Best Colleges for Social Work
50 Social Work programs ranked by real graduate earnings, debt, and completion — from the College Scorecard Field-of-Study data.
For Social Work, San Diego State University (California) ranks #1 by our outcome score, with median graduate earnings of $78,813. Rankings reflect earnings, debt, and completion — not reputation or cost — across 50 programs with published outcome data.
| # | School | Credential | Median earnings | Median debt | Completers | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego State University San Diego, CA | Master's Degree | $78,813 | $22,395 | 107 | 90.7 |
| 2 | California State University-Long Beach Long Beach, CA | Bachelor's Degree | $68,448 | $11,716 | 72 | 89.9 |
| 3 | California State University-Chico Chico, CA | Master's Degree | $72,273 | $18,968 | 43 | 89.5 |
| 4 | California State University-San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA | Bachelor's Degree | $69,201 | $11,000 | 43 | 89.4 |
| 5 | University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA | Bachelor's Degree | $67,393 | $13,000 | 88 | 89.4 |
| 6 | San Jose State University San Jose, CA | Master's Degree | $102,199 | — | 168 | 89 |
| 7 | Spring Arbor University Spring Arbor, MI | Master's Degree | $69,441 | $20,500 | 114 | 88.9 |
| 8 | California State University-Bakersfield Bakersfield, CA | Master's Degree | $86,527 | — | 75 | 86.7 |
| 9 | San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA | Master's Degree | $94,452 | $23,688 | 35 | 86.7 |
| 10 | California State University-Fresno Fresno, CA | Master's Degree | $80,905 | $23,688 | 44 | 86.3 |
| 11 | California State University-Monterey Bay Seaside, CA | Master's Degree | $95,950 | $25,500 | 42 | 84.9 |
| 12 | California State University-Long Beach Long Beach, CA | Master's Degree | $82,395 | $30,414 | 273 | 84.8 |
| 13 | CUNY Lehman College Bronx, NY | Bachelor's Degree | $62,955 | $14,000 | 133 | 84.1 |
| 14 | California State University-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA | Master's Degree | $78,135 | $29,958 | 140 | 83.7 |
| 15 | University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA | Doctoral Degree | $101,907 | — | 25 | 83.3 |
| 16 | The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Edinburg, TX | Master's Degree | $64,161 | $20,015 | 146 | 83.2 |
| 17 | California State University-Fullerton Fullerton, CA | Master's Degree | $81,397 | $31,100 | 108 | 82.9 |
| 18 | California State University-Northridge Northridge, CA | Master's Degree | $81,505 | $32,228 | 136 | 82.9 |
| 19 | CUNY Lehman College Bronx, NY | Master's Degree | $77,884 | $29,986 | 82 | 82.5 |
| 20 | California State University-Sacramento Sacramento, CA | Master's Degree | $84,100 | $33,556 | 94 | 82.2 |
| 21 | University of Nevada-Reno Reno, NV | Master's Degree | $73,580 | $31,938 | 187 | 81.8 |
| 22 | California State University-San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA | Master's Degree | $81,476 | $37,400 | 130 | 81.7 |
| 23 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ | Doctoral Degree | $105,646 | — | 14 | 81.6 |
| 24 | Adelphi University Garden City, NY | Bachelor's Degree | $66,162 | $20,750 | 43 | 81.4 |
| 25 | Utah State University Logan, UT | Master's Degree | $66,536 | $20,500 | 33 | 81.4 |
| 26 | California State University-Dominguez Hills Carson, CA | Master's Degree | $84,628 | $38,800 | 98 | 81.3 |
| 27 | California State University-Stanislaus Turlock, CA | Master's Degree | $84,837 | $35,500 | 73 | 81.2 |
| 28 | California State University-East Bay Hayward, CA | Master's Degree | $96,198 | $35,394 | 61 | 81.1 |
| 29 | Montclair State University Montclair, NJ | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $82,838 | — | 17 | 81.1 |
| 30 | CUNY Hunter College New York, NY | Bachelor's Degree | $70,273 | — | 43 | 80.6 |
| 31 | Saint Cloud State University Saint Cloud, MN | Master's Degree | $68,318 | $23,636 | 36 | 80.5 |
