2023 Best Value Social Work Schools in Pennsylvania
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Social Work School for You
With 2,251 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, social work is the #19 most popular major in Pennsylvania.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. 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.
The Best Value Social Work Schools in Pennsylvania ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 24 schools in Pennsylvania to see which ones offered the best value programs for social work students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. 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.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 10 Best Social Work Schools
Our analysis found Harrisburg Area Community College to be the best value school for social work students who want to pursue a degree in Pennsylvania. Located in the small city of Harrisburg, HACC is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at HACC are $8,295 a year.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools in Pennsylvania list. Located in the distant town of Slippery Rock, SRU is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SRU are $10,507 per year. Social Work majors at SRU take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $252.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Social Work Schools in Pennsylvania list. Bloomsburg is a medium-sized public school located in the small city of Bloomsburg.
Bloomsburg undergraduate students pay an average of $10,982 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Social Work majors at Bloomsburg take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $215, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend West Chester University of Pennsylvania. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools in Pennsylvania list. WCUPA is a large public school located in the suburb of West Chester.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WCUPA are $10,423 per year.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Kutztown University of Pennsylvania is a great value for social work students. Located in the town of Kutztown, Kutztown University is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
Kutztown University undergraduate students pay an average of $11,062 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Social Work majors at Kutztown University take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $240.
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Lock Haven University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools in Pennsylvania list. LHU is a small public school located in the distant town of Lock Haven.
LHU undergraduate students pay an average of $10,878 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that social work majors at LHU take out is $28,000. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $175, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Mansfield University of Pennsylvania did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for social work students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the town of Mansfield, Mansfield University is a public college with a small student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Mansfield University are $10,682 per year. While working on their degree, social work majors at Mansfield University accumulate an average of around $29,000 in student debt.
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With a ranking of #8, Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania did quite well on this year’s best value schools for social work students. Ship is a medium-sized public school located in the fringe town of Shippensburg.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Ship are $13,394 per year. On average, social work graduates from Ship take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
Full Social Work at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania Report
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Millersville University of Pennsylvania came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Located in the large suburb of Millersville, Millersville is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Millersville are $12,256 per year. Social Work majors at Millersville take out an average of $29,000 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $248.
Full Social Work at Millersville University of Pennsylvania Report
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Marywood University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools in Pennsylvania list. Located in the city of Scranton, Marywood is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Marywood are $37,284 per year.
Read full report on Social Work at Marywood University
Request InformationBest Value Social Work Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region
Explore all the Best Value Social Work Schools in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.
State | Degrees Awarded |
---|---|
New York | 5,784 |
Maryland | 1,072 |
New Jersey | 1,893 |
District of Columbia | 243 |
Delaware | 100 |
More Social Work Rankings in Pennsylvania
Social Work Related Majors for Social Work
One of 5 majors within the area of study, social work has other similar majors worth exploring.
Majors Similar 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 24 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.