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.
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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 analysis found University of California - Berkeley to be the best school for social work students who want to pursue a degree in California. Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public college with a very large student population.
Social Work majors at UC Berkeley take out an average of $13,045 in student loans while working on their egree.
Full Social Work at University of California - Berkeley Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Social Work Schools in California list. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public school with a very large student population.
Read full report on Social Work at University of California - Los Angeles
Out of the 25 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Southern California landed the # 3 spot on the list. USC is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend San Jose State University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Social Work Schools in California list. Located in the city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public school with a very large student population.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend California State University - Stanislaus. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Social Work Schools in California list. Located in the suburb of Turlock, Stan State is a public college with a large student population.
Full Social Work at California State University - Stanislaus Report
California State University - East Bay landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best social work programs. Cal State East Bay is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Hayward.
California State University - Monterey Bay came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Social Work Schools in California ranking. CSUMB is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Seaside.
California State University - Long Beach ranked #8 on this year’s Best Social Work Schools in California list. Located in the 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.
Read full report on Social Work at California State University - Long Beach
Fresno Pacific University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Social Work Schools in California ranking. Fresno Pacific is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Fresno.
After completing their degree, social work graduates from Fresno Pacific carry an average student debtload of $24,549.
Read full report on Social Work at Fresno Pacific University
California State University - Fresno landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best social work programs. Fresno State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Fresno.
On average, social work graduates from Fresno State take out $11,042 in student loans while working on their degree.
Read full report on Social Work at California State University - Fresno
Best Social Work Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Social Work Schools 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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