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2025 Best Social Work Bachelor's Degree Schools in Kentucky

9 Colleges in Kentucky
615 Bachelor's Degrees
$35,179 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #24 in popularity, social work is one of the most sought-after bachelor's degree programs in the nation. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 9 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Social Work Bachelor's Degree Schools in Kentucky ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 615 bachelor's degrees in social work during the 2022-2023 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Social Work School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Social Work Bachelor's Degree Schools in Kentucky The social work bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Early-Career Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of bachelor's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their bachelor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for social work students working on their bachelor's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Social Work Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 Social Work Bachelor's Degree Schools in Kentucky list to help you make the college decision.

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. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Social Work in Kentucky

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in social work.

Top Kentucky Schools for a Bachelor's in Social Work

1
81 Annual Graduates
$36,312 Median Starting Salary
$25,809 Median Student Debt

It's hard to beat University of Kentucky if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in social work. UK is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Lexington.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the social work program make an average of $36,312 in their early career salary.

More information about a bachelor’s in social work from University of Kentucky

2

University of Louisville is a wonderful decision for individuals pursuing a bachelor's degree in social work. Located in the city of Louisville, UofL is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Soon after graduation, social work bachelor's recipients typically earn around $35,257 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in social work from University of Louisville

3

Eastern Kentucky University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in social work. Eastern is a large public university located in the town of Richmond.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the social work program state that they receive average early career wages of $33,575.

More information about a bachelor’s in social work from Eastern Kentucky University

4
WKU crest
Western Kentucky University
Bowling Green, KY

It's hard to beat Western Kentucky University if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in social work. Located in the city of Bowling Green, WKU is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Soon after graduating, social work bachelor's recipients generally make around $34,748 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in social work from Western Kentucky University

5
NKU crest
Northern Kentucky University
Highland Heights, KY
67 Annual Graduates
$37,037 Median Starting Salary
$21,950 Median Student Debt

NKU is a fairly large public university located in the large suburb of Highland Heights.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the social work program make about $37,037 for their early career.

More information about a bachelor’s in social work from Northern Kentucky University

6

Located in the town of Murray, Murray State is a public university with a moderately-sized student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the social work program report average early career wages of $31,692.

More information about a bachelor’s in social work from Murray State University

7
Brescia University crest
Brescia University
Owensboro, KY

Brescia University is a fairly small private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Owensboro.

Social Work bachelor's degree recipients from Brescia University earn a boost of about $2,662 over the average earnings of social work majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in social work from Brescia University

8
Campbellsville University crest
Campbellsville University
Campbellsville, KY

Located in the town of Campbellsville, Campbellsville University is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the social work program state that they receive average early career income of $34,852.

More information about a bachelor’s in social work from Campbellsville University

9

Located in the remote town of Morehead, Morehead State University is a public university with a medium-sized student population.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the social work program make an average of $35,300 for their early career.

More information about a bachelor’s in social work from Morehead State University

Best Social Work Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Social Work Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Florida 225 839
Georgia 224 240
Tennessee 220 574
North Carolina 213 912
Virginia 213 636
South Carolina 195 165
Alabama 184 543
Louisiana 171 268
Mississippi 169 363
Arkansas 167 269
West Virginia 147 166

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One of 0 majors within the <nil> area of study, Social Work has other similar majors worth exploring.

Social Work Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Social Work 615

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