Find Grad Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Best Value Social Work Schools in California

Find Schools Near

2023 Best Value Social Work Schools in California

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

23 Colleges
$13,029 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$48,229 Avg Salary

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.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Grad Degree Search has created its Best Value Social Work Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 23 schools in California 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. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Social Work Schools in California

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

Top 10 Best Social Work Schools

$7,852 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found San Jose State University to be the best value school for social work students who want to pursue a degree in California. Located in the large city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at San Jose State are $7,852 a year.

In addition to its great value ranking, San Jose State is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Social Work Schools in California list.

Full Social Work at San Jose State University Report

$6,653 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fresno. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Social Work Schools in California list. Fresno State is a very large public school located in the large city of Fresno.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Fresno State are $6,653 per year.

Read More…

$6,995 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - East Bay. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Social Work Schools in California list. Cal State East Bay is a large public school located in the large suburb of Hayward.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cal State East Bay are $6,995 per year.

Read More…

$6,846 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend California State University - Long Beach. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Social Work Schools in California list. Located in the city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public college with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at CSULB are $6,846 a year.

Read More…

$7,218 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at California State University - Monterey Bay helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best social work schools in California. CSUMB is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Seaside.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at CSUMB are $7,218 a year.

Read More…

$7,644 Average Tuition & Fees

California State University - Stanislaus landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value social work programs. Located in the small suburb of Turlock, Stan State is a public school with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Stan State are $7,644 per year.

Full Social Work at California State University - Stanislaus Report

#7

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA
$7,304 Average Tuition & Fees

San Francisco State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for social work students. It came in at #7 on the list. SFSU is a fairly large public school located in the large city of San Francisco.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SFSU are $7,304 per year.

Read full report on Social Work at San Francisco State University

$6,785 Average Tuition & Fees

California State University - Los Angeles landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value social work programs. Cal State LA is a very large public school located in the large city of Los Angeles.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cal State LA are $6,785 a year.

Full Social Work at California State University - Los Angeles Report

$7,392 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #9, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on this year’s best value schools for social work students. Sac State is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Sacramento.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Sac State are $7,392 a year.

Read full report on Social Work at California State University - Sacramento

$6,976 Average Tuition & Fees

California State University - Fullerton came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools in California ranking. Located in the large suburb of Fullerton, Cal State Fullerton is a public college with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cal State Fullerton are $6,976 per year.

Read More…

Best Value Social Work Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Value Social Work Colleges 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.

  • 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.

Featured Schools

Find Graduate Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited graduate schools across the U.S.