2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
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 $75-$110k” ranking looked at 17 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.
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More Ways to Rank Social Work Schools
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 Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k”.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools 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 in California For Those Making $75-$110k
The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $75-$110k.
Top 17 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Social Work (Income $75-$110k) in California
Out of the 17 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k 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 awarded 224 degrees to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal State LA, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $9,576 for california bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Cal State LA.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - Los Angeles Social Work Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fresno. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. Located in Fresno, California, this large public school handed out 119 degrees to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Fresno State, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Fresno State is $11,819 for california bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $75-$110k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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.
Out of the 17 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #3 spot on the list. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 90 students in 2019-2020.
UC Berkeley also took the #1 spot in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $21,401 for california bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Long Beach. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social work degrees to 69 students in 2019-2020.
CSULB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Long Beach is $14,544 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $75-$110k.
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%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - San Bernardino. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k. CSUSB is a fairly large school located in San Bernardino, California that handed out 52 bachelors’s social work 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. The yearly cost to attend CSUSB is $13,611 for california bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $75-$110k.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Full California State University - San Bernardino Social Work Report
California State University - Sacramento 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 $75-$110k ranking. Located in Sacramento, California, this large public school awarded 244 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2019-2020.
Sac State also made our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #8. It costs about $15,812 for california bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Sac State.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
San Diego State University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 106 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
SDSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $18,766 for california bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend San Diego State University.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
San Francisco State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #8. SFSU is located in San Francisco, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 23 bachelors’s social work degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $75-$110k list, SFSU has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $21,027 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend 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 $75-$110k list. This large school is located in San Jose, California, and it awarded 77 bachelors’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $75-$110k list, San Jose State has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Jose State University is $19,805 for california bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $75-$110k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
With a ranking of #10, California State University - Chico did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. California State University - Chico is located in Chico, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 74 bachelors’s social work degrees to qualified students.
Chico State also made our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #10. The yearly cost to attend Chico State is $19,444 for california bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $75-$110k.
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%.
Fresno Pacific University 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 $75-$110k ranking. Fresno Pacific University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Fresno, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 79 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Fresno Pacific not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Fresno Pacific is $20,328 for california bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $75-$110k.
With a ranking of #12, California State University - East Bay did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. Located in Hayward, California, this fairly large public school awarded 1 degrees to qualified bachelors’s social work students 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. The estimated yearly cost for Cal State East Bay is $17,710 for california bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $75-$110k.
Full California State University - East Bay Social Work Report
Humboldt State University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. 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. The estimated yearly cost for Humboldt State University is $20,170 for california bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $75-$110k.
La Sierra University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. 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 did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for La Sierra University is $25,582 for california bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $75-$110k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Whittier College ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. Whittier, 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 9 students 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. It costs about $26,056 for california bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Whittier.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #16, Azusa Pacific University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. Azusa Pacific is a private not-for-profit institution located in Azusa, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 48 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Azusa Pacific also made our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #14. The yearly cost to attend Azusa Pacific University is $26,968 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $75-$110k.
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. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Mount Saint Mary’s University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 22 degrees to qualified bachelors’s social work students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree social work students whose families make $75-$110k list, MSMU has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Mount Saint Mary’s University is $30,470 for California Bachelor’s Degree Social Work students whose families make $75-$110k.
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%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
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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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- Credit for the banner image above goes to Army Medicine.
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