### SUMMARY

 Going to school for Social Work is a valuable choice and naturally an obligatory first step for pupils endeavoring to pursue a career as a senior social worker, a hospice social worker, or a medical social worker. Interestingly, nationally, social work is somewhat popular ranking as the 26th most popular degree. Last year alone, there were 22,681 social work graduates. In-state tuition for social work at private schools is, on average, 3.2 times more expensive than their public rivals.

 There are 602 universities that offer social work. 602 colleges is fairly average in terms of the number of institutions which offer each degree. If you're hoping to surround yourself with other social work majors, consider looking at universities in California which have the most undergrads admitted to social work annually. Zooming out, the best region to major in social work is in the Southeast region with [University of Central Florida](/colleges/university-of-central-florida), [Florida Atlantic University](/colleges/florida-atlantic-university), and [Liberty University](/colleges/liberty-university) best representing the region. Interestingly, our selection of the top conference to major in social work is the Sun Belt Conference with [Troy University](/colleges/troy-university), [Texas State University](/colleges/texas-state-university), and [The University of Texas at Arlington](/colleges/the-university-of-texas-at-arlington) representing the conference. That said, our choice for the best college for social work is [New York University](/colleges/new-york-university). You might also want to check out our list of the [best colleges](/rankings/best-colleges).

 The objectively 'best' school is not necessarily the 'best' school for every student. There can be tons of angels to consider when deciding on institution. Features such as campus amenities, transportation services, and food could definitely sway one's decision on which college to attend. At Authority, we've evaluated the pros and cons for you. If, for example, you want to know which social work university boasts the best campus, the winner is [New York University](/colleges/new-york-university). If, for example, you are very interested in which college boasts the best campus, then we have a whole list [dedicated to that](/rankings/best-college-campuses). We have carefully pored through student reviews, professor reviews, government databases, and more so we can evaluate every U.S. major in an unbiased and informative way. You can explore our comprehensive list for the colleges with the [best student life](/rankings/best-student-life)&nbsphere and, from that list, our pick of the college with the best student life for social work is [University of Wisconsin-Madison](/colleges/university-of-wisconsin-madison). Curious why? Keep reading to learn more about our top recommendations. Many of our decisions just might surprise you.

 If price is a major influence in your choice of where you attend school, you might be cautious about [Boston University](/colleges/boston-university). [Boston University](/colleges/boston-university)&nbspis our most expensive college for social work, at least for out of state students. We have a page for the [most expensive](/rankings/most-expensive-colleges)&nbspcolleges that might put the price tag of [Boston University](/colleges/boston-university)&nbspinto perspective. You could also be interested to know that social work is the 217th most expensive major in America, with an average bill of $29,300. To zoom out a little, the most expensive state for social work in the nation is Rhode Island with expenses at the primary three colleges Providence College of $51,490, Rhode Island College at $21,683, and expenses at Salve Regina University of $21,683. To zoom out even further, the most costly region for social work is the New England region which is best demonstrated with [Sacred Heart University](/colleges/sacred-heart-university) with a cost of $42,800, [Boston University](/colleges/boston-university) with a cost of $54,720, and [Providence College](/colleges/providence-college) with a cost of $51,490.

 Our cheapest region for social work is the Rocky Mountains region which is represented by [Brigham Young University-Idaho](/colleges/brigham-young-university-idaho) with a cost of $4,208, [Salish Kootenai College](/colleges/salish-kootenai-college) with a cost of $10,260, and [Weber State University](/colleges/weber-state-university) with a cost of $14,973. In better news, the most affordable university for social work is [Florida Atlantic University](/colleges/florida-atlantic-university). Authority.org's entire list of the most affordable colleges can be found [here](/rankings/most-affordable-colleges).

 In-state attendees can expect to pay in the neighborhood of $9,400 for a degree in social work. The cost swells significantly to a median of $20,700 for an out-of-state public-school student. As such, you might be interested in our selection for the college representing the best value for social work: [Boston University](/colleges/boston-university). Here you can see our comprehensive list of the colleges we see as being the [best value](/rankings/best-value-colleges)&nbspin general. With that said, this list is based on being an out-of-state student. The value proposition changes when in-state tuition costs are considered, but we do not know where you live (and are not trying to collect that kind of data).

 Earnings for social work majors differ widely, but within two years graduation students will regularly earn around $41,200. There can be a lot of variation in earnings; highest paid earners can bring in up to $69,700. Even straight out of school, the lowest end jobs within the social work field make $23,900, which could be worse. The highest earning grads from social work attended [Boston University](/colleges/boston-university)&nbspand if you are looking for universities with all of the [highest earning graduates](/rankings/highest-earning-graduates), we have that too.

