by our College Data Analytics Team
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.
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 the Great Lakes region, there were 10,057 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,369 and $28,472 respectively.
This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking looked at 175 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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 picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region social work students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Aurora University. The school came in at #1 for the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region. Aurora is a medium-sized school located in Aurora, Illinois that handed out 766 ’s social work degrees 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%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Kuyper College. The school came in at #2 for the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region. Kuyper is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 9 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.
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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Erikson Institute. The school came in at #3 for the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region. Erikson Institute is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 21 ’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% 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%.
Out of the 175 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Spring Arbor University landed the #4 spot on the list. Spring Arbor is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Spring Arbor, Michigan. It awarded 177 ’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 Saint Augustine College. The school came in at #5 for the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 20 diplomas to qualified ’s social work students 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 undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Ohio State University - Mansfield Campus came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Ohio State University - Mansfield Campus is a public institution located in Mansfield, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 9 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.2% 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 Ohio State University - Mansfield Campus
Central State University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Wilberforce, Ohio is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social work degrees to 14 students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.4% 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%.
Northeastern Illinois University ranked #8 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized public school awarded 159 diplomas to qualified ’s social work students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.4% 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%.
Read more about Social Work at Northeastern Illinois University
Ohio State University - Lima Campus ranked #9 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Lima, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social work degrees to 12 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Social Work at Ohio State University - Lima Campus
Wilberforce University ranked #10 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Wilberforce University is located in Wilberforce, Ohio and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 14 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.
With a ranking of #11, Dominican University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region list. River Forest, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s social work degrees to 98 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, 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 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
With a ranking of #12, Saginaw Valley State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Saginaw Valley State University is a public institution located in University Center, Michigan. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 115 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Social Work at Saginaw Valley State University
Ohio State University - Marion Campus came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Ohio State University - Marion Campus is a small public school situated in Marion, Ohio. It awarded 24 ’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.2% 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 full report on Social Work at Ohio State University - Marion Campus
Mount Vernon Nazarene University ranked #14 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region list. MVNU is a small school located in Mount Vernon, Ohio that handed out 31 ’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global ranked #15 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region list. IWU is located in Marion, Indiana and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 316 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Social Work at Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global
Defiance College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #16. Located in Defiance, Ohio, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 7 diplomas to qualified ’s social work students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is located in Indianapolis, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 613 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%.
Read full report on Social Work at Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis
Madonna University landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Madonna University is located in Livonia, Michigan and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 53 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Youngstown State University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Youngstown State University is a fairly large public school situated in Youngstown, Ohio. It awarded 147 ’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
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%.
Read full report on Social Work at Youngstown State University
Wayne State University ranked #20 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Detroit, Michigan, this large public school handed out 352 diplomas to qualified ’s social work students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #21, Governors State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region list. GSU is a small school located in University Park, Illinois that handed out 56 ’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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%. 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.
Loyola University Chicago came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Loyola Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 346 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, 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 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #23, Eastern Michigan University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Eastern Michigan University is a fairly large public school situated in Ypsilanti, Michigan. It awarded 187 ’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Case Western Reserve University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #24. Cleveland, Ohio is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s social work degrees to 162 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 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%.
Read more about Social Work at Case Western Reserve University
With a ranking of #25, Indiana University - Northwest did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Gary, Indiana, this small public school handed out 27 degrees to qualified ’s social work students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%.
Not only did these schools make the top 27 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
