2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major
813
Ranked Colleges
58,326
Degrees Awarded
$34,600
Avg Cost*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Most Well Attended Social Work Major” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 58,326 people earned their degree in social work, making the major the 13th most popular in the United States. 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.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Social Work Major” ranking analyzed 813 colleges that offered a degree in social work. This ranking identifies schools that graduate the most students in social work.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
More Ways to Rank Social Work Schools
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 “Most Well Attended Social Work Major” list to help you make the college decision.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most 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.
Most Well Attended Social Work Major
The colleges and universities below are the best for social work students.
Top 25 Most Popular Colleges for Social Work
Out of the 813 schools in the Most Well Attended Social Work Major that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Southern California landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Southern California is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,081 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, 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.
Full University of Southern California Social Work Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Fordham University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major list. Bronx, New York is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s social work degrees to 1,058 students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. 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%.
Read full report on Social Work at Fordham University
Out of the 813 schools in the Most Well Attended Social Work Major that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas at Arlington landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Arlington, Texas, this large public school awarded 985 diplomas to qualified ’s social work students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.6% 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%.
Full The University of Texas at Arlington Social Work Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Walden University. The school came in at #4 for the Most Well Attended Social Work Major. This large school is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and it awarded 936 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Social Work at Walden University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Rutgers University - New Brunswick. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major list. Rutgers New Brunswick is a public institution located in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The school has a large population, and it awarded 784 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Social Work at Rutgers University - New Brunswick
Hunter College landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major ranking. New York, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social work degrees to 661 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Hunter Social Work Report
Aurora University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Aurora, Illinois, and it awarded 712 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.2% 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 Aurora University
Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Social Work Major ranking. IUPUI is a large school located in Indianapolis, Indiana that handed out 617 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.2% 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%.
Full IUPUI Social Work Report
With a ranking of #9, Simmons University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major list. Simmons University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Boston, Massachusetts. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 574 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, 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
New York University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major ranking, coming in at #10. This large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 555 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%. 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.
Full NYU Social Work Report
Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major ranking, coming in at #11. This large school is located in Columbus, Ohio, and it awarded 526 ’s social work degrees 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Ohio State University - Main Campus Social Work Report
University of Denver ranked #12 on this year’s Most Well Attended Social Work Major list. University of Denver is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Denver, Colorado. It awarded 543 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
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 more about Social Work at DU
Columbia University in the City of New York came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Social Work Major ranking. This large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 501 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. 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. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Columbia University in the City of New York Social Work Report
Wayne State University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major ranking. Located in Detroit, Michigan, this large public school handed out 454 diplomas to qualified ’s social work students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Social Work at Wayne State University
With a ranking of #15, Arizona State University - Tempe did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major list. Arizona State University - Tempe is a large school located in Tempe, Arizona that handed out 450 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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%.
Read more about Social Work at Arizona State University - Tempe
University of Maryland - Baltimore came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Social Work Major ranking. UMB is a public institution located in Baltimore, Maryland. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 417 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. 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.
Read full report on Social Work at University of Maryland - Baltimore
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor ranked #17 on this year’s Most Well Attended Social Work Major list. This large school is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and it awarded 403 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Full University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Social Work Report
University of Central Florida ranked #18 on this year’s Most Well Attended Social Work Major list. Located in Orlando, Florida, this large public school handed out 386 diplomas to qualified ’s social work students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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 UCF Social Work Report
Our Lady of the Lake University landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major ranking. Our Lady of the Lake University is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Antonio, Texas. The school has a small population, and it awarded 353 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Social Work at OLLU
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College ranked #20 on this year’s Most Well Attended Social Work Major list. Baton Rouge, Louisiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social work degrees to 352 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Social Work Report
With a ranking of #21, Portland State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major list. Portland State University is a public institution located in Portland, Oregon. The school has a large population, and it awarded 341 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.7% 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%.
Read full report on Social Work at Portland State University
The University of Tennessee - Knoxville landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major ranking. UT Knoxville is a large school located in Knoxville, Tennessee that handed out 405 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Social Work at UT Knoxville
University of Utah did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Work Major ranking, coming in at #23. U of U is a large school located in Salt Lake City, Utah that handed out 326 ’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Read full report on Social Work at U of U
Boston University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Social Work Major ranking. Boston U is located in Boston, Massachusetts and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 324 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%. 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.
Full Boston U Social Work Report
Salisbury University ranked #25 on this year’s Most Well Attended Social Work Major list. Salisbury, Maryland is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social work degrees to 320 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Salisbury Social Work Report
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