 The prevailing diversity of social work sits on the higher end, being within the 53rd percentile of all majors. The university with the highest composite diversity for social work is [New York University](/colleges/new-york-university)&nbspand here you can find our general list for the schools which have the [most diversity](/rankings/most-diverse-colleges). The financial diversity of the Social Work major is only within the 59th percentile compared to all other majors. Racial diversity is actually greater, ranking in the 65th percentile. White collegians make up the largest proportion at 55% of those majoring in social work. Additionally, 88% of scholars seeking a social work degree are women.

 The median ranking of social work professors is 4 stars, a score that is right on the average score for all majors; which is a fine. If you are curious about the most popular social work professor in the country, consider looking up Henriette Warren from [University of Minnesota-Twin Cities](/colleges/university-of-minnesota-twin-cities). It may surprise you, but the best rated professors for social work according to students are found at [University of Minnesota-Twin Cities](/colleges/university-of-minnesota-twin-cities). If we incorporate data beyond simply rankings it becomes clear that the university possessing comprehensively the best professors for social work is [New York University](/colleges/new-york-university). One can find more detail on our evolving ranking methodology of the [best overall professors here](/rankings/best-professors), as well as some of the finest examples of professors in the country.

 Finally, the most difficult university to get into for social work is [New York University](/colleges/new-york-university). While we do not necessarily see the value in it, we have a comprehensive page for the [hardest colleges to get into](/rankings/hardest-colleges-to-get-into). That being said, we hope you understand that looking at higher education from examples only informed by superlatives can cause problems. We at Authority hope you look at some of our other pages on different topics and peruse a few of Authority's background pages on important things to look out for as you continue your college search.



 ### POPULARITY

 Social work is the 26th most popular degree in America, with 22,681 students receiving their bachelors degree last year. It just beat out #27 [Mathematics](/rankings/best-colleges-for-mathematics), and narrowly lost to #25 [Liberal Arts and Sciences](/rankings/best-colleges-for-liberal-arts-and-sciences).

 The degree is offered at a total of 602 colleges across the nation, and is the 32nd most widely offered degree. It is only offered at 6% of the Top 100 [Best Colleges](/rankings/best-colleges) in America.

 It is also worth noting that close to 3 out of 5 colleges offering social work are public making it a pretty accessible field.

 The southeast produces the most social work graduates, largely led by [University of Central Florida](/colleges/university-of-central-florida), while it’s the Sun Belt Conference that leads conference totals. As far as states, California ranks highest, with particular help from [California State University-Los Angeles](/colleges/california-state-university-los-angeles) and [California State University-Sacramento](/colleges/california-state-university-sacramento).

 All that being said, no individual school produces more social work graduates than [Cochise County Community College District](/colleges/cochise-county-community-college-district), which graduated 234 students last year alone. Although size is critical, another important factor to consider is the program’s density (the percent of all students that study social work). More students studied social work as a percentage of total students at [Edmonds Community College](/colleges/edmonds-community-college) than any other college.



 ### COST

 Social work is the 217th most expensive degree in the US, with a median cost of $29,255 amongst the top 50 programs.

 New England has the most expensive schools with top 50 social work programs led by [Sacred Heart University](/colleges/sacred-heart-university) with an annual cost of $42,800. Rhode Island is the most expensive state for social work led by [Providence College](/colleges/providence-college) and [Rhode Island College](/colleges/rhode-island-college).

 Public schools with solid programs typically charge 69.02% less than private schools for in-state students. When looking at out-of-state tuition however, the median top 50 Public school charges 31.69% less than the median private school. So, if you're hoping to attend a state school, make sure you qualify for in-state tuition sooner rather than later.

 The most expensive top 25 college for social work is [Boston University](/colleges/boston-university), which is the 62nd most expensive college in America. The most affordable option in the top 100 is [University of Puerto Rico-Humacao](/colleges/university-of-puerto-rico-humacao). It costs just $5,952 per year, but it is ranked 53rd for its social work program. If you’re looking for the least expensive option in the top 25, [Florida Atlantic University](/colleges/florida-atlantic-university)  could be right for you, ranked #16 with an in-state cost of just $2,522. Another more affordable option would be #22, [CUNY Lehman College](/colleges/cuny-lehman-college) in Bronx County, NY with a cost of $6,930 for in-state students and $14,880 for out-of-state students.



### SALARY

 College is an important investment for most undergraduates. It is critical to make sure you get a nice return on that investment. It is our goal that the following career and income statistics help you in deciding your focus at college.

