2023 Best Social Work Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in California
22
Ranked Colleges
3,075
Degrees Awarded
$55,218
Avg Salary
With all of the options veterans 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 Veteran Friendly in California for Social Work for a Master’s” 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.
Across California, there were 4,819 social work graduates with average earnings and debt of $48,229 and $20,404 respectively.
This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Social Work for a Master’s” ranking looked at 22 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in social work. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality social work programs as well as strong veteran support.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the social work program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran population. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
One Size Does Not Fit All
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 Veteran Friendly in California for Social Work for a Master’s” list to help you make the college decision.
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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Most Veteran Friendly in California for Social Work for a Master’s
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Social Work for a Master’s”.
Top 22 Best Social Work Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in California
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Southern California. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Social Work for a Master’s list. USC is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 888 masters’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california master’s degree vets studying social work list, USC has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.According to our most recent data, University of Southern California supports 46,287 students, and 1,311 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 862 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $20,487. During this same period, 388 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read More…
Out of the 22 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Social Work for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 87 masters’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 7 of the 44,589 students enrolled at University of California - Los Angeles were GI Bill® students, of which 4 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,071. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
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 [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read More…
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend San Diego State University. The school came in at #3 for the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Social Work for a Master’s. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 104 masters’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
SDSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in California” list.Of the 36,334 students enrolled at San Diego State University, 1,433 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 853 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,806. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
[Read full report on veteran student life at SDSU]](/colleges/san-diego-state-university/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Long Beach. The school came in at #4 for the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Social Work for a Master’s. California State University - Long Beach is a public institution located in Long Beach, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 236 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
CSULB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in California” list.Among the 40,069 students enrolled at California State University - Long Beach, 822 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 310 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,845. During this same period, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full CSULB Veteran Student Life Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend San Jose State University. The school came in at #5 for the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Social Work for a Master’s. San Jose State University is a public institution located in San Jose, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 162 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
San Jose State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in California” list.Our most recent data shows that 660 of the 36,208 students enrolled at San Jose State were GI Bill® students, of which 384 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,909. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
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 [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read More…
California State University - Sacramento landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Social Work for a Master’s ranking. This large school is located in Sacramento, California, and it awarded 100 masters’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
Sac State also made our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #9.Among the 32,293 students enrolled at Sac State, 34 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 23 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,555. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Sac State offers credit for military training for eligible students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - Sacramento Veteran Student Life Report
San Francisco State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Social Work for a Master’s ranking. San Francisco State University is a large public school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 38 masters’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
SFSU also made our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #14.Among the 27,349 students enrolled at SFSU, 950 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 536 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,581. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full SFSU Veteran Student Life Report
California State University - Chico landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Social Work for a Master’s ranking. Located in Chico, California, this fairly large public school awarded 97 diplomas to qualified masters’s social work students in 2020-2021.
Chico State also took the #13 spot in our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.According to our most recent data, California State University - Chico supports 16,746 students, and 354 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 166 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,098. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Chico State Veteran Student Life Report
California State University - Los Angeles ranked #9 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in California for Social Work for a Master’s list. California State University - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 110 masters’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
Cal State LA also made our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #10.Our most recent data shows that 3 of the 26,745 students enrolled at Cal State LA were GI Bill® students, of which 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $2,700. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Cal State LA Veteran Student Life Report
California State University - Northridge came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Social Work for a Master’s ranking. California State University - Northridge is a public institution located in Northridge, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 148 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
CSUN also took the #17 spot in our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.According to our most recent data, CSUN supports 40,381 students, and 680 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 336 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,745. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. CSUN does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read More…
California State University - San Bernardino ranked #11 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in California for Social Work for a Master’s list. This fairly large school is located in San Bernardino, California, and it awarded 104 masters’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
CSUSB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in California” list.Among the 19,689 students enrolled at CSUSB, 400 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 170 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,274. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at CSUSB]](/colleges/california-state-university-san-bernardino/student-life/veterans/)
California State University - San Marcos came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Social Work for a Master’s ranking. Located in San Marcos, California, this fairly large public school awarded 58 degrees to qualified masters’s social work students in 2020-2021.
