2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Social Work (Income $0-$30k)
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.
In 2019-2020, 57,618 people earned their degree in social work, making the major the 12th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, social work graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $36,459 and had an average of $30,084 in loans still to pay off.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 21,855 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 452 colleges that offer a degree in social work. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great social work programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the social work program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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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 Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons 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.
Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Social Work (Income $0-$30k)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lehman College. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Bronx, New York is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 136 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on this list, Lehman is in the top on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $234 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Lehman.
Out of the 452 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #2 spot on the list. UW - Madison is a public institution located in Madison, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 71 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UW - Madison also took the #4 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $4,367 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Hunter College. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. Hunter is a large public school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 49 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Hunter College is $320 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low student loan default rate of 4.0% 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%.
Out of the 452 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Los Angeles landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 224 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on this list, Cal State LA is in the top on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $1,379 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Los Angeles.
The low 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%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. University of California - Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 90 bachelors’s social work degrees to qualified students.
UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Berkeley is $8,392 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #6, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 78 students in 2019-2020.
UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $5,477 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. UT Rio Grande Valley is a large school located in Edinburg, Texas that handed out 121 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is $2,993 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
York College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Jamaica, New York, this medium-sized public school awarded 79 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $1,826 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend York.
University of Washington - Seattle Campus came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a public institution located in Seattle, Washington. The school has a large population, and it awarded 33 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UW Seattle did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $7,850 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UW Seattle.
The low student loan default rate of 2.2% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
Read more about Social Work at University of Washington - Seattle Campus
With a ranking of #10, Florida International University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Miami, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 71 students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Florida International University is $5,002 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
University of South Florida - Main Campus landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of South Florida - Main Campus is a large public school situated in Tampa, Florida. It awarded 79 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend USF Tampa is $3,950 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 4.5% 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%.
California State University - Fresno came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Fresno, California, this large public school handed out 119 degrees to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $3,264 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Fresno State.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Social Work at California State University - Fresno
Florida State University landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Florida State is a large school located in Tallahassee, Florida that handed out 104 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
Florida State also claimed a top spot on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend Florida State University is $5,360 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The low student loan default rate of 3.5% 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%.
University of Central Florida ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. UCF is a public institution located in Orlando, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 123 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for UCF is $6,211 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 4.2% 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 more about Social Work at University of Central Florida
With a ranking of #15, Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Ohio State University - Main Campus is located in Columbus, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 154 bachelors’s social work degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Ohio State, the school also landed the #25 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $8,194 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Ohio State.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
The University of West Florida did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #16. The University of West Florida is a fairly large public school situated in Pensacola, Florida. It awarded 73 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for UWF is $4,140 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read more about Social Work at The University of West Florida
Michigan State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #17. Michigan State University is a large school located in East Lansing, Michigan that handed out 43 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
Michigan State also claimed a top spot on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for Michigan State is $6,686 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Social Work at Michigan State University
Indiana University - Northwest did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #18. IU Northwest is located in Gary, Indiana and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 30 bachelors’s social work degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for Indiana University - Northwest is $3,287 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $0-$30k.
Minot State University landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This small school is located in Minot, North Dakota, and it awarded 60 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
MSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $8,923 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend MSU.
University of Maryland - Baltimore County came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UMBC is located in Baltimore, Maryland and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 112 bachelors’s social work degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k list, UMBC has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $10,820 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UMBC.
The low student loan default rate of 4.3% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Social Work at University of Maryland - Baltimore County
University of Minnesota - Duluth did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #21. Located in Duluth, Minnesota, this fairly large public school handed out 25 degrees to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2019-2020.
UMN Duluth excels when it comes to social work quality. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $7,443 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Minnesota - Duluth.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Social Work at University of Minnesota - Duluth
Northern Kentucky University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Northern Kentucky University is located in Highland Heights, Kentucky and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 69 bachelors’s social work degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for Northern Kentucky University is $4,156 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read full report on Social Work at Northern Kentucky University
California State University - Long Beach came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 69 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
CSULB also claimed a top spot on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $6,364 for bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend CSULB.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Social Work at California State University - Long Beach
University of Wisconsin - River Falls came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. River Falls, Wisconsin is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 21 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k list, UW - River Falls has also earned the #24 rank in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - River Falls is $8,366 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #25, San Diego State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. San Diego State University is a large public school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 106 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
On top of its placing in this ranking, SDSU also did well on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend SDSU is $8,870 for Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Rest of the Best 50 in Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k
While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Ball State University | Muncie, IN |
| 52 | Bemidji State University | Bemidji, MN |
| 53 | University of Northern Iowa | Cedar Falls, IA |
| 54 | University of Alaska Fairbanks | Fairbanks, AK |
| 55 | Indiana University - South Bend | South Bend, IN |
| 56 | University of Nevada - Reno | Reno, NV |
| 57 | University of Southern Indiana | Evansville, IN |
| 58 | University of Georgia | Athens, GA |
| 59 | University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh | Oshkosh, WI |
| 60 | Rhode Island College | Providence, RI |
| 61 | Indiana University - East | Richmond, IN |
| 62 | University of North Dakota | Grand Forks, ND |
| 62 | University of Wisconsin - Whitewater | Whitewater, WI |
| 64 | Shepherd University | Shepherdstown, WV |
| 65 | University of Utah | Salt Lake City, UT |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 66 | Minnesota State University - Mankato | Mankato, MN |
| 67 | University of Wisconsin - Superior | Superior, WI |
| 68 | Saint Cloud State University | Saint Cloud, MN |
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Notes and References
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
Footnotes
- *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Army Medicine.
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