2023 Best Social Work Schools
Finding the Best Social Work School for You
In 2020-2021, 33,631 social work students received their degrees and certificates, making the major the #6 most popular in the country.
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Grad Degree Search has developed this Best Social Work Schools ranking. This report analyzed 289 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best programs for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
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2023 Best Social Work Schools in the United States
The following schools top our list of the Best Social Work Colleges.
Top 25 Top Schools in Social Work
Our analysis found University of California - Berkeley to be the best school for social work students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public college with a very large student population.
Full Social Work at University of California - Berkeley Report
Out of the 289 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, St Catherine University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the city of Saint Paul, St. Kate's is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Capella University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Social Work Schools list. Capella University is a very large private for-profit school located in the large city of Minneapolis.
The excellent programs at University of California - Los Angeles helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best social work schools in the United States. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Full Social Work at University of California - Los Angeles Report
Out of the 289 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Maryland - Baltimore landed the # 5 spot on the list. UMB is a moderately-sized public school located in the large city of Baltimore.
Full Social Work at University of Maryland - Baltimore Report
With a ranking of #6, San Jose State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for social work students. Located in the large city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public school with a very large student population.
University of Southern California came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Social Work Schools ranking. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.
Read full report on Social Work at University of Southern California
University of Chicago landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best social work programs. UChicago is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.
University of St Thomas Minnesota came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Social Work Schools ranking. UST MN is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Saint Paul.
University of Pennsylvania came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Social Work Schools ranking. Located in the city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
Read full report on Social Work at University of Pennsylvania
University of Washington - Tacoma Campus landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best social work programs. Located in the medium-sized city of Tacoma, UW Tacoma is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Read full report on Social Work at University of Washington - Tacoma Campus
University of Nevada - Reno did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for social work students. It came in at #12 on the list. UNR is a very large public school located in the large city of Reno.
Minnesota State University - Mankato did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for social work students. It came in at #13 on the list. Located in the small city of Mankato, Minnesota State Mankato is a public school with a large student population.
Full Social Work at Minnesota State University - Mankato Report
California State University - Stanislaus came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Social Work Schools ranking. Located in the suburb of Turlock, Stan State is a public school with a large student population.
Full Social Work at California State University - Stanislaus Report
California State University - Fresno ranked #15 on this year’s Best Social Work Schools list. Fresno State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Fresno.
With a ranking of #16, The University of Texas at Austin did quite well on this year’s best schools for social work students. Located in the large city of Austin, UT Austin is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for social work students. It came in at #17 on the list. Columbia is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of New York.
Full Social Work at Columbia University in the City of New York Report
California State University - East Bay came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Social Work Schools ranking. Cal State East Bay is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Hayward.
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for social work students. It came in at #19 on the list. Located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Full Social Work at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Report
University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for social work students. It came in at #20 on the list. UW Seattle is a very large public school located in the large city of Seattle.
California State University - Monterey Bay landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best social work programs. CSUMB is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Seaside.
Read full report on Social Work at California State University - Monterey Bay
New York University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Social Work Schools list. Located in the city of New York, NYU is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
University of North Dakota did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for social work students. It came in at #23 on the list. Located in the city of Grand Forks, UND is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Read full report on Social Work at University of North Dakota
With a ranking of #24, Washington University in St Louis did quite well on this year’s best schools for social work students. WUSTL is a large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Saint Louis.
Full Social Work at Washington University in St Louis Report
Boston University landed the #25 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best social work programs. Located in the city of Boston, Boston U is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
Rest of the Top Best Social Work Schools
Additional Noteworthy Schools
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Social Work Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 44 | Auburn University | Auburn, AL |
| 45 | Yeshiva University | New York, NY |
| 46 | Azusa Pacific University | Azusa, CA |
| 47 | Saint Cloud State University | Saint Cloud, MN |
| 48 | Alvernia University | Reading, PA |
| 49 | The College of Saint Scholastica | Duluth, MN |
| 50 | Saginaw Valley State University | University Center, MI |
| 51 | Widener University | Chester, PA |
| 52 | Montclair State University | Montclair, NJ |
| 53 | George Mason University | Fairfax, VA |
| 54 | California State University - San Bernardino | San Bernardino, CA |
| 55 | Ramapo College of New Jersey | Mahwah, NJ |
| 56 | California State University - Fullerton | Fullerton, CA |
| 57 | California State University - Dominguez Hills | Carson, CA |
Social Work by Region
View the Best Social Work Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Social Work Rankings
Social Work Related Rankings by Major
One of 5 majors within the area of study, social work has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Majors Related to Social Work
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Public Administration | 13,571 |
| Public Policy | 3,737 |
| Human Services | 1,277 |
| Community Organization & Advocacy | 741 |
| Other Public Administration | 295 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- 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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