2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Social Work (With Aid)
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.
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.
At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 32,385 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $56,398 and $43,194 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 278 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.
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.
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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 For Those Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. 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 For Those Getting Aid
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid.
Top 25 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Social Work (With Aid)
Out of the 278 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Hunter College landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 544 masters’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
Hunter also claimed a top spot on our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Hunter College are $20,828.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Los Angeles. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid list. Cal State LA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 174 masters’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Cal State LA are $17,723, but some majors have different tuition rates.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Dominguez Hills. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid. Located in Carson, California, this fairly large public school handed out 99 diplomas to qualified masters’s social work students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at CSUDH are $17,884, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read more about Social Work at California State University - Dominguez Hills
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Lehman College. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid. This fairly large school is located in Bronx, New York, and it awarded 81 masters’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Lehman are $21,000, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Out of the 278 schools in the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #5 spot on the list. Seattle, Washington is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s social work degrees to 248 students in 2019-2020.
UW Seattle also took the #11 spot in our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UW Seattle are $30,294, but some majors have different tuition rates.
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Edinburg, Texas, this large public school awarded 86 degrees to qualified masters’s social work students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at UT Rio Grande Valley are $15,151, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
California State University - Fresno ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Fresno, California, and it awarded 49 masters’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Fresno are $17,581, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Full California State University - Fresno Social Work Report
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid list. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 142 masters’s social work degrees to qualified students.
On top of its placing in this ranking, UNC Chapel Hill also did well on our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. Average graduate tuition and fees at UNC Chapel Hill are $30,248, but some majors have different tuition rates.
California State University - Stanislaus came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Stan State is a public institution located in Turlock, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 89 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Stan State are $18,540.
Read full report on Social Work at California State University - Stanislaus
California State University - Long Beach landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - Long Beach is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 230 masters’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
CSULB excels when it comes to social work quality. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. Average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Long Beach are $17,784, but some majors have different tuition rates.
California State University - Fullerton landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Cal State Fullerton is a large public school situated in Fullerton, California. It awarded 93 masters’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Cal State Fullerton are $17,892.
Read full report on Social Work at California State University - Fullerton
With a ranking of #12, California State University - Northridge did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid list. Northridge, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s social work degrees to 184 students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Northridge are $17,955, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
University of California - Los Angeles came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. UCLA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 79 masters’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
UCLA also made our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #16. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCLA are $28,131, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Full University of California - Los Angeles Social Work Report
York College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. York College is a medium-sized public school situated in Jamaica, New York. It awarded 16 masters’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at York are $20,948, but some majors have different tuition rates.
With a ranking of #15, California State University - San Bernardino did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid list. CSUSB is a public institution located in San Bernardino, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 103 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at CSUSB are $17,936, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read more about Social Work at California State University - San Bernardino
California State University - Bakersfield ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Bakersfield is a public institution located in Bakersfield, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 70 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Bakersfield are $18,437, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read more about Social Work at California State University - Bakersfield
University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. UW - Madison is a large public school situated in Madison, Wisconsin. It awarded 167 masters’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
UW - Madison also made our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #15. Average graduate tuition and fees at UW - Madison are $25,523, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read full report on Social Work at University of Wisconsin - Madison
With a ranking of #18, College of Staten Island CUNY did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid list. CSI is a fairly large public school situated in Staten Island, New York. It awarded 43 masters’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at College of Staten Island CUNY are $21,080.
With a ranking of #19, Western New Mexico University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid list. Western New Mexico University is located in Silver City, New Mexico and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 139 masters’s social work degrees to qualified students.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Western New Mexico University are $10,348.
Read full report on Social Work at Western New Mexico University
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 151 masters’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
UIUC also claimed a top spot on our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category. Average graduate tuition and fees at UIUC are $30,083, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
University of South Florida - Main Campus ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Tampa, Florida, this large public school awarded 128 diplomas to qualified masters’s social work students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at USF Tampa are $21,126, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
With a ranking of #22, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and it awarded 379 masters’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our master’s degree social work students with aid list, U-M has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at U-M are $49,548, but some majors have different tuition rates.
University of California - Berkeley ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid list. UC Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 91 masters’s social work degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UC Berkeley are $29,347.
Read more about Social Work at University of California - Berkeley
Rhode Island College ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid list. Rhode Island College is a medium-sized school located in Providence, Rhode Island that handed out 88 masters’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at RIC are $16,884, but some majors have different tuition rates.
University of Illinois at Chicago came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. UIC is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 248 masters’s social work degrees in 2019-2020.
UIC excels when it comes to social work quality. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UIC are $27,036.
Read more about Social Work at University of Illinois at Chicago
Rest of the Best 42 in Best Value Social Work Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid
Not only did these schools make the top 42 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
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Best Value Master's Degree Colleges for Social Work in the Southeast Region (With Aid)
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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.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Army Medicine.
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