2025 Best Social Work Schools in the Great Lakes Region
79
Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
9,817
Social Work Degrees Awarded
Social Work is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #9 most popular major in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.
College Factual looked at 79 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Social Work Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 9,817 degrees in social work annually.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Social Work School
Your choice of social work school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for social work schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.
You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.
Social Work Rankings by Degree Level
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 the Best Social Work Schools in the Great Lakes Region.
You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.
In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you.
When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.
More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.
Best Schools for Social Work in the Great Lakes Region
The schools below may not offer all types of social work degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
15 Top Great Lakes Region Schools in Social Work
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
5th
Most Popular In IL
200
Social Work Degrees Awarded
Any student who is interested in social work needs to take a look at University of Chicago. Located in the city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #3 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UChicago is a great university overall.
There were about 200 social work students who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in social work from University of Chicago
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
2nd
Most Popular In IL
346
Social Work Degrees Awarded
Loyola University Chicago is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in social work. Located in the large city of Chicago, Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #100 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Loyola Chicago is a great university overall.
There were roughly 346 social work students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Chicago in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in social work from Loyola University Chicago
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 UniversityRelated Programs
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
2nd
Most Popular In WI
227
Social Work Degrees Awarded
University of Wisconsin - Madison is a great option for students interested in a degree in social work. Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #40 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UW - Madison is a great university overall.
There were roughly 227 social work students who graduated with this degree at UW - Madison in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in social work from University of Wisconsin - Madison
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
2nd
Most Popular In MI
369
Social Work Degrees Awarded
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in social work. U-M is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor. A Best Colleges rank of #22 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means U-M is a great university overall.
There were approximately 369 social work students who graduated with this degree at U-M in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in social work from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In OH
593
Social Work Degrees Awarded
Ohio State is a very large public university located in the city of Columbus. A Best Colleges rank of #70 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Ohio State is a great university overall.
There were roughly 593 social work students who graduated with this degree at Ohio State in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in social work from Ohio State University - Main Campus
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
4th
Most Popular In IL
251
Social Work Degrees Awarded
Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #41 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.
There were about 251 social work students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in social work from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In IL
766
Social Work Degrees Awarded
Located in the suburb of Aurora, Aurora is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 11th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.
There were approximately 766 social work students who graduated with this degree at Aurora in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in social work from Aurora University
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 UniversityRelated Programs
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In IN
613
Social Work Degrees Awarded
Located in the city of Indianapolis, IUPUI is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #253 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means IUPUI is a great university overall.
There were approximately 613 social work students who graduated with this degree at IUPUI in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in social work from Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
3rd
Most Popular In IL
229
Social Work Degrees Awarded
UIC is a very large public university located in the city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #254 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UIC is a great university overall.
There were about 229 social work students who graduated with this degree at UIC in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in social work from University of Illinois at Chicago
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In MI
350
Social Work Degrees Awarded
Wayne State is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Detroit. This university ranks 9th out of 56 schools for overall quality in the state of Michigan.
There were roughly 350 social work students who graduated with this degree at Wayne State in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in social work from Wayne State University
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In WI
216
Social Work Degrees Awarded
Located in the city of Milwaukee, UWM is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 23rd out of 46 schools for overall quality in the state of Wisconsin.
There were roughly 216 social work students who graduated with this degree at UWM in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in social work from University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Bachelors
Degree Type
BS in Business Administration - Public Administration
Program Name
Prepare yourself to make the decisions that best serve a community, its constituents and its economic growth with this specialized business degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
More information about a degree in BS in Business Administration - Public Administration from Southern New Hampshire UniversityRelated Programs
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
9th
Most Popular In MI
78
Social Work Degrees Awarded
Located in the city of East Lansing, Michigan State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #54 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Michigan State is a great university overall.
There were about 78 social work students who graduated with this degree at Michigan State in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in social work from Michigan State University
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
2nd
Most Popular In IN
316
Social Work Degrees Awarded
Located in the rural area of Marion, IWU is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #224 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means IWU is a great university overall.
There were approximately 316 social work students who graduated with this degree at IWU in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in social work from Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
4th
Most Popular In MI
237
Social Work Degrees Awarded
Located in the town of Allendale, GVSU is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 5th out of 56 colleges for overall quality in the state of Michigan.
There were approximately 237 social work students who graduated with this degree at GVSU in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in social work from Grand Valley State University
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
3rd
Most Popular In WI
96
Social Work Degrees Awarded
UW - Whitewater is a fairly large public university located in the distant town of Whitewater. This university ranks 10th out of 46 colleges for overall quality in the state of Wisconsin.
There were approximately 96 social work students who graduated with this degree at UW - Whitewater in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in social work from University of Wisconsin - Whitewater
