2023 Best Value Social Work Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
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.
The Best Value Social Work Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 89 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which programs offered the best value experiences for social work students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 15% Best Social Work Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global the best value school in the Great Lakes Region for social work students. Located in the rural area of Marion, IWU is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
IWU undergraduate students pay an average of $9,239 in tuition and fees each year. On average, social work graduates from IWU take out $40,841 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Out of the 89 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Youngstown State University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the city of Youngstown, Youngstown State University is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Youngstown State University are $9,732 a year. On average, social work graduates from Youngstown State University take out $39,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - River Falls. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Social Work Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the distant town of River Falls, UW - River Falls is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UW - River Falls are $15,661 per year. While working on their degree, social work majors at UW - River Falls accumulate an average of around $28,000 in student debt.
UW - River Falls also claimed a spot on our Best Social Work Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Spring Arbor University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Social Work Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the suburb of Spring Arbor, Spring Arbor is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Spring Arbor undergraduate students pay an average of $31,080 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, social work majors at Spring Arbor accumulate an average of around $29,893 in student debt.
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Out of the 89 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Ferris State University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Ferris is a fairly large public school located in the town of Big Rapids.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Ferris are $13,188 per year. Social Work majors at Ferris take out an average of $26,250 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $176, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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With a ranking of #6, Stark State College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for social work students. Located in the large suburb of North Canton, Stark State College is a public school with a large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Stark State College are $7,406 per year. The average amount in student loans that social work majors at Stark State College take out is $29,672.
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University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the city of Eau Claire, UW - Eau Claire is a public college with a fairly large student population.
UW - Eau Claire undergraduate students pay an average of $17,149 in tuition and fees each year. On average, social work graduates from UW - Eau Claire take out $23,961 in student loans while working on their degree.
In addition to its great value ranking, UW - Eau Claire is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Social Work Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.
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With a ranking of #8, Western Illinois University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for social work students. Located in the town of Macomb, WIU is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
WIU undergraduate students pay an average of $13,297 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, social work majors at WIU accumulate an average of around $31,000 in student debt. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $228.
Full Social Work at Western Illinois University Report
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University of Wisconsin - Superior landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value social work programs. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Superior, UW - Superior is a public school with a small student population.
UW - Superior undergraduate students pay an average of $15,728 in tuition and fees each year. 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
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With a ranking of #10, Central Michigan University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for social work students. Central Michigan is a large public school located in the distant town of Mount Pleasant.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Central Michigan are $13,094 a year. While working on their degree, social work majors at Central Michigan accumulate an average of around $29,000 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $202.
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Southern Illinois University Edwardsville came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. SIUE is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Edwardsville.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at SIUE are $11,496 a year. While working on their degree, social work majors at SIUE accumulate an average of around $25,000 in student debt.
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University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for social work students. It came in at #12 on the list. UW Oshkosh is a large public school located in the small city of Oshkosh.
UW Oshkosh undergraduate students pay an average of $15,306 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, social work graduates from UW Oshkosh carry an average student debtload of $28,446.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, UW Oshkosh also did well on our Best Social Work Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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University of Akron Main Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for social work students. It came in at #13 on the list. Located in the midsize city of Akron, University of Akron Main Campus is a public college with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at University of Akron Main Campus are $11,880 a year. The average amount in student loans that social work majors at University of Akron Main Campus take out is $31,221.
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Request InformationAdditional Noteworthy Schools
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Value Social Work Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | University of Wisconsin - Whitewater | Whitewater, WI |
| 15 | Saint Augustine College | Chicago, IL |
| 16 | Aurora University | Aurora, IL |
| 17 | University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point | Stevens Point, 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 Majors for Social Work
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.
- 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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