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Best Value Social Work Schools in North Carolina

2023 Best Value Social Work Schools in North Carolina

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

17 Colleges
$8,203 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$34,885 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Social Work School for You

Social Work is the #16 most popular major in North Carolina with 1,757 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

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 North Carolina ranking. Our analysis looked at 17 schools in North Carolina 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. 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.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

Top 10 Best Social Work Schools

$3,495 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named University of North Carolina at Pembroke the best value school in North Carolina for social work students. UNC Pembroke is a medium-sized public school located in the distant town of Pembroke.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UNC Pembroke are $3,495 a year. On average, social work graduates from UNC Pembroke take out $27,394 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Social Work at University of North Carolina at Pembroke Report

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$4,367 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Western Carolina University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools in North Carolina list. Located in the town of Cullowhee, WCU is a public school with a large student population.

WCU undergraduate students pay an average of $4,367 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, social work majors at WCU accumulate an average of around $24,618 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $127, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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Out of the 17 schools in North Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, Appalachian State University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Appalachian State is a fairly large public school located in the distant town of Boone.

Appalachian State undergraduate students pay an average of $7,410 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that social work majors at Appalachian State take out is $22,101. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $202, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Appalachian State also claimed a spot on our Best Social Work Schools in North Carolina list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.

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#4

East Carolina University

Greenville, NC

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend East Carolina University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Social Work Schools in North Carolina list. ECU is a fairly large public school located in the city of Greenville.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at ECU are $7,297 a year. The average amount in student loans that social work majors at ECU take out is $27,000. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $319, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, ECU also did well on our Best Social Work Schools in North Carolina list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Full Social Work at East Carolina University Report

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The excellent programs at University of North Carolina at Greensboro helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best social work schools in North Carolina. Located in the city of Greensboro, UNC Greensboro is a public school with a large student population.

UNC Greensboro undergraduate students pay an average of $7,468 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, social work graduates from UNC Greensboro carry an average student debtload of $26,000. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $94, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

In addition to its great value ranking, UNC Greensboro is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Social Work Schools in North Carolina list.

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With a ranking of #6, University of North Carolina at Charlotte did quite well on this year’s best value schools for social work students. Located in the city of Charlotte, UNC Charlotte is a public college with a very large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UNC Charlotte are $7,188 per year. Social Work majors at UNC Charlotte take out an average of $24,405 in student loans while working on their egree.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UNC Charlotte also is in the top 15% of our Best Social Work Schools in North Carolina ranking.

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#7

Fayetteville State University

Fayetteville, NC
$5,379 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #7, Fayetteville State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for social work students. Located in the midsize city of Fayetteville, Fayetteville State University is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Fayetteville State University are $5,379 a year. After completing their degree, social work graduates from Fayetteville State University carry an average student debtload of $31,000.

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University of North Carolina at Wilmington 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. UNCW is a fairly large public school located in the city of Wilmington.

UNCW undergraduate students pay an average of $7,238 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, social work graduates from UNCW carry an average student debtload of $23,000.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UNCW also is in the top 15% of our Best Social Work Schools in North Carolina ranking.

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#9

Winston - Salem State University

Winston-Salem, NC
$6,247 Average Tuition & Fees

Winston - Salem State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for social work students. It came in at #9 on the list. WSSU is a medium-sized public school located in the medium-sized city of Winston-Salem.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WSSU are $6,247 per year. After completing their degree, social work graduates from WSSU carry an average student debtload of $28,000.

Full Social Work at Winston - Salem State University Report

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$6,733 Average Tuition & Fees

North Carolina A & T State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools in North Carolina ranking. Located in the city of Greensboro, NC A&T is a public college with a large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NC A&T are $6,733 per year. The average amount in student loans that social work majors at NC A&T take out is $35,000. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $149, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Social Work at North Carolina A & T State University Report

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Best Value Social Work Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Value Social Work Colleges in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Georgia 753
Virginia 1,010
Florida 1,569
Tennessee 1,237
Kentucky 1,510
South Carolina 383
Louisiana 859
Arkansas 405
Alabama 1,173
Mississippi 595
West Virginia 316

One of 5 majors within the area of study, social work has other similar majors worth exploring.

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 17 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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