 The average Social Work graduate draws a starting salary of $41,993 per annum (top 36%). Further into their careers, they normally earn somewhere between $23,948 and $69,724, but average around $41,200. To put it in context, that is 7% over the United States average.

 The most popular job placement for a Social Work graduate is Licensed Practical Nurse, which generally make close to $34,000; next are Home Health Aid and Medical Assistant, which usually earn more or less $19,000 and $25,000 respectively.

 The Plains has the best paid Social Work graduates. The highest earning state for Social Work alumni is MN. The highest earning conference for Social Work graduates is Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.



### PROFESSORS

 Fast Facts for Social Work: Median Professor Rating: 4 / 5, which is below average.

 Professors always play a pivotal role in your college experience, no matter what you major in. A good instructor may help a student find their passion and even make a difficult subject seem easy. On the flip side, a bad professor can turn you off of a subject or even worse... fail you!

 Professors of Social Work have a median student rating of 4 out of 5, which puts them in the upper 69th percentile in the United States grounded in student approval. Suprisingly, this major is exactly the median for professor rating, which, in our opinion, is remarkably average! Professors of Social Work just surpassed those from ["Multicultural and Diversity Studies"](/rankings/best-colleges-for-multicultural-and-diversity-studies), whereas ["Biology"](/rankings/best-colleges-for-biology)&nbspprofessors ranked one slot above Social Work.

 Now for some statistics about Social Work professors. Colleges located in midsize citys tend to have the best Social Work professors. The Sun Belt Conference has the highest rated Social Work professors. The Southeast region has the highest rated Social Work professors. Public colleges tend to have higher rated Social Work professors than private universities. Finally, Georgia has the highest rated Social Work professors in America.

 Henriette Warren, professor at [University of Minnesota-Twin Cities](/colleges/university-of-minnesota-twin-cities)&nbspin Minneapolis, MN is the most popular Social Work professor in America. William Burleson, instructor at [Western Michigan University-Thomas M. Cooley Law School](/colleges/western-michigan-university-thomas-m-cooley-law-school)&nbspin Lansing, MI is the highest rated Social Work professor in the US, with a rating of 5 / 5.

 Learn which universities have the [Best Professors](/rankings/best-professors)!



### STUDENTS

 College is an extremely formative adventure in one's life; it's a time for individual growth and expansion. Undergraduates try to realize what they are capable of and cultivate the underlying skills to become a successful adult. But growth goes far beyond the classroom - the interactions one has with her schoolmates, the life lesson gained from a tenured instructor, the exposure to a different life experience. Therefore, attending a diverse college tremendously enriches what you gain from your time at college.

 Social Work is a more racially diverse subject than average\*. 55% of the nation's Social Work majors are white students, followed by latino students (20%), black students (17%), and students of other races\*\*(5%). The most ethnically diverse college\* in the top 100 is [University of California-Berkeley](/colleges/university-of-california-berkeley) located in Berkeley, CA.

 Additionally, Social Work very highly skews female, more so 93% of subjects. 88% of students majoring in Social Work identify as women. [University of California-Berkeley](/colleges/university-of-california-berkeley) in Berkeley, CA has the most gender balanced student body in the top 100.

 Another important type of diversity is wealth diversity. Social Work is fairly close to the median for economic diversity (41st percentile). 28% of its students come from very high income households, 16% are from homes with $48,000 to $75,000 annual incomes, and 26% grew up in households making less than $30,000 a year. [University of North Carolina at Charlotte](/colleges/university-of-north-carolina-at-charlotte) has the most financially diverse student body in the top 100.

 Considering each type of diversity, overall HI is the most diverse state for Social Work. The Southwest is the most diverse region, and the Pacific-12 Conference is the most diverse conference.

   \* diversity calculations and comparisons are based on [Simpson's Diversity Index](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diversity_index)   
  \*\* other races is used to refer to non asian, black, latino, or white

  #### Diversity Statistics

  ##### Racial Diversity

 * Asian: 4%
* Black: 17%
* Latino: 20%
* White: 55%
* Other: 5%
  ##### Gender Diversity

 * Male: 12%
* Female: 88%
  ##### Socioeconomic Diversity (By Household Income)

 * Under 30k: 26%
* 30k - 48k: 15%
* 48k - 75k: 16%
* 75k - 110k: 15%
* Over 110k: 28%
  ##### Geographic Diversity

 * In State: 71%
* Out of State: 25%
* International: 4%


2023 Social Work Professors

There are about 151,128 students enrolled in Social Work in the USA.

PROFESSORS