2023 Best Social Work Schools
Finding the Best Social Work School for You
In 2020-2021, 58,326 people earned a degree or certificate in social work, making the major the #13 most popular in the United States.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Social Work Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 456 schools in the United States to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Social Work Schools in the United States
The colleges and universities below are the best for social work majors pursuing a .
Top 25 Top Schools in Social Work
Our 2023 rankings named University of California - Berkeley the best school in the United States for social work students. UC Berkeley is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Berkeley.
Social Work majors at UC Berkeley take out an average of $13,045 in student loans while working on their egree.
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The excellent programs at Bethel University Minnesota helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best social work schools in the United States. Located in the suburb of Saint Paul, Bethel University Minnesota is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
While working on their degree, social work majors at Bethel University Minnesota accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.
Full Social Work at Bethel University Minnesota Report
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Winona State University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Social Work Schools list. Winona State is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Winona.
On average, social work graduates from Winona State take out $28,389 in student loans while working on their degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $144.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Elizabethtown College is a great place for social work students. Etown is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Elizabethtown.
Social Work majors at Etown take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
Full Social Work at Elizabethtown College Report
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Out of the 456 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Minot State University landed the # 5 spot on the list. MSU is a small public school located in the town of Minot.
The average amount in student loans that social work majors at MSU take out is $27,000.
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With a ranking of #6, St Catherine University did quite well on this year’s best schools for social work students. St. Kate's is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Saint Paul.
On average, social work graduates from St. Kate's take out $36,625 in student loans while working on their degree.
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With a ranking of #7, Bemidji State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for social work students. Bemidji State University is a small public school located in the town of Bemidji.
Social Work majors at Bemidji State University take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
Full Social Work at Bemidji State University Report
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Capella University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Social Work Schools list. Located in the large city of Minneapolis, Capella University is a private for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
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With a ranking of #9, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on this year’s best schools for social work students. UCLA is a fairly large public school located in the city of Los Angeles.
Full Social Work at University of California - Los Angeles Report
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Minnesota State University - Moorhead came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Social Work Schools ranking. MSU Moorhead is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Moorhead.
While working on their degree, social work majors at MSU Moorhead accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.
Full Social Work at Minnesota State University - Moorhead Report
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University of Maryland - Baltimore ranked #11 on this year’s Best Social Work Schools list. Located in the large city of Baltimore, UMB is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
Full Social Work at University of Maryland - Baltimore Report
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Nebraska Wesleyan University landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best social work programs. NWU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Lincoln.
While working on their degree, social work majors at NWU accumulate an average of around $29,750 in student debt.
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With a ranking of #13, University of Wisconsin - River Falls did quite well on this year’s best schools for social work students. UW - River Falls is a moderately-sized public school located in the distant town of River Falls.
After completing their degree, social work graduates from UW - River Falls carry an average student debtload of $28,000.
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University of Southern California came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Social Work Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
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University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Social Work Schools ranking. UW - Eau Claire is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Eau Claire.
Social Work majors at UW - Eau Claire take out an average of $23,961 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Camden County College ranked #16 on this year’s Best Social Work Schools list. Located in the suburb of Blackwood, Camden County College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
Social Work majors at Camden County College take out an average of $10,872 in student loans while working on their egree.
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With a ranking of #17, Minnesota State University - Mankato did quite well on this year’s best schools for social work students. Minnesota State Mankato is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Mankato.
Social Work majors at Minnesota State Mankato take out an average of $23,250 in student loans while working on their egree.
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San Jose State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for social work students. It came in at #18 on the list. San Jose State is a fairly large public school located in the large city of San Jose.
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Metropolitan State University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Social Work Schools ranking. Metro State is a moderately-sized public school located in the large city of Saint Paul.
Social Work majors at Metro State take out an average of $29,113 in student loans while working on their egree.
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With a ranking of #20, Marquette University did quite well on this year’s best schools for social work students. Located in the large city of Milwaukee, Marquette is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
Social Work majors at Marquette take out an average of $21,500 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Kansas State University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Social Work Schools ranking. K -State is a very large public school located in the small city of Manhattan.
Social Work majors at K -State take out an average of $23,417 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $209, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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University of Chicago did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for social work students. It came in at #22 on the list. Located in the city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
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University of Washington - Tacoma Campus came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Social Work Schools ranking. UW Tacoma is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Tacoma.
The average amount in student loans that social work majors at UW Tacoma take out is $15,612.
Full Social Work at University of Washington - Tacoma Campus Report
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Southwest Minnesota State University landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best social work programs. Located in the town of Marshall, Southwest Minnesota State University is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
While working on their degree, social work majors at Southwest Minnesota State University accumulate an average of around $20,107 in student debt.
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University of Pennsylvania did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for social work students. It came in at #25 on the list. UPenn is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Philadelphia.
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Additional Award Winners
This list shows the remainder of the colleges awarded a Best Social Work Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 456 different United States social work schools we analyzed.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Boston University | Boston, MA |
| 52 | Augsburg University | Minneapolis, MN |
| 53 | University of Minnesota - Twin Cities | Minneapolis, MN |
| 54 | Boston College | Chestnut Hill, MA |
| 55 | Cedarville University | Cedarville, OH |
| 56 | Salisbury University | Salisbury, MD |
| 57 | Colorado State University - Fort Collins | Fort Collins, CO |
| 58 | Smith College | Northampton, MA |
| 59 | University of Wisconsin - Whitewater | Whitewater, WI |
| 60 | California State University - Long Beach | Long Beach, CA |
| 61 | Mount Vernon Nazarene University | Mount Vernon, OH |
| 62 | Ramapo College of New Jersey | Mahwah, NJ |
| 63 | Texas Christian University | Fort Worth, TX |
| 64 | Fort Hays State University | Hays, KS |
| 65 | Indiana University - South Bend | South Bend, IN |
| 66 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill, NC |
| 67 | Bristol Community College | Fall River, MA |
| 68 | Bluffton University | Bluffton, OH |
Honorable Mentions
Here are some additional great schools for Social Work students that almost earned our Best Social Work Schools award.
Social Work by Region
View the Best Social Work Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Social Work Rankings
Rankings in Majors Related to Social Work
Social Work is one of 5 different types of programs to choose from.
Majors Similar to Social Work
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Public Administration | 16,905 |
| Human Services | 13,238 |
| Public Policy | 6,430 |
| Community Organization & Advocacy | 3,096 |
| Other Public Administration | 588 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- 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 the rest 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).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Army Medicine.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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