2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major
322
Ranked Colleges
33,436
Degrees Awarded
$44,898
Avg Salary
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major” ranking is part of that endeavor.
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.
At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 33,436 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $58,979 and $43,370 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major” ranking looked at 322 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.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
One Size Does Not Fit All
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 for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major”.
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. 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.
Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major
The colleges and universities below are the best for master’s degree social work students.
Top 25 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Social Work
Out of the 322 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Our Lady of the Lake University landed the #1 spot on the list. OLLU is a small private not-for-profit school situated in San Antonio, Texas. It awarded 240 masters’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%.
Full Our Lady of the Lake University Social Work Report
Out of the 322 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Erikson Institute landed the #2 spot on the list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s social work degrees to 21 students 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%. 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.
Read more about Social Work at The Erikson Institute
Out of the 322 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Simmons University landed the #3 spot on the list. Simmons is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Boston, Massachusetts. It awarded 504 masters’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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.
Read more about Social Work at Simmons University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Aurora University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. This medium-sized school is located in Aurora, Illinois, and it awarded 519 masters’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Social Work at Aurora
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Brescia University. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major. Brescia University is located in Owensboro, Kentucky and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 35 masters’s social work degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Brescia University Social Work Report
Western New Mexico University ranked #6 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. Western New Mexico University is a small public school situated in Silver City, New Mexico. It awarded 171 masters’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% 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%.
Read more about Social Work at Western New Mexico University
Fordham University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking. Fordham U is a private not-for-profit institution located in Bronx, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 884 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.
Read full report on Social Work at Fordham U
Southern University at New Orleans ranked #8 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. Located in New Orleans, Louisiana, this small public school awarded 62 diplomas to qualified masters’s social work students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 5.0% 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 Southern University at New Orleans
Walla Walla University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking, coming in at #9. Walla Walla U is a private not-for-profit institution located in College Place, Washington. The school has a small population, and it awarded 77 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Social Work at Walla Walla University
University of Maryland - Baltimore landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking. University of Maryland - Baltimore is a medium-sized school located in Baltimore, Maryland that handed out 390 masters’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Social Work at UMB
Widener University ranked #11 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. This medium-sized school is located in Chester, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 288 masters’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%.
Read full report on Social Work at Widener
Johnson C Smith University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking, coming in at #12. This small school is located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and it awarded 25 masters’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
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.
Read full report on Social Work at Johnson C Smith University
Bryn Mawr College landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking. Bryn Mawr College is a small school located in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania that handed out 79 masters’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Social Work at Bryn Mawr
With a ranking of #15, Smith College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. Northampton, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s social work degrees to 98 students in 2021-2022.
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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, 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 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Smith Social Work Report
With a ranking of #16, Spring Arbor University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. Spring Arbor, Michigan is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s social work degrees to 114 students 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%.
Read full report on Social Work at Spring Arbor
With a ranking of #17, Concord University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. Concord University is a small public school situated in Athens, West Virginia. It awarded 77 masters’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%.
Full Concord University Social Work Report
Springfield College landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking. This small school is located in Springfield, Massachusetts, and it awarded 108 masters’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Social Work at Springfield College
With a ranking of #19, Yeshiva University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. New York, New York is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s social work degrees to 313 students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.2% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Full Yeshiva University Social Work Report
University of New England did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking, coming in at #20. This medium-sized school is located in Biddeford, Maine, and it awarded 160 masters’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%.
Read more about Social Work at UNE
Hunter College came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking. Hunter is a large school located in New York, New York that handed out 601 masters’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
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 Hunter
Alabama A & M University ranked #22 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. AAMU is a medium-sized school located in Normal, Alabama that handed out 64 masters’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full AAMU Social Work Report
With a ranking of #23, University of Denver did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. DU is a fairly large school located in Denver, Colorado that handed out 574 masters’s social work degrees 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 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Social Work at DU
With a ranking of #24, Marywood University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. Marywood is a private not-for-profit institution located in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 82 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Marywood University Social Work Report
Clarke University ranked #25 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. Clarke is located in Dubuque, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 24 masters’s social work degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Full Clarke University Social Work Report
