by our College Data Analytics Team
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
Social Work is the 13th most popular major in the country with 58,923 degrees awarded in 2021-2022. In , social work graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $37,585 and had an average of $29,565 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 4,583 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $49,021 and $33,473 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California” ranking, we looked at 34 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.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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. 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 in California”.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Fresno Pacific University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California list. This small school is located in Fresno, California, and it awarded 81 ’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Brandman University. The school came in at #2 for the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California. Brandman is a medium-sized school located in Irvine, California that handed out 311 ’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Southern California. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California list. USC is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 786 ’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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.
Out of the 34 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Humboldt State University landed the #4 spot on the list. Humboldt State University is located in Arcata, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 112 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 34 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, La Sierra University landed the #5 spot on the list. La Sierra is a small school located in Riverside, California that handed out 16 ’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #6, Azusa Pacific University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California list. Azusa, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s social work degrees to 120 students in 2021-2022.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #7, California State University - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school awarded 367 diplomas to qualified ’s social work students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - Los Angeles Social Work Report
With a ranking of #8, California State University - Chico did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California list. California State University - Chico is a fairly large public school situated in Chico, California. It awarded 109 ’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California ranking, coming in at #9. Sac State is a large school located in Sacramento, California that handed out 290 ’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad 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%.
California State University - San Bernardino came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California ranking. CSUSB is a fairly large school located in San Bernardino, California that handed out 173 ’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%.
Read more about Social Work at California State University - San Bernardino
California Baptist University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California ranking, coming in at #11. Cal Baptist is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 126 ’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
California State University - Stanislaus did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California ranking, coming in at #12. Stan State is located in Turlock, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 73 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Social Work at California State University - Stanislaus
California State University - Fresno landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California ranking. Fresno, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social work degrees to 155 students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad 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%.
California State University - Long Beach came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California ranking. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 345 ’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate 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%.
California State University - Bakersfield did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California ranking, coming in at #15. Bakersfield, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social work degrees to 75 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Mount Saint Mary’s University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California ranking. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s social work degrees to 11 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
San Jose State University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California ranking. Located in San Jose, California, this large public school awarded 247 diplomas to qualified ’s social work students in 2021-2022.
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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Pacific Union College came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California ranking. This small school is located in Angwin, California, and it awarded 10 ’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad 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 #19, California State University - Monterey Bay did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California list. Seaside, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social work degrees to 42 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
San Diego State University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California ranking. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social work degrees to 214 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
California State University - Dominguez Hills ranked #21 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California list. Carson, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social work degrees to 98 students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% 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%.
Full California State University - Dominguez Hills Social Work Report
Whittier College came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California ranking. Whittier College is located in Whittier, California and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 16 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad 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%.
Touro University Worldwide landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California ranking. Located in Los Alamitos, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 5 diplomas to qualified ’s social work students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
California State University - East Bay landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California ranking. This fairly large school is located in Hayward, California, and it awarded 65 ’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #25, California State University - San Marcos did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in California list. This fairly large school is located in San Marcos, California, and it awarded 89 ’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% 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%.
Full California State University - San Marcos Social Work Report
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