| 32 | California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt Arcata, CA | Master's Degree | $74,253 | $29,654 | 52 | 80.2 |
| 33 | New York University New York, NY | Doctoral Degree | $130,490 | — | 3 | 80.2 |
| 34 | Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, TN | Master's Degree | $64,885 | $20,374 | 32 | 80.2 |
| 35 | CUNY Hunter College New York, NY | Master's Degree | $76,071 | $41,000 | 601 | 79.5 |
| 36 | University of North Dakota Grand Forks, ND | Master's Degree | $72,577 | $31,000 | 63 | 79.4 |
| 37 | CUNY York College Jamaica, NY | Bachelor's Degree | $60,820 | $8,080 | 81 | 79.1 |
| 38 | Utah Valley University Orem, UT | Master's Degree | $71,388 | $29,164 | 49 | 79 |
| 39 | Portland State University Portland, OR | Master's Degree | $77,091 | $47,784 | 260 | 78.9 |
| 40 | University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA | Doctoral Degree | $113,125 | $116,557 | 122 | 78.8 |
| 41 | University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA | Master's Degree | $85,426 | $53,583 | 109 | 78.7 |
| 42 | Simmons University Boston, MA | Bachelor's Degree | $62,992 | $10,888 | 19 | 78.6 |
| 43 | College of Staten Island CUNY Staten Island, NY | Master's Degree | $76,568 | $31,250 | 42 | 78.6 |
| 44 | Portland State University Portland, OR | Bachelor's Degree | $63,456 | $23,000 | 103 | 78.6 |
| 45 | Bridgewater State University Bridgewater, MA | Master's Degree | $75,783 | $40,772 | 78 | 78.4 |
| 46 | Westfield State University Westfield, MA | Master's Degree | $70,061 | $35,461 | 99 | 78.4 |
| 47 | Stockton University Galloway, NJ | Master's Degree | $63,291 | $20,500 | 53 | 78.3 |
| 48 | Brigham Young University Provo, UT | Master's Degree | $62,078 | $15,500 | 37 | 78.2 |
| 49 | California State University-San Marcos San Marcos, CA | Master's Degree | $77,471 | $41,000 | 89 | 78.2 |
| 50 | Salisbury University Salisbury, MD | Master's Degree | $67,218 | $29,730 | 196 | 78.1 |
How we ranked this
Programs are scored 0–100 within the Social Work field (CIP 44.07) using three College Scorecard figures: median graduate earnings (weighted 70%), median federal-loan debt (20%, inverted so lower debt scores higher), and completer count (10%, log-scaled). Each input is percentile-ranked against the other Social Work programs, so the score is robust to outliers and comparable across schools. Programs with no published earnings are excluded — never given a fabricated number. This is the same engine that powers our interactive Major Rankings. Minimum 5 scorable programs required to publish.
Frequently asked questions
Which college has the best Social Work program?+
By our outcome score, San Diego State University (California) ranks #1 for Social Work, with median graduate earnings of $78,813.
How are these Social Work programs ranked?+
Each program gets a 0–100 outcome score from three real College Scorecard figures: median graduate earnings (70%), median federal-loan debt (20%, lower is better), and completer count (10%). Programs are compared within the major so the score reflects the best schools for this field specifically.
Where does the earnings and debt data come from?+
The U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard Field-of-Study file, which publishes median earnings and median debt by institution and major (4-digit CIP). Figures are post-graduation medians; programs without published earnings are not scored and are omitted from this ranking.
Can I filter Social Work programs by state or degree level?+
Yes. This page shows the national top programs; use the interactive Major Rankings tool to filter the same data by state, and by credential level (bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral).
Keep exploring
Data sources: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (Field of Study) · IPEDS Completions. Figures are the most recent values published in each federal dataset; cells with no published value are shown as “—” and never estimated. CertiHomes Education does not sell rankings or accept placement fees.