2023 Best Value Social Work Schools in Kentucky
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Social Work School for You
In 2020-2021, social work students earned 1,510 degrees and certificates from a Kentucky school, making the subject the 7th in the state.
There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Social Work Schools in Kentucky ranking. Our analysis looked at 12 schools in Kentucky 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.
This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Top 10 Best Social Work Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Murray State University the best value school in Kentucky for social work students. Located in the town of Murray, Murray State is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
Murray State undergraduate students pay an average of $9,252 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, social work majors at Murray State accumulate an average of around $31,000 in student debt.
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The excellent programs at Eastern Kentucky University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best social work schools in Kentucky. Eastern is a fairly large public school located in the distant town of Richmond.
Eastern undergraduate students pay an average of $9,752 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that social work majors at Eastern take out is $28,898.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Western Kentucky University is a great value for social work students. Located in the small city of Bowling Green, WKU is a public college with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WKU are $10,992 per year. After completing their degree, social work graduates from WKU carry an average student debtload of $26,000. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $220, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Northern Kentucky University is a great value for social work students. Located in the large suburb of Highland Heights, NKU is a public school with a large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NKU are $10,392 per year. While working on their degree, social work majors at NKU accumulate an average of around $28,112 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $169, 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 Kentucky State University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools in Kentucky list. Located in the distant town of Frankfort, KY State is a public college with a small student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at KY State are $9,020 per year.
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With a ranking of #6, University of Kentucky did quite well on this year’s best value schools for social work students. Located in the city of Lexington, UK is a public school with a very large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UK are $12,610 per year. On average, social work graduates from UK take out $26,000 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $309.
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University of Louisville came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools in Kentucky ranking. Located in the large city of Louisville, UofL is a public school with a very large student population.
UofL undergraduate students pay an average of $12,370 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Social Work majors at UofL take out an average of $25,267 in student loans while working on their egree.
UofL excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Social Work Schools in Kentucky list.
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Morehead State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for social work students. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the remote town of Morehead, Morehead State University is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Morehead State University are $9,462 a year. Social Work majors at Morehead State University take out an average of $35,160 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Campbellsville University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value social work programs. Campbellsville University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the town of Campbellsville.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Campbellsville University are $25,400 per year. While working on their degree, social work majors at Campbellsville University accumulate an average of around $27,664 in student debt.
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Spalding University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value social work programs. Located in the large city of Louisville, Spalding is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Spalding are $26,500 per year. On average, social work graduates from Spalding take out $32,200 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Request InformationBest Value Social Work Colleges in the Southeast Region
Explore all the Best Value Social Work Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Georgia | 753 |
| Virginia | 1,010 |
| North Carolina | 1,757 |
| Florida | 1,569 |
| Tennessee | 1,237 |
| South Carolina | 383 |
| Louisiana | 859 |
| Arkansas | 405 |
| Alabama | 1,173 |
| Mississippi | 595 |
| West Virginia | 316 |
More Social Work Rankings in Kentucky
Majors Related to Social Work
Social Work is one of 5 different types of programs to choose from.
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 12 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.