by our College Data Analytics Team
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major” ranking.
Social Work is the 13th most popular major in the country with 58,326 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, social work graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $37,651 and had an average of $26,679 in loans still to pay off.
For this year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major” ranking, we looked at 813 colleges that offer a degree in social work. That schools that top this list have a program in social work in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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 “Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major”.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major”.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Brescia University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. Brescia University is a small school located in Owensboro, Kentucky that handed out 91 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Our Lady of the Lake University. The school came in at #2 for the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major. This small school is located in San Antonio, Texas, and it awarded 353 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
Out of the 813 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Aurora University landed the #3 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Aurora, Illinois, and it awarded 712 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Kuyper College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. Kuyper is a private not-for-profit institution located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The school has a small population, and it awarded 11 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 813 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern University at New Orleans landed the #5 spot on the list. SUNO is a small public school situated in New Orleans, Louisiana. It awarded 91 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
Erikson Institute came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s social work degrees to 39 students in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% 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%.
Keuka College ranked #7 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. Keuka Park, New York is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s social work degrees to 136 students in 2020-2021.
Johnson C Smith University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking. Charlotte, North Carolina is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s social work degrees to 64 students in 2020-2021.
Simmons University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking. Simmons University is located in Boston, Massachusetts and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 574 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Western New Mexico University ranked #10 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. Western New Mexico University is a public institution located in Silver City, New Mexico. The school has a small population, and it awarded 234 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Social Work at Western New Mexico University
Walla Walla University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking. Located in College Place, Washington, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 94 diplomas to qualified ’s social work students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% 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%.
Caribbean University - Carolina did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking, coming in at #12. Located in Carolina, , this small private not-for-profit school handed out 12 diplomas to qualified ’s social work students in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Social Work at Caribbean University - Carolina
Huntsville Bible College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking, coming in at #13. Huntsville Bible College is a small school located in Huntsville, Alabama that handed out 3 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
Spring Arbor University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking. Located in Spring Arbor, Michigan, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 209 degrees to qualified ’s social work students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%.
Fordham University ranked #15 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. Located in Bronx, New York, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 1,058 diplomas to qualified ’s social work students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Cankdeska Cikana Community College ranked #16 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. CCCC is located in Fort Totten, North Dakota and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.
Bethel College - North Newton came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking. Bethel College - North Newton is a private not-for-profit institution located in North Newton, Kansas. The school has a small population, and it awarded 14 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Concord University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking, coming in at #18. Athens, West Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social work degrees to 82 students in 2020-2021.
Heritage University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking. Heritage University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Toppenish, Washington. The school has a small population, and it awarded 47 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Maryland - Baltimore ranked #20 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. University of Maryland - Baltimore is located in Baltimore, Maryland and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 417 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
With a ranking of #21, Widener University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. Chester, Pennsylvania is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s social work degrees to 282 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Caribbean University - Vega Baja came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking. Caribbean University - Vega Baja is a private not-for-profit institution located in Vega Baja, . The school has a small population, and it awarded 5 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read more about Social Work at Caribbean University - Vega Baja
With a ranking of #23, Edinboro University of Pennsylvania did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. Edinboro University of Pennsylvania is a small school located in Edinboro, Pennsylvania that handed out 188 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Social Work at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania
Fresno Pacific University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking. Fresno Pacific University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Fresno, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 210 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #25, Salisbury University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. Salisbury University is located in Salisbury, Maryland and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 320 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Briar Cliff University | Sioux City, IA |
| 52 | Roberts Wesleyan College | Rochester, NY |
| 53 | University of Denver | Denver, CO |
| 54 | Rhode Island College | Providence, RI |
| 55 | Adelphi University | Garden City, NY |
| 56 | Warner Pacific University | Portland, OR |
| 57 | Morgan State University | Baltimore, MD |
| 58 | Livingstone College | Salisbury, NC |
| 59 | Jackson State University | Jackson, MS |
| 60 | Nazareth College | Rochester, NY |
| 61 | Ramapo College of New Jersey | Mahwah, NJ |
| 62 | Central State University | Wilberforce, OH |
| 63 | Salem State University | Salem, MA |
| 64 | Barton College | Wilson, NC |
| 65 | Northeastern Illinois University | Chicago, IL |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 116 | Shaw University | Raleigh, NC |
| 117 | Brandman University | Irvine, CA |
| 118 | Anna Maria College | Paxton, MA |
| 119 | Barry University | Miami, FL |
| 120 | University of Southern California | Los Angeles, CA |
| 121 | Southern Connecticut State University | New Haven, CT |
| 122 | Hannibal - LaGrange University | Hannibal, MO |
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
