2023 Best Social Work Bachelor's Degree Schools in California
Finding the Best Social Work Bachelor's Degree School for You
In 2020-2021, 4,819 degrees and certificates were awarded to social work students who went to a California college or university. This makes it the #26 most popular major in the state.
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. 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.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Social Work Bachelor's Degree Schools in California to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 15 schools in California to see which ones offered the best bachelor's degree programs for students. The factors used to develop this ranking include those related to how in-demand the school is, the overall quality of the school, and post-graduation wages, and more.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California
The colleges and universities below are the best for social work majors pursuing a bachelor's degree.
Top 10 Best Social Work Bachelor's Degree Schools
Our 2023 rankings named University of California - Berkeley the best school in California for social work students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public school with a very large student population.
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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The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at San Jose State University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best social work schools in California. Located in the large city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public school with a very large student population.
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Out of the 15 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - San Bernardino landed the # 3 spot on the list. CSUSB is a fairly large public school located in the city of San Bernardino.
The average amount in student loans that social work majors at CSUSB take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $15,099.
Full Social Work at California State University - San Bernardino Report
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - East Bay. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Social Work Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. Cal State East Bay is a large public school located in the suburb of Hayward.
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The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Fresno Pacific University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best social work schools in California. Fresno Pacific is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Fresno.
The average amount in student loans that social work majors at Fresno Pacific take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $25,275.
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With a ranking of #6, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on this year’s best schools for social work students working on their bachelor’s degree. Sac State is a very large public school located in the large city of Sacramento.
On average, social work graduates from Sac State take out $22,418 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 $159.
Full Social Work at California State University - Sacramento Report
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California State University - Fresno 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 #7 on the list. Fresno State is a very large public school located in the large city of Fresno.
Social Work majors at Fresno State take out an average of $15,342 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.
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California State University - Los Angeles 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. Cal State LA is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Los Angeles.
The average amount in student loans that social work majors at Cal State LA take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $15,648.
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California State University - Long Beach 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. Located in the large city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public school with a very large student population.
The average amount in student loans that social work majors at CSULB take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $15,000.
Full Social Work at California State University - Long Beach Report
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With a ranking of #10, Azusa Pacific University did quite well on this year’s best schools for social work students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the suburb of Azusa, Azusa Pacific is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
On average, social work graduates from Azusa Pacific take out $23,498 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.
Full Social Work at Azusa Pacific University Report
Request InformationBest Social Work Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Social Work Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Washington | 678 |
| Oregon | 501 |
| Nevada | 462 |
| Hawaii | 199 |
| Alaska | 76 |
More Social Work Rankings in California
Social Work Related Rankings by Major
One of 5 majors within the area of study, social work has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Majors Related 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 15 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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