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Best Social Work Schools in California

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2023 Best Social Work Schools in California

23 Colleges
$48,229 Avg Salary
$20,404 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Social Work School for You

Out of the majors we analyze each year, social work was ranked 8th in California. In fact, 3,305 were awarded in the state 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.

The Best Social Work Schools in California ranking is one of many tools that Grad Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 23 schools in California to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Social Work Schools in California

The following schools top our list of the Best Social Work Colleges.

Top 10 Best Social Work Schools

Our analysis found University of California - Berkeley to be the best school for social work students who want to pursue a degree in California. Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public college with a very large student population.

Read full report on Social Work at University of California - Berkeley

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Social Work Schools in California list. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Social Work at University of California - Los Angeles

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Jose State University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Social Work Schools in California list. Located in the city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Full Social Work at San Jose State University Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Southern California. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Social Work Schools in California list. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.

Full Social Work at University of Southern California Report

The excellent programs at California State University - Stanislaus helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best social work schools in California. Located in the small suburb of Turlock, Stan State is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Full Social Work at California State University - Stanislaus Report

California State University - Fresno ranked #6 on this year’s Best Social Work Schools in California list. Fresno State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Fresno.

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California State University - East Bay landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best social work programs. Cal State East Bay is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Hayward.

Full Social Work at California State University - East Bay Report

California State University - Monterey Bay landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best social work programs. CSUMB is a moderately-sized public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Seaside.

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California State University - Long Beach ranked #9 on this year’s Best Social Work Schools in California list. Located in the large city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public school with a very large student population.

Full Social Work at California State University - Long Beach Report

#10

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA

San Francisco State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for social work students. It came in at #10 on the list. SFSU is a very large public school located in the city of San Francisco.

Full Social Work at San Francisco State University Report

Best Social Work Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Social Work Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 403
Oregon 306
Nevada 235
Hawaii 97
Alaska 29

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

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 23 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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