2023 Best Social Work Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Finding the Best Social Work School for You
Social Work is the #13 most popular major in the country with 58,326 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.
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 the Great Lakes Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 89 schools in the Great Lakes Region 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 the Great Lakes Region
Check out the social work programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.
Top 15% Best Social Work Schools
Our 2023 rankings named University of Wisconsin - River Falls the best school in the Great Lakes Region for social work students. Located in the distant town of River Falls, UW - River Falls is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
While working on their degree, social work majors at UW - River Falls accumulate an average of around $28,000 in student debt.
Full Social Work at University of Wisconsin - River Falls Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Social Work Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the small city of Eau Claire, UW - Eau Claire is a public school with a fairly large student population.
On average, social work graduates from UW - Eau Claire take out $23,961 in student loans while working on their degree.
Read full report on Social Work at University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Marquette University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Social Work Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Marquette is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Milwaukee.
On average, social work graduates from Marquette take out $21,500 in student loans while working on their degree.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Chicago. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Social Work Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. UChicago is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.
The excellent programs at Marian University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best social work schools in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the city of Fond Du Lac, Marian is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
While working on their degree, social work majors at Marian accumulate an average of around $28,402 in student debt.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Social Work Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public college with a fairly large student population.
While working on their degree, social work majors at UIUC accumulate an average of around $19,050 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $418, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Read full report on Social Work at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Wisconsin - Superior did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for social work students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the midsize suburb of Superior, UW - Superior is a public school with a small student population.
On average, social work graduates from UW - Superior take out $29,333 in student loans while working on their degree.
Full Social Work at University of Wisconsin - Superior Report
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor ranked #8 on this year’s Best Social Work Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public college with a very large student population.
Read full report on Social Work at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for social work students. It came in at #9 on the list. UW Oshkosh is a large public school located in the small city of Oshkosh.
After completing their degree, social work graduates from UW Oshkosh carry an average student debtload of $28,446.
Full Social Work at University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh Report
Ball State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Social Work Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the small city of Muncie, Ball State is a public school with a very large student population.
On average, social work graduates from Ball State take out $23,249 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $280, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Cedarville University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Social Work Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the fringe town of Cedarville, Cedarville is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Social Work majors at Cedarville take out an average of $24,250 in student loans while working on their egree.
University of Wisconsin - Whitewater ranked #12 on this year’s Best Social Work Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. UW - Whitewater is a fairly large public school located in the distant town of Whitewater.
After completing their degree, social work graduates from UW - Whitewater carry an average student debtload of $27,000. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $151, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Mount Vernon Nazarene University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for social work students. It came in at #13 on the list. MVNU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Mount Vernon.
While working on their degree, social work majors at MVNU accumulate an average of around $36,000 in student debt.
Additional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional great schools for Social Work students in the Great Lakes Region that almost earned our Best Social Work Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | Indiana University - South Bend | South Bend, IN |
| 15 | Bluffton University | Bluffton, OH |
| 16 | Capital University | Columbus, OH |
| 17 | University of Wisconsin - Madison | Madison, WI |
Best Social Work Colleges by State
Explore the best social work colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Michigan | 2,413 |
| Ohio | 2,332 |
| Illinois | 2,711 |
| Indiana | 1,545 |
| Wisconsin | 1,041 |
More Social Work Rankings in the Great Lakes Region
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 Related Majors
| 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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