River Falls is $13,748 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree social work students.
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%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region. 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.
In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree social work students list, UW - Eau Claire has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UW - Eau Claire is $16,020 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students.
Out of the 91 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global landed the #3 spot on the list. Marion, Indiana is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 173 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree social work students list, IWU has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $22,207 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree social work students per year to attend IWU.
Full Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global Social Work Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point is a medium-sized school located in Stevens Point, Wisconsin that handed out 61 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree social work students list, UW - Stevens Point has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UW - Stevens Point is $14,465 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree social work students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region. University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh is a fairly large school located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin that handed out 35 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
UW Oshkosh also made our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #12. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh is $15,463 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students.
University of Wisconsin - Green Bay landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and it awarded 31 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
UW - Green Bay did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Green Bay is $14,395 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree social work students.
Read more about Social Work at University of Wisconsin - Green Bay
With a ranking of #7, University of Wisconsin - Superior did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Superior, Wisconsin is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 38 students in 2019-2020.
UW - Superior did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Superior is $13,774 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students.
With a ranking of #8, Western Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. WIU is a medium-sized school located in Macomb, Illinois that handed out 39 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Western Illinois University is $16,210 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree social work students.
With a ranking of #9, Saint Augustine College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Saint Augustine College is a small school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 25 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend St. Augustine College is $12,193 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree social work students.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Edwardsville, Illinois 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.
The yearly cost to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is $14,423 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students.
Full Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Social Work Report
University of Wisconsin - Whitewater ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. This fairly large school is located in Whitewater, Wisconsin, and it awarded 69 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Whitewater is $15,249 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree social work students.
Full University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Social Work Report
With a ranking of #12, Ferris State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Big Rapids, Michigan is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 67 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $12,889 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students per year to attend Ferris.
Youngstown State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #13. Youngstown, Ohio is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 81 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $11,947 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students per year to attend Youngstown State University.
Read full report on Social Work at Youngstown State University
Purdue University Northwest came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Hammond, Indiana, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $11,250 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students per year to attend Purdue Northwest.
Western Michigan University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #15. WMU is a public institution located in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 65 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $19,433 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree social work students per year to attend WMU.
Grand Valley State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #16. Allendale, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 90 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at GVSU, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $17,646 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree social work students per year to attend Grand Valley State University.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Mount Vernon Nazarene University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. MVNU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Mount Vernon, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 38 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
MVNU also took the #11 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $20,282 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students per year to attend Mount Vernon Nazarene University.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #18. Carbondale, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 47 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Southern Illinois University Carbondale is $16,945 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students.
With a ranking of #19, Bowling Green State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Bowling Green, Ohio is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 57 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $18,394 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree social work students per year to attend Bowling Green State University - Main Campus.
Read full report on Social Work at Bowling Green State University - Main Campus
Illinois State University landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Illinois State is a public institution located in Normal, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 51 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Illinois State also took the #14 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois State University is $20,895 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students.
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 ranking of #21, Eastern Michigan University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Eastern Michigan University is located in Ypsilanti, Michigan and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 160 bachelors’s social work degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend Eastern Michigan is $15,924 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students.
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, this large public school awarded 94 degrees to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2019-2020.
UWM also made our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #20. It costs about $17,876 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree social work students per year to attend UWM.
University of Southern Indiana landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. University of Southern Indiana is a public institution located in Evansville, Indiana. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 59 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $13,437 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree social work students per year to attend University of Southern Indiana.
The low student loan default rate of 5.0% 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%.
Governors State University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. GSU is a small school located in University Park, Illinois that handed out 44 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $12,077 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree social work students per year to attend GSU.
University of Illinois at Springfield ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Springfield, Illinois, this small public school awarded 19 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $12,477 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students per year to attend UIS.
Read full report on Social Work at University of Illinois at Springfield
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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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