by our College Data Analytics Team
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking - to help you make that decision.
With 57,401 degrees handed out in 2020-2021, social work is the 9th most popular major in the United States.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 10,126 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, we looked at 171 colleges that offer a degree in social work. That schools that top this list have a program in social work in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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 “Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region”.
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. 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.
The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region social work students.
Out of the 171 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Aurora University landed the #1 spot on the list. Aurora University is a medium-sized school located in Aurora, Illinois that handed out 712 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Kuyper College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Kuyper College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It awarded 11 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. 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%.
Out of the 171 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Erikson Institute landed the #3 spot on the list. Erikson Institute is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 39 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% 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%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Spring Arbor University. The school came in at #4 for the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region. Located in Spring Arbor, Michigan, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 209 degrees to qualified ’s social work students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 171 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Saint Augustine College landed the #5 spot on the list. St. Augustine College is a small school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 24 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
Ohio State University - Mansfield Campus came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Mansfield, Ohio, this small public school awarded 23 diplomas to qualified ’s social work students in 2020-2021.
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 Ohio State University - Mansfield Campus
Central State University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Central State University is a public institution located in Wilberforce, Ohio. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 24 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Northeastern Illinois University ranked #8 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 163 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Social Work at Northeastern Illinois University
Ohio State University - Lima Campus ranked #9 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Ohio State University - Lima Campus is a small school located in Lima, Ohio that handed out 19 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
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 Ohio State University - Lima Campus
With a ranking of #10, Wilberforce University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Wilberforce University is located in Wilberforce, Ohio and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 7 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Saginaw Valley State University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Saginaw Valley State University is located in University Center, Michigan and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 142 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Social Work at Saginaw Valley State University
Dominican University ranked #12 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Dominican U is a small private not-for-profit school situated in River Forest, Illinois. It awarded 73 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Ohio State University - Marion Campus landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Ohio State University - Marion Campus is a small public school situated in Marion, Ohio. It awarded 16 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Social Work at Ohio State University - Marion Campus
With a ranking of #14, Mount Vernon Nazarene University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This small school is located in Mount Vernon, Ohio, and it awarded 48 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #15. Located in Marion, Indiana, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 283 diplomas to qualified ’s social work students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Defiance College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #16. Defiance College is a small school located in Defiance, Ohio that handed out 7 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Indianapolis, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social work degrees to 617 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Madonna University landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Madonna is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Livonia, Michigan. It awarded 98 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #19, Youngstown State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Youngstown State University is located in Youngstown, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 164 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.
Read full report on Social Work at Youngstown State University
Wayne State University ranked #20 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Wayne State University is a public institution located in Detroit, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 453 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Governors State University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Governors State University is a small public school situated in University Park, Illinois. It awarded 75 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Social Work at Governors State University
Loyola University Chicago ranked #22 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 317 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #23, Eastern Michigan University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Eastern Michigan is located in Ypsilanti, Michigan and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 236 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.
With a ranking of #24, Case Western Reserve University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 202 diplomas to qualified ’s social work students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #25, Indiana University - Northwest did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Gary, Indiana is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social work degrees to 35 students in 2020-2021.
Not only did these schools make the top 26 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
