Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Median earnings of all students 4 years after graduating.
EarningsPlus compares student earnings after college against a benchmark of all students with the same graduate degree, adjusting for the in-state / out-of-state composition of the student body.
Schools are assigned a value from 1-100, where 100 is best for students from households earning up to $30,000. This value is multiplied by the percentage of the school’s student body that received a Pell Grant, to calculate the economic mobility score. A higher score is better. Read the full explanation
The percentage of a school’s student body that has received a Pell Grant.
Payback measures how long it takes the average student to pay back the total cost of attending college with marginal earnings. Marginal earnings are the difference between what the average student would have earned before attending college and what they earn afterwards.
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
The total debt accrued by the median student at the time of graduation.
The debt-to-earnings ratio is calculated by dividing student debt upon graduation by the annual salary. A debt to earnings ratio of 1 means that annual educational debt is the same as annual earnings.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
EarningsPluscompares student earnings after college against a benchmark that Degreechoices adjusts based on each school’s unique mix of academic programs and the in-state/out-of-state composition of the student body.
Payback measures how long it takes the average student to pay back the total cost of attending college with marginal earnings. Marginal earnings are the difference between what the average student would have earned before attending college and what they earn afterwards.
Social work bachelor graduates in California earn a weighted average salary of $50,367 3 years after graduation. This places California graduate earnings in the top 10% nationally. Additionally, social work graduates earn 11% less than the total graduating bachelor class in the state.
Cost of living is not considered when comparing states.
Our social work rankings cover 15 of the 19 programs available in California, accounting for 92% of total student graduates. We only include schools with sufficient earnings and/or cost data.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$8,721
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$59,826
Median earnings of all students 4 years after graduating.
Graduation rate83%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
The next best-value social work bachelor’s program in the country comes from another CSU school, California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), located a stone’s throw away from the Cal State LA campus.
The 2-year Bachelor of Arts in Social Work (BASW) program at California State University, Long Beach offers a flexible delivery model of daytime or evening courses. Its fieldwork component requires students to earn 80 hours of practicum at a community agency during their junior year, followed by 450 hours of fieldwork and 16 hours per week in an assigned field agency their senior year.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$5,385
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$50,567
Median earnings of all students 4 years after graduating.
Graduation rate71%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
The country’s 3rd best social work bachelor’s program is at California State University, Los Angeles (CSU LA), an affordable Los Angeles-based public university and member of the California State University system.
CSU LA’s School of Social Work offers an accredited Bachelor of Arts in Social Work (BASW) degree program for students interested in accessing entry-level social work jobs (i.e., in school, mental health, or geriatric-related care) or going to graduate school in social work and similar fields.
Beyond standard coursework, this 2-year program involves a mandatory internship in a social service agency totaling 420 hours, or about 2 days a week.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$8,215
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$54,364
Median earnings of all students 4 years after graduating.
Graduation rate73%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Landing at 6th best-value bachelor’s in social work is yet another program from a California State University-system school, this time in San Bernardino, a city east of Los Angeles.
California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB) offers a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work program that prepares students for entry-level social work practice in diverse settings. After completing lower-division requirements, students spend their junior year taking courses in human behavior, social welfare policy, and social research, and their senior year alternating between practice courses and their field practicum commitments.
The statewide Title IV-E Child Welfare Training Project provides financial support, training, and specialized placements to undergraduate and graduate students planning to work with children and families.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$17,371
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$60,405
Median earnings of all students 4 years after graduating.
Graduation rate94%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
The country’s 8th best-value social work bachelor’s program is from the renowned University of California, Berkeley, a highly selective public university in the San Francisco Bay Area.
UC Berkeley’s popular Bachelor of Arts in Social Welfare departs from a traditional BSW degree by taking a liberal arts approach to the curriculum. Students of this program will graduate with an understanding of American social welfare institutions and policies from a social science perspective, as well as basic methods in social work.
This program is a good fit for those who are interested in a liberal arts-focused, social work-related degree and may plan to pursue social work or a related field at the graduate level.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$12,912
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$56,474
Median earnings of all students 4 years after graduating.
Graduation rate68%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
San Francisco State University, or SF State, is a public university in San Francisco and designated Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).
SF State’s 2-year, full-time Bachelor of Arts in Social Work program is cohort based, with the same group of students attending the program from start to finish. The curriculum explores contemporary topics in social work, from Human Development and the Social Services to Urban Community Organizing and Citizen Action, and involves a field experience component.
The degree program is open to juniors who have completed their lower-division requirements.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$14,370
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$58,152
Median earnings of all students 4 years after graduating.
Graduation rate76%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$10,911
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$50,432
Median earnings of all students 4 years after graduating.
Graduation rate70%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$6,744
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$46,206
Median earnings of all students 4 years after graduating.
Graduation rate71%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
California State University, Fresno (otherwise known as CSU Fresno or Fresno State), another California State public institution, is home to the nation’s 9th best-value social work bachelor’s degree program.
CSU Fresno offers an accredited Bachelor of Arts in Social Work (BASW) program provides students with generalist social work skills to serve communities within and beyond the Central Valley. Person-in-environment and social justice approaches inform the curriculum to ensure that students embody the core values of the profession.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$19,968
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$50,143
Median earnings of all students 4 years after graduating.
Graduation rate73%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$13,952
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$47,507
Median earnings of all students 4 years after graduating.
Graduation rate65%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$26,635
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$50,846
Median earnings of all students 4 years after graduating.
Graduation rate66%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$15,578
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$47,270
Median earnings of all students 4 years after graduating.
Graduation rate74%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$12,721
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$44,272
Median earnings of all students 4 years after graduating.
Graduation rate82%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$32,849
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$45,868
Median earnings of all students 4 years after graduating.
Graduation rate64%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$23,247
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$60,961
Median earnings of all students 4 years after graduating.
Graduation rate40%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
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