2023 Best Value Social Work Schools in Virginia
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Social Work School for You
Social Work is the #34 most popular major in Virginia with 1,010 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
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.
The Best Value Social Work Schools in Virginia ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 9 schools in Virginia 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.
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.
Best Virginia Schools for Affordable Quality in Social Work
Our 2023 rankings named James Madison University the best value school in Virginia for social work students. JMU is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Harrisonburg.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at JMU are $12,638 a year. On average, social work graduates from JMU take out $19,500 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $215.
JMU excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Social Work Schools in Virginia list.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Virginia State University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools in Virginia list. Located in the suburb of Petersburg, Virginia State is a public college with a small student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Virginia State are $9,154 per year. While working on their degree, social work majors at Virginia State accumulate an average of around $31,000 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $143.
Full Social Work at Virginia State University Report
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Out of the 9 schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, Radford University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Radford is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Radford.
Radford undergraduate students pay an average of $11,542 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, social work graduates from Radford take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Christopher Newport University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Social Work Schools in Virginia list. Located in the midsize city of Newport News, CNU is a public school with a small student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CNU are $14,924 per year. While working on their degree, social work majors at CNU accumulate an average of around $26,247 in student debt.
In addition to its great value ranking, CNU is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Social Work Schools in Virginia list.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend George Mason University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Social Work Schools in Virginia list. Located in the suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at GMU are $13,119 a year. While working on their degree, social work majors at GMU accumulate an average of around $23,000 in student debt.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, GMU also did well on our Best Social Work Schools in Virginia list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Read full report on Social Work at George Mason University
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Norfolk State University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value social work programs. Norfolk State is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Norfolk.
Norfolk State undergraduate students pay an average of $9,622 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Social Work majors at Norfolk State take out an average of $44,560 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $144, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Virginia Commonwealth University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools in Virginia ranking. Located in the midsize city of Richmond, VCU is a public college with a very large student population.
VCU undergraduate students pay an average of $15,028 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, social work majors at VCU accumulate an average of around $24,497 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $125.
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Liberty University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value social work programs. Located in the city of Lynchburg, Liberty University is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.
Liberty University undergraduate students pay an average of $16,160 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, social work graduates from Liberty University take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $369, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Mary Baldwin University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools in Virginia ranking. Located in the small city of Staunton, Mary Baldwin is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Mary Baldwin are $31,140 per year. The average amount in student loans that social work majors at Mary Baldwin take out is $34,911.
Read full report on Social Work at Mary Baldwin University
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 |
| North Carolina | 1,757 |
| Florida | 1,569 |
| Tennessee | 1,237 |
| Kentucky | 1,510 |
| South Carolina | 383 |
| Louisiana | 859 |
| Arkansas | 405 |
| Alabama | 1,173 |
| Mississippi | 595 |
| West Virginia | 316 |
More Social Work Rankings in Virginia
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 9 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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