by our College Data Analytics Team
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
With 58,037 degrees handed out in 2021-2022, social work is the 9th most popular major in the United States.
This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major” ranking analyzed 798 colleges that offered a degree in social work. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in social work.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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 Highly Focused on Social Work Major”.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our 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.
The colleges and universities below are the best for social work students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Brescia University. The school came in at #1 for the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major. Brescia University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Owensboro, Kentucky. It awarded 79 ’s social work 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%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Our Lady of the Lake University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. Our Lady of the Lake University is located in San Antonio, Texas and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 288 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Aurora University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. Aurora, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s social work degrees to 766 students 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%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Kuyper College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. Kuyper College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It awarded 9 ’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
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. 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%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern University at New Orleans. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. Southern University at New Orleans is a public institution located in New Orleans, Louisiana. The school has a small population, and it awarded 89 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Erikson Institute landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking. This small school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 21 ’s social work 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%. 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.
Keuka College ranked #7 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. This small school is located in Keuka Park, New York, and it awarded 123 ’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #8, Johnson C Smith University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. Johnson C Smith University is located in Charlotte, North Carolina and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 37 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.
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.
Simmons University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking, coming in at #9. Simmons is located in Boston, Massachusetts and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 526 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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 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%.
Western New Mexico University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking. Located in Silver City, New Mexico, this small public school awarded 283 diplomas to qualified ’s social work students 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%.
Read more about Social Work at Western New Mexico University
Walla Walla University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking. This small school is located in College Place, Washington, and it awarded 85 ’s social work 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%.
Caribbean University - Carolina came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking. Located in Carolina, Puerto Rico, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 5 degrees to qualified ’s social work students in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 100%, 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.
Huntsville Bible College ranked #13 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. Huntsville Bible College is located in Huntsville, Alabama and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 0 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
With a ranking of #14, Spring Arbor University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. Spring Arbor is a private not-for-profit institution located in Spring Arbor, Michigan. The school has a small population, and it awarded 177 ’s degrees 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%.
Fordham University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking, coming in at #15. Fordham University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Bronx, New York. It awarded 912 ’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. 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%.
Cankdeska Cikana Community College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking, coming in at #16. This small school is located in Fort Totten, North Dakota, and it awarded 7 ’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
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.
Read more about Social Work at Cankdeska Cikana Community College
Bethel College - North Newton landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking. Bethel College - North Newton is located in North Newton, Kansas and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 6 ’s social work degrees to qualified students.
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 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Social Work at Bethel College - North Newton
Concord University landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking. Concord University is a small public school situated in Athens, West Virginia. It awarded 101 ’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%.
Heritage University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking. Toppenish, Washington is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s social work degrees to 61 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 impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Maryland - Baltimore ranked #20 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. Located in Baltimore, Maryland, this medium-sized public school awarded 397 diplomas to qualified ’s social work students in 2021-2022.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%.
Read more about Social Work at University of Maryland - Baltimore
Widener University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major ranking, coming in at #21. Widener University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chester, Pennsylvania. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 303 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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.
Caribbean University - Vega Baja ranked #22 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. This small school is located in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, and it awarded 4 ’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
Fresno Pacific University ranked #24 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. This small school is located in Fresno, California, and it awarded 81 ’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Salisbury University ranked #25 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Social Work Major list. Salisbury University is a medium-sized public school situated in Salisbury, Maryland. It awarded 299 ’s social work degrees in 2021-2022.
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%.
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
While not in the ’top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Briar Cliff University | Sioux City, IA |
| 52 | Roberts Wesleyan College | Rochester, NY |
| 53 | University of Denver | Denver, CO |
| 54 | Adelphi University | Garden City, NY |
| 55 | Warner Pacific University | Portland, OR |
| 56 | Morgan State University | Baltimore, MD |
| 57 | Livingstone College | Salisbury, NC |
| 58 | Jackson State University | Jackson, MS |
| 59 | Nazareth College | Rochester, NY |
| 60 | Ramapo College of New Jersey | Mahwah, NJ |
| 61 | Central State University | Wilberforce, OH |
| 62 | Salem State University | Salem, MA |
| 63 | Barton College | Wilson, NC |
| 64 | Northeastern Illinois University | Chicago, IL |
| 65 | Ohio State University - Lima Campus | Lima, OH |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 91 | Walden University | Minneapolis, MN |
| 92 | Campbellsville University | Campbellsville, KY |
| 93 | Texas College | Tyler, TX |
| 94 | Savannah State University | Savannah, GA |
| 95 | Defiance College | Defiance, OH |
| 96 | Winthrop University | Rock Hill, SC |
| 97 | University of North Carolina at Pembroke | Pembroke, NC |
| 98 | Le Moyne - Owen College | Memphis, TN |
| 99 | Spalding University | Louisville, KY |
| 100 | Alabama State University | Montgomery, AL |
| 101 | Miles College | Fairfield, AL |
| 102 | Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis | Indianapolis, IN |
| 103 | Caribbean University - Ponce | Ponce, PR |
| 104 | Madonna University | Livonia, MI |
| 105 | The University of Texas at Arlington | Arlington, TX |
| 106 | Caribbean University - Bayamon | Bayamon, PR |
| 107 | Castleton University | Castleton, VT |
| 108 | Bayamon Central University | Bayamón, PR |
| 109 | Coppin State University | Baltimore, MD |
| 110 | Youngstown State University | Youngstown, OH |
| 111 | Grambling State University | Grambling, LA |
| 112 | The College of Saint Scholastica | Duluth, MN |
| 113 | York College | Jamaica, NY |
| 114 | Wayne State University | Detroit, MI |
| 115 | Shaw University | Raleigh, NC |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 116 | Brandman University | Irvine, CA |
| 117 | Anna Maria College | Paxton, MA |
| 118 | Barry University | Miami, FL |
| 119 | University of Southern California | Los Angeles, CA |
| 120 | Southern Connecticut State University | New Haven, CT |
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
