Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Social Work (Income $0-$30k) in Kentucky

8 Ranked Colleges
707 Degrees Awarded
$16,700 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master's in Kentucky For Those Making $0-$30k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Kentucky For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Social Work is the 12th most popular major in the country with 57,618 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. 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 Kentucky, there were 1,343 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $32,473 and $28,525 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 707 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $52,847 and $34,311 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Kentucky For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 8 colleges that offered a degree in social work. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent social work programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the social work program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Social Work Schools

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 Master’s in Kentucky For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Kentucky For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for kentucky master’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 8 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Social Work (Income $0-$30k) in Kentucky

#1

Northern Kentucky University

Highland Heights, Kentucky

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Kentucky For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Kentucky University landed the #1 spot on the list. Northern Kentucky University is located in Highland Heights, Kentucky and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 70 masters’s social work degrees to qualified students.

NKU also took the #3 spot in our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in Kentucky” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at NKU are $17,358.

Full Northern Kentucky University Social Work Report

#2

University of Kentucky

Lexington, Kentucky

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Kentucky For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Kentucky landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Lexington, Kentucky, this large public school awarded 122 diplomas to qualified masters’s social work students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UK, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in Kentucky” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UK are $33,216, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Social Work at University of Kentucky

#3

University of Louisville

Louisville, Kentucky

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Louisville. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Kentucky For Those Making $0-$30k. University of Louisville is located in Louisville, Kentucky and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 208 masters’s social work degrees to qualified students.

UofL did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in Kentucky” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UofL are $27,575, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Social Work at University of Louisville

#4

Murray State University

Murray, Kentucky

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Murray State University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Kentucky For Those Making $0-$30k. Murray State is a medium-sized public school situated in Murray, Kentucky. It awarded 1 masters’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Murray State, the school also landed the #0 spot in our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in Kentucky” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Murray State are $14,400, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Social Work at Murray State

#5

Western Kentucky University

Bowling Green, Kentucky

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Western Kentucky University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Kentucky For Those Making $0-$30k list. Bowling Green, Kentucky is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s social work degrees to 51 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at WKU, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in Kentucky” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at WKU are $18,340.

Full Western Kentucky University Social Work Report

#6

Brescia University

Owensboro, Kentucky
#7 in overall quality

Brescia University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Kentucky For Those Making $0-$30k list. Owensboro, Kentucky is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s social work degrees to 30 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our kentucky master’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k list, Brescia University has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in Kentucky” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Brescia University are $850.

Read more about Social Work at Brescia University

#7

Spalding University

Louisville, Kentucky

Spalding University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Kentucky For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Spalding University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Louisville, Kentucky. It awarded 21 masters’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

Spalding not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in Kentucky” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Spalding University are $12,286.

Full Spalding Social Work Report

#8

Campbellsville University

Campbellsville, Kentucky

Campbellsville University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Kentucky For Those Making $0-$30k list. Campbellsville University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Campbellsville, Kentucky. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 204 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Campbellsville University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in Kentucky” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Campbellsville University are $8,773.

Read more about Social Work at Campbellsville University

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

Featured Social Work Schools

Find Schools Near You