2023 Best Social Work Schools in California
Finding the Best Social Work 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.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Social Work Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 25 schools in California to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Social Work Schools in California
The following schools top our list of the Best Social Work Colleges.
Top 10 Best Social Work Schools
Our 2023 rankings named University of California - Berkeley the best school in California for social work students. Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public school with a fairly large student population.
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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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means University of California - Los Angeles is a great place for social work students. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public school with a very large student population.
Full Social Work at University of California - Los Angeles Report
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Southern California. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Social Work Schools in California list. USC is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.
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Out of the 25 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, San Jose State University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public college with a very large student population.
Full Social Work at San Jose State University Report
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means California State University - Stanislaus is a great place for social work students. Located in the small suburb of Turlock, Stan State is a public college with a large student population.
Full Social Work at California State University - Stanislaus Report
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With a ranking of #6, California State University - East Bay did quite well on this year’s best schools for social work students. Cal State East Bay is a large public school located in the suburb of Hayward.
Full Social Work at California State University - East Bay Report
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California State University - Monterey Bay ranked #7 on this year’s Best Social Work Schools in California list. CSUMB is a medium-sized public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Seaside.
Full Social Work at California State University - Monterey Bay Report
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California State University - Long Beach did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for social work students. It came in at #8 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 is $12,434.
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Fresno Pacific University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Social Work Schools in California list. Fresno Pacific is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Fresno.
After completing their degree, social work graduates from Fresno Pacific carry an average student debtload of $24,549.
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California State University - Fresno ranked #10 on this year’s Best Social Work Schools in California list. Fresno State is a very large public school located in the large city of Fresno.
On average, social work graduates from Fresno State take out $11,042 in student loans while working on their degree.
Full Social Work at California State University - Fresno 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 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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