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2025 Best Social Work Bachelor's Degree Schools in Pennsylvania

10 Colleges in Pennsylvania
657 Bachelor's Degrees
$36,081 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a bachelor's degree in social work, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #24 most popular program in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

College Factual looked at 10 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Social Work Bachelor's Degree Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 657 bachelor's degrees in social work during the 2022-2023 academic year.

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 Pennsylvania 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. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

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 host of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

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 schools for social work students working on their bachelor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Social Work Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Social Work Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 the Best Social Work Bachelor's Degree Schools in Pennsylvania.

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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

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

Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for social work students seeking a a bachelor's degree.

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

1
Temple crest
Temple University
Philadelphia, PA
52 Annual Graduates
$39,055 Median Starting Salary
$37,326 Median Student Debt

Every student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in social work has to take a look at Temple University. Temple is a very large public university located in the large city of Philadelphia.

Bachelor's recipients from the social work program at Temple University make $2,974 above the typical college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

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

2
43 Annual Graduates
$37,135 Median Starting Salary
$19,939 Median Student Debt

Kutztown University of Pennsylvania is a wonderful choice for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in social work. Located in the fringe town of Kutztown, Kutztown University is a public university with a moderately-sized student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the social work program state that they receive average early career earnings of $37,135.

More information about a bachelor’s in social work from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania

3

It is hard to beat University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in social work. Pitt is a very large public university located in the city of Pittsburgh.

Social Work bachelor's degree recipients from University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus get an earnings boost of about $4,755 above the average income of social work graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in social work from University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus

4
71 Annual Graduates
$33,119 Median Starting Salary
$33,385 Median Student Debt

It's difficult to beat Millersville University of Pennsylvania if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in social work. Millersville is a moderately-sized public university located in the suburb of Millersville.

After graduation, social work bachelor's recipients typically earn about $33,119 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in social work from Millersville University of Pennsylvania

5
45 Annual Graduates
$37,206 Median Starting Salary
$37,013 Median Student Debt

Located in the fringe town of Shippensburg, Ship is a public university with a moderately-sized student population.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the social work program earn an average of $37,206 for their early career.

More information about a bachelor’s in social work from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania

6
34 Annual Graduates
$32,316 Median Starting Salary
$26,200 Median Student Debt

Located in the town of Slippery Rock, SRU is a public university with a medium-sized student population.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the social work program make about $32,316 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in social work from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania

7
Messiah crest
Messiah University
Mechanicsburg, PA

Located in the suburb of Mechanicsburg, Messiah is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the social work program state that they receive average early career wages of $34,818.

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

8
17 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Reading, Alvernia is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in social work from Alvernia University

9
Cairn crest
Cairn University
Langhorne, PA

Cairn is a small private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Langhorne.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the social work program earn about $36,289 in their early career salary.

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

10

Located in the fringe town of East Stroudsburg, East Stroudsburg University is a public university with a moderately-sized student population.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the social work program make around $32,208 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a bachelor’s in social work from East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania

Best Social Work Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best Social Work Schools in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
New York 275 1,174
Maryland 207 370
New Jersey 193 574
Delaware 130 33
District of Columbia 126 38

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Social Work is one of 0 different types of <nil> programs to choose from.

Social Work Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Social Work 655
Child Advocacy & Policy 2

Notes and References

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