2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Social Work (Income $0-$30k) in California
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 in California 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.
Across California, there were 4,949 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $45,770 and $31,817 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,465 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 18 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in social work. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality social work programs that also have a lower cost than 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 18 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Social Work (Income $0-$30k) in California
Out of the 18 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Los Angeles landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 224 degrees to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2019-2020.
Cal State LA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $1,379 for california 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%.
Read full report on Social Work at California State University - Los Angeles
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. UC 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.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k list, UC Berkeley has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC Berkeley is $8,392 for california 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 low student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 California State University - Fresno. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in Fresno, California, and it awarded 119 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
Fresno State also took the #9 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Fresno State is $3,264 for california bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 4.7% 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 18 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Long Beach landed the #4 spot on the list. California State University - Long Beach is a large public school situated in Long Beach, California. It awarded 69 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
CSULB also took the #7 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $6,364 for california bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Long Beach.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend San Diego State University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 106 students in 2019-2020.
SDSU also made our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend San Diego State University is $8,870 for california bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, 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 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
California State University - San Bernardino came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. California State University - San Bernardino is a public institution located in San Bernardino, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 52 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSUSB, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $5,077 for california bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend CSUSB.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
California State University - Sacramento ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Sac State is located in Sacramento, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 244 bachelors’s social work degrees to qualified students.
Sac State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Sac State is $6,819 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low student loan default rate of 4.6% 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%.
Full California State University - Sacramento Social Work Report
San Francisco State University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in San Francisco, California, this large public school handed out 23 degrees to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at SFSU, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SFSU is $11,123 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read full report on Social Work at San Francisco State University
With a ranking of #9, San Jose State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. San Jose, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 77 students in 2019-2020.
San Jose State also took the #3 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State University is $10,940 for california bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, 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 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
California State University - Chico landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Chico State is a fairly large public school situated in Chico, California. It awarded 74 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Chico State, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Chico State is $10,260 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
California State University - East Bay came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Cal State East Bay is a fairly large school located in Hayward, California that handed out 1 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
Cal State East Bay not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $8,036 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - East Bay.
Humboldt State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #12. Arcata, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 52 students in 2019-2020.
Humboldt State University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $11,263 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Humboldt State University.
Read full report on Social Work at Humboldt State University
Fresno Pacific University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Fresno Pacific is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Fresno, California. It awarded 79 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k list, Fresno Pacific has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Fresno Pacific is $11,410 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read full report on Social Work at Fresno Pacific University
La Sierra University landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Riverside, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 17 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2019-2020.
La Sierra also took the #12 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend La Sierra is $21,644 for california bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Whittier College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Whittier is a private not-for-profit institution located in Whittier, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Whittier, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Whittier is $18,718 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%.
Brandman University landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Brandman University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 123 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
Brandman not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Brandman University is $19,981 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $0-$30k.
Azusa Pacific University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Azusa, California, and it awarded 48 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
Azusa Pacific also took the #14 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Azusa Pacific is $21,179 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $0-$30k.
The 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. The low student loan default rate of 3.3% 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%.
Mount Saint Mary’s University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 22 students in 2019-2020.
MSMU also made our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #17. The yearly cost to attend MSMU is $27,107 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read more about Social Work at Mount Saint Mary’s University
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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.
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