Best Schools for Social Work
Social Work graduates earn a median of $51,377 within four years of graduating, ranking #200 out of 283 tracked majors — 18% below the median across all fields. There are 451 colleges nationwide with tracked earnings for this major, producing 18,831 recent graduates.
Where you study matters: Providence College graduates earn $70,356 while Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez graduates earn $19,099 — a $51,257 difference. Factors like location, employer networks, co-op programs, and curriculum focus drive this gap. Across all fields, though, which major you pick separates earnings more than which college does.
Early career salary growth is modest: Social Work graduates see an average 1% increase between year 1 and year 2 post-graduation, reflecting career advancement and skill development in the first years after college.
Public vs Private: Social Work
Private schools produce $655 more in early earnings on average for Social Work graduates. Factor in tuition difference to calculate which offers better ROI.
Social Work by State
Also by state: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Washington DC, West Virginia, Wisconsin
Top Social Work Schools by Graduate Earnings
Providence College
Providence, RI · Private
CUNY Hunter College
New York, NY · Public
La Sierra University
Riverside, CA · Private
California State University-San Bernardino
San Bernardino, CA · Public
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA · Public
California State University-Long Beach
Long Beach, CA · Public
Pacific Lutheran University
Tacoma, WA · Private
University of California-Berkeley
Berkeley, CA · Public
Iona University
New Rochelle, NY · Private
Fordham University
Bronx, NY · Private
Adelphi University
Garden City, NY · Private
Texas Christian University
Fort Worth, TX · Private
The Catholic University of America
Washington, DC · Private
Dominican University New York
Orangeburg, NY · Private
Boston University
Boston, MA · Private
Seton Hall University
South Orange, NJ · Private
Portland State University
Portland, OR · Public
Simmons University
Boston, MA · Private
CUNY Lehman College
Bronx, NY · Public
Centenary University
Hackettstown, NJ · Private
St Catherine University
Saint Paul, MN · Private
George Fox University
Newberg, OR · Private
Fresno Pacific University
Fresno, CA · Private
Eastern Connecticut State University
Willimantic, CT · Public
Creighton University
Omaha, NE · Private
Barry University
Miami, FL · Private
Anna Maria College
Paxton, MA · Private
College of Staten Island CUNY
Staten Island, NY · Public
Pacific Union College
Angwin, CA · Private
Skidmore College
Saratoga Springs, NY · Private
College of Our Lady of the Elms
Chicopee, MA · Private
Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY · Private
CUNY York College
Jamaica, NY · Public
Metropolitan State University
Saint Paul, MN · Public
CUNY Medgar Evers College
Brooklyn, NY · Public
Eastern Washington University
Cheney, WA · Public
Augsburg University
Minneapolis, MN · Private
Walla Walla University
College Place, WA · Private
University of Nevada-Las Vegas
Las Vegas, NV · Public
University of Nevada-Reno
Reno, NV · Public
Siena College
Loudonville, NY · Private
Morgan State University
Baltimore, MD · Public
Salem State University
Salem, MA · Public
State University of New York at Plattsburgh
Plattsburgh, NY · Public
The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX · Public
Widener University
Chester, PA · Private
New York University
New York, NY · Private
Saint Martin's University
Lacey, WA · Private
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT · Public
California State University-Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA · Public
Showing top 50 of 451 schools. View all or filter by state above.
Majors with Similar Earnings
Frequently Asked Questions
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Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Earnings are median 2 years after graduation for bachelor's degree holders, from the field-of-study file last updated June 2026. Institution-level figures elsewhere on the site come from the June 2026 release — Scorecard publishes the two separately.
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