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2025 Best Social Work Schools in the Plains States Region

40 Colleges in the Plains States Region
4,902 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 40 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Social Work Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 4,902 degrees in social work to qualified students.

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

Choosing a Great Social Work School

Best Social Work Schools in the Plains States Region 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. 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.

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

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

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Social Work Schools in the Plains States Region list to help you make the college decision. 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 Plains States 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.

10 Top Plains States Region Schools in Social Work

1
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In IA
145 Social Work Degrees Awarded

University of Iowa is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in social work. Located in the city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #80 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Iowa is a great university overall.

There were approximately 145 social work students who graduated with this degree at Iowa in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in social work from University of Iowa

2
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In KS
232 Social Work Degrees Awarded

It is difficult to beat University of Kansas if you wish to pursue a degree in social work. Located in the city of Lawrence, KU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #192 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means KU is a great university overall.

There were about 232 social work students who graduated with this degree at KU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in social work from University of Kansas

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
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
10th Most Popular In MO

University of Missouri - Columbia is a wonderful choice for students pursuing a degree in social work. Located in the medium-sized city of Columbia, Mizzou is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #131 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Mizzou is a great university overall.

There were approximately 24 social work students who graduated with this degree at Mizzou in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in social work from University of Missouri - Columbia

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
13th Most Popular In MN
56 Social Work Degrees Awarded

Minnesota State University - Moorhead is a wonderful choice for students interested in a degree in social work. Located in the midsize suburb of Moorhead, MSU Moorhead is a public university with a small student population. This university ranks 30th out of 52 schools for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.

There were about 56 social work students who graduated with this degree at MSU Moorhead in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in social work from Minnesota State University - Moorhead

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In MN
85 Social Work Degrees Awarded

Located in the town of Winona, Winona State is a public university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #330 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Winona State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 85 social work students who graduated with this degree at Winona State in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in social work from Winona State University

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In IA
134 Social Work Degrees Awarded

UNI is a medium-sized public university located in the city of Cedar Falls. A Best Colleges rank of #270 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UNI is a great university overall.

There were about 134 social work students who graduated with this degree at UNI in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in social work from University of Northern Iowa

7
St. Olaf crest
St Olaf College
Northfield, MN
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
18th Most Popular In MN
21.4% Growth in Graduates

Located in the distant town of Northfield, St. Olaf is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #301 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means St. Olaf is a great college overall.

There were about 14 social work students who graduated with this degree at St. Olaf in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in social work from St Olaf College

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
SLU crest
Saint Louis University
Saint Louis, MO
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In MO
94 Social Work Degrees Awarded

Located in the large city of Saint Louis, SLU is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #243 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means SLU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 94 social work students who graduated with this degree at SLU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in social work from Saint Louis University

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In ND
135 Social Work Degrees Awarded

UND is a large public university located in the city of Grand Forks. A Best Colleges rank of #335 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UND is a great university overall.

There were approximately 135 social work students who graduated with this degree at UND in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in social work from University of North Dakota

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In MN
98 Social Work Degrees Awarded

Minnesota State Mankato is a large public university located in the city of Mankato. A Best Colleges rank of #412 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Minnesota State Mankato is a great university overall.

There were about 98 social work students who graduated with this degree at Minnesota State Mankato in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in social work from Minnesota State University - Mankato

Best Social Work Colleges by State

Explore the best social work schools for a specific state in the Plains States Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Minnesota 742 2,131
Missouri 693 920
Iowa 648 519
Kansas 599 623
Nebraska 500 256
North Dakota 416 258
South Dakota 381 20

View All Rankings >

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

Related Major Annual Graduates
Other Social Work 50
Child Advocacy & Policy 2

View All Social Work Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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