2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Plains States Region
30
Ranked Colleges
2,706
Degrees Awarded
$29,100
Avg Cost*

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Plains States Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2021-2022, 58,037 social work students received their degree, making the major the 9th most popular in the country.
Across the Plains States region, there were 4,902 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 2,706 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $56,858 and $37,352 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Plains States Region” ranking analyzed 30 colleges that offered 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.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
More Ways to Rank Social Work Schools
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Plains States Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Plains States Region
The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region master’s degree social work students.
Top 25 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Social Work in the Plains States Region
Out of the 30 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Clarke University landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Dubuque, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 24 degrees to qualified masters’s social work students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read more about Social Work at Clarke University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Augsburg University. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Plains States Region. This small school is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and it awarded 71 masters’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.2% 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 full report on Social Work at Augsburg University
Out of the 30 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Newman University landed the #4 spot on the list. Newman University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Wichita, Kansas. The school has a small population, and it awarded 46 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Newman University Social Work Report
Out of the 30 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Saint Ambrose University landed the #5 spot on the list. This small school is located in Davenport, Iowa, and it awarded 49 masters’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Saint Ambrose University Social Work Report
Washington University in St Louis did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #6. Saint Louis, Missouri is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s social work degrees to 238 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full Washington University in St Louis Social Work Report
With a ranking of #7, University of St Thomas Minnesota did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Plains States Region list. Saint Paul, Minnesota is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s social work degrees to 102 students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Social Work at University of St Thomas Minnesota
University of Nebraska at Omaha ranked #8 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Plains States Region list. University of Nebraska at Omaha is located in Omaha, Nebraska and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 85 masters’s social work degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.3% 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 full report on Social Work at University of Nebraska at Omaha
With a ranking of #9, Washburn University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Plains States Region list. Washburn University is located in Topeka, Kansas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 47 masters’s social work degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Washburn University Social Work Report
The College of Saint Scholastica did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #10. Located in Duluth, Minnesota, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 33 degrees to qualified masters’s social work students in 2021-2022.
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. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Social Work at St. Scholastica
St Catherine University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #11. St Catherine University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 40 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Social Work at St Catherine University
With a ranking of #12, University of Kansas did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Plains States Region list. University of Kansas is located in Lawrence, Kansas and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 153 masters’s social work degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.2% 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 freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Social Work at KU
With a ranking of #13, University of North Dakota did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Plains States Region list. UND is a public institution located in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 63 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Social Work at UND
Saint Louis University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #14. SLU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Louis, Missouri. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 67 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Social Work at SLU
University of Missouri - St Louis came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Saint Louis, Missouri, this fairly large public school awarded 76 diplomas to qualified masters’s social work students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad 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%.
Read more about Social Work at University of Missouri - St Louis
Wichita State University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Wichita State University is a fairly large school located in Wichita, Kansas that handed out 69 masters’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad 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 Wichita State University
University of Minnesota - Duluth landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Plains States Region ranking. UMN Duluth is a public institution located in Duluth, Minnesota. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 47 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.4% 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%.
Read full report on Social Work at UMN Duluth
Saint Cloud State University landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Plains States Region ranking. St. Cloud State University is a fairly large school located in Saint Cloud, Minnesota that handed out 36 masters’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Saint Cloud State University Social Work Report
University of Northern Iowa did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #19. University of Northern Iowa is located in Cedar Falls, Iowa and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 61 masters’s social work degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Social Work at University of Northern Iowa
Missouri State University - Springfield landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Springfield, Missouri, this large public school handed out 71 degrees to qualified masters’s social work students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Social Work at Missouri State University - Springfield
University of Missouri - Kansas City did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #21. UMKC is a fairly large public school situated in Kansas City, Missouri. It awarded 41 masters’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full UMKC Social Work Report
With a ranking of #22, Park University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Plains States Region list. Park University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Parkville, Missouri. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 23 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% 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%.
Full Park University Social Work Report
Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Plains States Region ranking. SMU MN is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Winona, Minnesota. It awarded 79 masters’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.2% 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 full report on Social Work at SMU MN
With a ranking of #24, University of Iowa did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Plains States Region list. Iowa is a large public school situated in Iowa City, Iowa. It awarded 93 masters’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Social Work at Iowa
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Plains States Region ranking. UMN Twin Cities is a large school located in Minneapolis, Minnesota that handed out 111 masters’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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 full report on Social Work at UMN Twin Cities