CSUSM did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in California” list.Among the 16,367 students enrolled at CSUSM, 3 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 3 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $2,056. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at CSUSM]](/colleges/california-state-university-san-marcos/student-life/veterans/)
With a ranking of #13, California State University - Fullerton did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Social Work for a Master’s list. California State University - Fullerton is a large public school situated in Fullerton, California. It awarded 107 masters’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california master’s degree vets studying social work list, Cal State Fullerton has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Among the 42,051 students enrolled at Cal State Fullerton, 748 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 342 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,729. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read More…
California State University - Fresno came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Social Work for a Master’s ranking. California State University - Fresno is located in Fresno, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 54 masters’s social work degrees to qualified students.
Fresno State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in California” list.Among the 25,497 students enrolled at California State University - Fresno, 471 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 211 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,324. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. California State University - Fresno does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full California State University - Fresno Veteran Student Life Report
California Baptist University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Social Work for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #15. Riverside, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s social work degrees to 108 students in 2020-2021.
Cal Baptist also took the #16 spot in our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 532 of the 11,317 students enrolled at California Baptist University were GI Bill® students, of which 390 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $15,716. During this same period, 162 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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…
California State University - Stanislaus ranked #16 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in California for Social Work for a Master’s list. Turlock, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s social work degrees to 87 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Stan State, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.According to our most recent data, California State University - Stanislaus supports 11,163 students, and 163 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 67 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,287. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. California State University - Stanislaus does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
[Read full report on veteran student life at California State University - Stanislaus]](/colleges/california-state-university-stanislaus/student-life/veterans/)
Azusa Pacific University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Social Work for a Master’s ranking. Azusa Pacific is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Azusa, California. It awarded 84 masters’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
Azusa Pacific also made our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #12.Of the 9,006 students enrolled at Azusa Pacific University, 58 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 44 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,529. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Azusa Pacific University]](/colleges/azusa-pacific-university/student-life/veterans/)
With a ranking of #18, California State University - Monterey Bay did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Social Work for a Master’s list. Located in Seaside, California, this medium-sized public school handed out 42 degrees to qualified masters’s social work students in 2020-2021.
CSUMB also took the #18 spot in our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 20 of the 7,409 students enrolled at CSUMB were GI Bill® students, of which 11 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $9,369. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. CSUMB offers credit for military training for eligible students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full CSUMB Veteran Student Life Report
California State University - East Bay ranked #19 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in California for Social Work for a Master’s list. Located in Hayward, California, this fairly large public school handed out 74 diplomas to qualified masters’s social work students in 2020-2021.
Cal State East Bay did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in California” list.According to our most recent data, Cal State East Bay supports 16,253 students, and 32 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 16 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,956. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at California State University - East Bay]](/colleges/california-state-university-east-bay/student-life/veterans/)
California State University - Dominguez Hills came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Social Work for a Master’s ranking. Carson, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s social work degrees to 86 students in 2020-2021.
CSUDH also made our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #20.Among the 18,687 students enrolled at California State University - Dominguez Hills, 267 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 96 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,463. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. California State University - Dominguez Hills does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 CSUDH Veteran Student Life Report
Humboldt State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Social Work for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #21. Humboldt State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Arcata, California. It awarded 49 masters’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
Humboldt State University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in California” list.Among the 6,612 students enrolled at Humboldt State University, 177 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 68 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $3,772. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Humboldt State University offers credit for military training for eligible students.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Humboldt State University]](/colleges/humboldt-state-university/student-life/veterans/)
California State University - Bakersfield landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Social Work for a Master’s ranking. CSUB is a fairly large school located in Bakersfield, California that handed out 81 masters’s social work degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california master’s degree vets studying social work list, CSUB has also earned the #22 rank in our “Best Social Work Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.According to our most recent data, CSUB supports 11,745 students, and 210 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 103 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,437. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. CSUB offers credit for military training for eligible students.
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Notes and References
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
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