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2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia

13 Ranked Colleges
598 Degrees Awarded
$21,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor's in Virginia

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

With 56,762 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, social work is the 8th most popular major in the United States.

Across Virginia, there were 951 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 598 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia” ranking, we looked at 13 colleges that offer a degree in social work. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great social work programs and cost less that 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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 in Virginia” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique 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 in Virginia

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia.

Top 13 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Social Work in Virginia

#1

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, Virginia
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend James Madison University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia list. Located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, this large public school awarded 41 degrees to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at JMU, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $22,169 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students per year to attend JMU.

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 2.3% 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%.

Read more about Social Work at James Madison University

#2

Radford University

Radford, Virginia
#6 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Radford University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia. Radford is located in Radford, Virginia and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 38 bachelors’s social work degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Radford, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Radford is $16,447 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students.

Read full report on Social Work at Radford

#2 in overall quality

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, Virginia Commonwealth University landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Richmond, Virginia, and it awarded 114 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

VCU also made our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend VCU is $22,021 for virginia bachelor’s degree social work students.

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%.

Read more about Social Work at Virginia Commonwealth University

#4

George Mason University

Fairfax, Virginia
#3 in overall quality

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, George Mason University landed the #4 spot on the list. GMU is a large school located in Fairfax, Virginia that handed out 58 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

GMU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for George Mason University is $21,048 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, 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 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Social Work at GMU

#5

Christopher Newport University

Newport News, Virginia
#4 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Christopher Newport University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia. CNU is a small school located in Newport News, Virginia that handed out 17 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

CNU also made our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #4. The estimated yearly cost for CNU is $25,596 for virginia bachelor’s degree social work students.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low 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%.

Full Christopher Newport University Social Work Report

#6

Norfolk State University

Norfolk, Virginia
#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, Norfolk State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia list. Norfolk State University is a public institution located in Norfolk, Virginia. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 56 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Norfolk State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for Norfolk State University is $12,645 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students.

Read more about Social Work at Norfolk State

#7

Virginia State University

Petersburg, Virginia
#9 in overall quality

Virginia State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia ranking, coming in at #7. Virginia State is located in Petersburg, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 28 bachelors’s social work degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our virginia bachelor’s degree social work students list, Virginia State has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $16,970 for virginia bachelor’s degree social work students per year to attend Virginia State.

Full Virginia State Social Work Report

#8

Virginia Union University

Richmond, Virginia
#13 in overall quality

Virginia Union University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia ranking, coming in at #8. VUU is located in Richmond, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 11 bachelors’s social work degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at VUU, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Virginia Union University is $21,813 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students.

Read full report on Social Work at VUU

#9

Liberty University

Lynchburg, Virginia
#11 in overall quality

Liberty University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia list. Located in Lynchburg, Virginia, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 154 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2019-2020.

Liberty University also took the #11 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Liberty University is $28,903 for virginia bachelor’s degree social work students.

Full Liberty University Social Work Report

#10

Mary Baldwin University

Staunton, Virginia
#7 in overall quality

With a ranking of #10, Mary Baldwin University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia list. Located in Staunton, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 22 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2019-2020.

Mary Baldwin also took the #7 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Mary Baldwin University is $16,982 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students.

Full Mary Baldwin Social Work Report

#11

Eastern Mennonite University

Harrisonburg, Virginia
#5 in overall quality

Eastern Mennonite University landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia ranking. Eastern Mennonite University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Eastern Mennonite, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Eastern Mennonite University is $23,763 for virginia bachelor’s degree social work students.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Social Work at Eastern Mennonite University

#12

Virginia Wesleyan University

Virginia Beach, Virginia
#12 in overall quality

Virginia Wesleyan University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia ranking. This small school is located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

VWU also made our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #12. The estimated yearly cost for Virginia Wesleyan University is $23,425 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students.

Full Virginia Wesleyan University Social Work Report

#13

Ferrum College

Ferrum, Virginia
#10 in overall quality

With a ranking of #13, Ferrum College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia list. Ferrum College is a small school located in Ferrum, Virginia that handed out 10 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our virginia bachelor’s degree social work students list, Ferrum College has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Ferrum College is $22,159 for virginia bachelor’s degree social work students.

Read full report on Social Work at Ferrum College

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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