2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

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 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.

This year’s “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 4 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.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the social work program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The social work school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k”.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for virginia master’s degree social work students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 4 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Social Work (Income $30-$48k) 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 $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, George Mason University landed the #1 spot on the list. GMU 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 not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at GMU are $37,410, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Social Work at George Mason University

#2

Radford University

Radford, Virginia

#3 in overall quality

$21,382 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$40,089 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Radford University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k list. Radford, Virginia is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s social work degrees to 47 students in 2019-2020.

Radford also made our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #3. Average graduate tuition and fees at Radford University are $21,382, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Social Work at Radford University

#3

Virginia Commonwealth University

Richmond, Virginia

#1 in overall quality

$29,228 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$44,699 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Virginia Commonwealth University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k 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.

VCU also made our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #1. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Virginia Commonwealth University are $29,228.

Read more about Social Work at VCU

#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 $30-$48k. Norfolk, Virginia is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s social work degrees to 42 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our virginia master’s degree social work students whose families make $30-$48k list, Norfolk State has also earned the #4 rank 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 some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Social Work at Norfolk State

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Social Work (Income $30-$48k) in the Southeast Region
• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Social Work (Income $30-$48k)

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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