2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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 Virginia, there were 951 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,492 and $31,406 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 349 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 4 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.

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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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 Master’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k

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

Top 4 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Social Work (Income $0-$30k) in Virginia

#1

George Mason University

Fairfax, Virginia

#2 in overall quality

$37,410 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$51,762 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, George Mason University landed the #1 spot on the list. George Mason University is located in Fairfax, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 87 masters’s social work degrees to qualified students.

GMU also made our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #2. Average graduate tuition and fees at George Mason University are $37,410, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Social Work at GMU

#2

Radford University

Radford, Virginia

#3 in overall quality

$21,382 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$40,089 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Radford University landed the #2 spot on the list. Radford is a fairly large public school situated in Radford, Virginia. It awarded 47 masters’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our virginia master’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k list, Radford has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Radford are $21,382, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Social Work at Radford

#3

Virginia Commonwealth University

Richmond, Virginia

#1 in overall quality

$29,228 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$44,699 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Virginia Commonwealth University landed the #3 spot on the list. VCU is a public institution located in Richmond, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 173 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our virginia master’s degree social work students whose families make $0-$30k list, VCU has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at VCU are $29,228, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Virginia Commonwealth University Social Work Report

#4

Norfolk State University

Norfolk, Virginia

#4 in overall quality

$24,742 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$45,604 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Norfolk State University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k. Norfolk State is located in Norfolk, Virginia and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 42 masters’s social work degrees to qualified students.

Norfolk State also took the #4 spot in our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Norfolk State University are $24,742, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Social Work at Norfolk State

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Social Work (Income $0-$30k) in the Southeast Region
• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Social Work (Income $0-$30k)

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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