by our College Data Analytics Team
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2021-2022, 58,923 people earned their degree in social work, making the major the 13th most popular in the United States. In , social work graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $37,585 and had an average of $29,565 in loans still to pay off.
This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major” ranking looked at 813 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in social work. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their social work program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major”.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Brescia University. The school came in at #1 for the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major. Brescia University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Owensboro, Kentucky. It awarded 79 ’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%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Our Lady of the Lake University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. Located in San Antonio, Texas, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 288 degrees to qualified ’s social work students in 2021-2022.
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%.
Read full report on Social Work at Our Lady of the Lake University
Out of the 813 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Aurora University landed the #3 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Aurora, Illinois, and it awarded 766 ’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Kuyper College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. Kuyper is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It awarded 9 ’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
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. 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%.
Out of the 813 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern University at New Orleans landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in New Orleans, Louisiana, this small public school awarded 89 degrees to qualified ’s social work students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 5.0% 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%.
Erikson Institute did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking, coming in at #6. Erikson Institute is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 21 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Keuka College ranked #7 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. Keuka College is a small school located in Keuka Park, New York that handed out 123 ’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% 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%.
Johnson C Smith University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking. Johnson C Smith University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Charlotte, North Carolina. It awarded 37 ’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Simmons University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking. Located in Boston, Massachusetts, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 526 diplomas to qualified ’s social work students in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Western New Mexico University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking. Western New Mexico University is located in Silver City, New Mexico and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 283 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #11, Walla Walla University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. College Place, Washington is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s social work degrees to 85 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%.
Caribbean University - Carolina did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking, coming in at #12. Caribbean University - Carolina is a private not-for-profit institution located in Carolina, Puerto Rico. The school has a small population, and it awarded 5 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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.
Read more about Social Work at Caribbean University - Carolina
Huntsville Bible College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking. Huntsville Bible College is located in Huntsville, Alabama and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 0 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Spring Arbor University ranked #14 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. Spring Arbor, Michigan is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s social work degrees to 177 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #15, Fordham University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. Bronx, New York is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s social work degrees to 912 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.
Cankdeska Cikana Community College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking. CCCC is a public institution located in Fort Totten, North Dakota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 7 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
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.
Bethel College - North Newton came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking. Bethel College - North Newton is a private not-for-profit institution located in North Newton, Kansas. The school has a small population, and it awarded 6 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read more about Social Work at Bethel College - North Newton
With a ranking of #18, Concord University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. This small school is located in Athens, West Virginia, and it awarded 101 ’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
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%.
Heritage University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking. Heritage University is a small school located in Toppenish, Washington that handed out 61 ’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
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 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Maryland - Baltimore came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking. University of Maryland - Baltimore is a public institution located in Baltimore, Maryland. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 397 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read full report on Social Work at University of Maryland - Baltimore
Widener University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking, coming in at #21. Chester, Pennsylvania is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s social work degrees to 303 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Caribbean University - Vega Baja ranked #22 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. Vega Baja, Puerto Rico is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s social work degrees to 4 students in 2021-2022.
Fresno Pacific University landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking. Fresno Pacific University is located in Fresno, California and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 81 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% 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%.
Salisbury University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking, coming in at #25. This medium-sized school is located in Salisbury, Maryland, and it awarded 299 ’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
While not in the ’top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Briar Cliff University | Sioux City, IA |
| 52 | Roberts Wesleyan College | Rochester, NY |
| 53 | University of Denver | Denver, CO |
| 54 | Rhode Island College | Providence, RI |
| 55 | Adelphi University | Garden City, NY |
| 56 | Warner Pacific University | Portland, OR |
| 57 | Morgan State University | Baltimore, MD |
| 58 | Livingstone College | Salisbury, NC |
| 59 | Jackson State University | Jackson, MS |
| 60 | Nazareth College | Rochester, NY |
| 61 | Ramapo College of New Jersey | Mahwah, NJ |
| 62 | Central State University | Wilberforce, OH |
| 63 | Salem State University | Salem, MA |
| 64 | Barton College | Wilson, NC |
| 65 | Northeastern Illinois University | Chicago, IL |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 116 | Shaw University | Raleigh, NC |
| 117 | Brandman University | Irvine, CA |
| 118 | Anna Maria College | Paxton, MA |
| 119 | Barry University | Miami, FL |
| 120 | University of Southern California | Los Angeles, CA |
| 121 | Southern Connecticut State University | New Haven, CT |
| 122 | Hannibal - LaGrange University | Hannibal, MO |
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
