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2025 Best Social Work Bachelor's Degree Schools in California

14 Colleges in California
1,448 Bachelor's Degrees
$38,873 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #24 in popularity, social work is one of the most sought-after bachelor's degree programs in the nation. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 14 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Social Work Bachelor's Degree Schools in California ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 1,448 bachelor's degrees in social work to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Social Work School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Social Work Bachelor's Degree Schools in California Your choice of social work for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality social work program can vary widely even among the top schools. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we consider a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Early-Career Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of bachelor's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their bachelor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for social work students working on their bachelor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Social Work Schools

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More Social Work Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 Best Social Work Bachelor's Degree Schools in California list to help you make the college decision.

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. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Social Work in California

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in social work.

10 Top California Schools for a Bachelor's in Social Work

1

University of California - Berkeley is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in social work. Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the social work degree program at University of California - Berkeley earn $6,033 more than the standard college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in social work from University of California - Berkeley

2

Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in social work needs to take a look at San Diego State University. Located in the city of San Diego, SDSU is a public university with a fairly large student population.

After graduation, social work bachelor's recipients typically earn an average of $36,916 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in social work from San Diego State University

3
186 Annual Graduates
$37,290 Median Starting Salary
$17,321 Median Student Debt

It's hard to beat California State University - Sacramento if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in social work. Sac State is a very large public university located in the city of Sacramento.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the social work program state that they receive average early career income of $37,290.

More information about a bachelor’s in social work from California State University - Sacramento

4

Every student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in social work has to look into California State University - Los Angeles. Located in the city of Los Angeles, Cal State LA is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the social work program earn around $37,477 for their early career.

More information about a bachelor’s in social work from California State University - Los Angeles

5

Located in the large city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public university with a very large student population.

Those social work students who get their bachelor's degree from California State University - Long Beach receive $4,052 more than the standard social work graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in social work from California State University - Long Beach

6

CSUSB is a fairly large public university located in the city of San Bernardino.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the social work program earn about $39,145 for their early career.

More information about a bachelor’s in social work from California State University - San Bernardino

7

Chico State is a large public university located in the midsize city of Chico.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the social work program state that they receive average early career wages of $36,840.

More information about a bachelor’s in social work from California State University - Chico

8

Located in the suburb of Azusa, Azusa Pacific is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the social work program earn an average of $33,089 for their early career.

More information about a bachelor’s in social work from Azusa Pacific University

9

Located in the large city of Fresno, Fresno State is a public university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the social work program make around $31,986 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a bachelor’s in social work from California State University - Fresno

10

Located in the large city of Irvine, Brandman is a public university with a medium-sized student population.

Social Work bachelor's degree recipients from Brandman University earn a boost of around $2,454 over the typical earnings of social work majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in social work from Brandman University

Best Social Work Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Social Work Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 226 274
Oregon 185 154
Nevada 129 183
Hawaii 112 102
Alaska 75 47

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Social Work Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Social Work 1,448

Notes and References

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