2023 Best Social Work Bachelor's Degree Schools
Finding the Best Social Work Bachelor's Degree 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 help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Social Work Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking. This report analyzed 394 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best bachelor's degree programs for students. To come up with a school's ranking, we analyzed numerous factors related to post-graduation wages, the quality of education offered by the school, average accumulated student debt, and more.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the United States
Check out the social work bachelor's degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.
Top 25 Top Schools for a Bachelor's in Social Work
Our analysis found University of California - Berkeley to be the best school for social work students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in the United States. UC Berkeley is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Berkeley.
While working on their Bachelor's Degree, social work majors at UC Berkeley accumulate an average of around $15,457 in student debt.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Bethel University Minnesota is a great place for social work students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the suburb of Saint Paul, Bethel University Minnesota is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Winona State University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Winona State is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Winona.
The average amount in student loans that social work majors at Winona State take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $29,473. 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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Out of the 394 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Elizabethtown College landed the # 4 spot on the list. Etown is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Elizabethtown.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Minot State University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. MSU is a small public school located in the town of Minot.
While working on their Bachelor's Degree, social work majors at MSU accumulate an average of around $26,962 in student debt.
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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 working on their bachelor’s degree. St. Kate's is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Saint Paul.
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Bemidji State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Bemidji State University is a small public school located in the remote town of Bemidji.
Social Work majors at Bemidji State University take out an average of $28,291 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.
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Minnesota State University - Mankato did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for social work students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #8 on the list. Minnesota State Mankato is a large public school located in the city of Mankato.
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Minnesota State University - Moorhead did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for social work students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #9 on the list. MSU Moorhead is a medium-sized public school located in the midsize suburb of Moorhead.
After completing their Bachelor's Degree, social work graduates from MSU Moorhead carry an average student debtload of $27,008.
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Nebraska Wesleyan University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for social work students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #10 on the list. NWU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Lincoln.
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The College of Saint Scholastica ranked #11 on this year’s Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Duluth, St. Scholastica is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
After completing their Bachelor's Degree, social work graduates from St. Scholastica carry an average student debtload of $31,553.
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With a ranking of #12, University of Wisconsin - River Falls did quite well on this year’s best schools for social work students working on their bachelor’s degree. UW - River Falls is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of River Falls.
Social Work majors at UW - River Falls take out an average of $28,354 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.
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University of Nevada - Reno landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree social work programs. Located in the large city of Reno, UNR is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Social Work majors at UNR take out an average of $24,639 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.
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With a ranking of #14, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire did quite well on this year’s best schools for social work students working on their bachelor’s degree. UW - Eau Claire is a fairly large public school located in the city of Eau Claire.
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University of North Dakota ranked #15 on this year’s Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. UND is a large public school located in the city of Grand Forks.
Social Work majors at UND take out an average of $27,649 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.
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University of Washington - Tacoma Campus landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree social work programs. UW Tacoma is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Tacoma.
While working on their Bachelor's Degree, social work majors at UW Tacoma accumulate an average of around $18,931 in student debt.
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Colorado State University - Fort Collins landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree social work programs. Colorado State is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Fort Collins.
Social Work majors at Colorado State take out an average of $22,964 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $222.
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Monmouth University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the suburb of West Long Branch, Monmouth is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.
After completing their Bachelor's Degree, social work graduates from Monmouth carry an average student debtload of $26,216. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $575.
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Metropolitan State University landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree social work programs. Metro State is a medium-sized public school located in the large city of Saint Paul.
The average amount in student loans that social work majors at Metro State take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $31,142.
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Marquette University landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree social work programs. Located in the city of Milwaukee, Marquette is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
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The University of Texas at Austin did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for social work students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #21 on the list. UT Austin is a fairly large public school located in the city of Austin.
Social Work majors at UT Austin take out an average of $19,201 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $232.
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Kansas State University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. K -State is a very large public school located in the city of Manhattan.
This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $209, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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With a ranking of #23, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on this year’s best schools for social work students working on their bachelor’s degree. UIUC is a very large public school located in the small city of Champaign.
While working on their Bachelor's Degree, social work majors at UIUC accumulate an average of around $18,860 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $418, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Saint Cloud State University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. St. Cloud State University is a large public school located in the city of Saint Cloud.
The average amount in student loans that social work majors at St. Cloud State University take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $28,953.
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With a ranking of #25, Southwest Minnesota State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for social work students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the remote town of Marshall, Southwest Minnesota State University is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
While working on their Bachelor's Degree, social work majors at Southwest Minnesota State University accumulate an average of around $21,644 in student debt.
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Additional Award Winners
This section shows the remainder of the schools awarded a Best Social Work Bachelor's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 394 different United States social work schools we analyzed.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | West Chester University of Pennsylvania | West Chester, PA |
| 52 | Texas Christian University | Fort Worth, TX |
| 53 | Millersville University of Pennsylvania | Millersville, PA |
| 54 | Rutgers University - New Brunswick | New Brunswick, NJ |
| 55 | Mount Vernon Nazarene University | Mount Vernon, OH |
| 56 | Fort Hays State University | Hays, KS |
| 57 | California State University - San Bernardino | San Bernardino, CA |
| 58 | University of Minnesota - Duluth | Duluth, MN |
| 59 | University of Utah | Salt Lake City, UT |
Honorable Mentions
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Social Work Bachelor's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 60 | Stockton University | Galloway, NJ |
| 61 | California State University - East Bay | Hayward, CA |
| 62 | Indiana University - South Bend | South Bend, IN |
| 63 | Bluffton University | Bluffton, OH |
| 64 | Saginaw Valley State University | University Center, MI |
| 65 | Augusta University | Augusta, GA |
| 66 | Capital University | Columbus, OH |
| 67 | Auburn University | Auburn, AL |
| 68 | Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania | Shippensburg, PA |
| 69 | Seattle University | Seattle, WA |
| 70 | University of Nebraska at Kearney | Kearney, NE |
| 71 | Fresno Pacific University | Fresno, CA |
| 72 | James Madison University | Harrisonburg, VA |
| 73 | Brescia University | Owensboro, KY |
| 74 | Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global | Marion, IN |
| 75 | George Fox University | Newberg, OR |
| 76 | Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania | Bloomsburg, PA |
| 77 | Heritage University | Toppenish, WA |
| 78 | University of Maryland - Baltimore County | Baltimore, MD |
Social Work by Region
View the Best Social Work Bachelor's Degree 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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