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2025 Best Social Work Schools in California

20 Colleges in California
4,575 Social Work Degrees Awarded
Ranked #9 in popularity, social work is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 20 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Social Work Schools in California ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 4,575 degrees in social work annually.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Social Work School

Best Social Work Schools in California The social work program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Social Work rankings. We derive our Best Overall Social Work School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your Social Work Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Social Work
Master's Degrees in Social Work
Doctor's Degrees in Social Work

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Social Work Schools in California ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

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. 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.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Social Work in California

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the social work degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top California Schools in Social Work

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In CA
786 Social Work Degrees Awarded

Any student who is interested in social work needs to look into University of Southern California. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #13 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were about 786 social work students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in social work from University of Southern California

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
11th Most Popular In CA
199 Social Work Degrees Awarded

University of California - Berkeley is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in social work. Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #14 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.

There were roughly 199 social work students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in social work from University of California - Berkeley

Sponsored
Bachelors Degree Type
BA in Human Services - Child & Family Services Program Name

Gain the fundamental tools required to improve the lives of children and families in crisis with this specialized online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.

More information about a degree in BA in Human Services - Child & Family Services from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In CA
214 Social Work Degrees Awarded

San Diego State University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in social work. Located in the city of San Diego, SDSU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #185 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means SDSU is a great university overall.

There were about 214 social work students who graduated with this degree at SDSU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in social work from San Diego State University

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In CA
345 Social Work Degrees Awarded

It's difficult to beat California State University - Long Beach if you wish to pursue a degree in social work. Located in the city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #246 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means CSULB is a great university overall.

There were approximately 345 social work students who graduated with this degree at CSULB in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in social work from California State University - Long Beach

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In CA
290 Social Work Degrees Awarded

Sac State is a fairly large public university located in the city of Sacramento. A Best Colleges rank of #267 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Sac State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 290 social work students who graduated with this degree at Sac State in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in social work from California State University - Sacramento

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
12th Most Popular In CA
165 Social Work Degrees Awarded

CSUSB is a large public university located in the city of San Bernardino. This university ranks 82nd out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 165 social work students who graduated with this degree at CSUSB in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in social work from California State University - San Bernardino

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In CA
367 Social Work Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Los Angeles, Cal State LA is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 87th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 367 social work students who graduated with this degree at Cal State LA in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in social work from California State University - Los Angeles

Sponsored
Bachelors Degree Type
BA in Human Services Program Name

Improve the lives of individuals, families and communities with the human service tools gained from this online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.

More information about a degree in BA in Human Services from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
16th Most Popular In CA
126 Social Work Degrees Awarded

Cal Baptist is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Riverside. This university ranks 66th out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 126 social work students who graduated with this degree at Cal Baptist in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in social work from California Baptist University

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
13th Most Popular In CA
136 Social Work Degrees Awarded

CSUN is a very large public university located in the large city of Northridge. A Best Colleges rank of #350 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means CSUN is a great university overall.

There were roughly 136 social work students who graduated with this degree at CSUN in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in social work from California State University - Northridge

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
17th Most Popular In CA
108 Social Work Degrees Awarded

Cal State Fullerton is a very large public university located in the large suburb of Fullerton. A Best Colleges rank of #271 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Cal State Fullerton is a great university overall.

There were about 108 social work students who graduated with this degree at Cal State Fullerton in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in social work from California State University - Fullerton

Best Social Work Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Social Work Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 831 619
Oregon 587 501
Nevada 354 462
Hawaii 267 199
Alaska 167 74

View All Rankings >

One of 3 majors within the Social Work area of study, Social Work has other similar majors worth exploring.

Majors Similar to Social Work

Related Major Annual Graduates
Other Social Work 8

View All Social Work Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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