Best Social Work Degrees in the US by ROI
Top colleges ranked by estimated 20-year net return on investment across all active states. Data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
Programs Analyzed
412
Colleges with salary data
Average 20-Yr Net ROI
-$212,042
Across all programs
Average Annual Cost
$31,336
Cost of attendance
| # | College | State | 20-Yr Net ROI | Median Salary | Annual Cost | Avg Debt | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
CUNY York College
Grad rate: 31.7% |
NY | +$267,991 | $58,778 | $13,686 | $9,500 | Full ROI → |
| 2 |
Molloy University
Grad rate: 70.4% |
NY | +$236,886 | $65,182 | $48,251 | $25,000 | Full ROI → |
| 3 |
University of Nevada-Las Vegas
Grad rate: 48.7% |
NV | +$166,003 | $55,652 | $19,440 | $21,686 | Full ROI → |
| 4 |
Stony Brook University
Grad rate: 77.8% |
NY | +$150,929 | $57,000 | $29,174 | $23,981 | Full ROI → |
| 5 |
La Sierra University
Grad rate: 64.9% |
CA | +$133,835 | $60,961 | $49,365 | $35,500 | Full ROI → |
| 6 |
University at Albany
Grad rate: 64.7% |
NY | +$101,030 | $54,302 | $28,490 | $23,000 | Full ROI → |
| 7 |
California State University-Long Beach
Grad rate: 71.3% |
CA | +$99,977 | $51,822 | $20,310 | $11,276 | Full ROI → |
| 8 |
New York University
Grad rate: 87.8% |
NY | +$95,546 | $64,289 | $79,121 | $25,000 | Full ROI → |
| 9 |
San Jose State University
Grad rate: 66.2% |
CA | +$90,100 | $51,644 | $25,695 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 10 |
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Grad rate: 84.8% |
IL | +$71,549 | $53,310 | $32,134 | $19,344 | Full ROI → |
| 11 |
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Grad rate: 62.5% |
HI | +$66,468 | $51,751 | $23,832 | $24,610 | Full ROI → |
| 12 |
College of Staten Island CUNY
Grad rate: 33.7% |
NY | +$63,284 | $47,981 | $14,084 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 13 |
Bowie State University
Grad rate: 39.1% |
MD | +$52,902 | $51,598 | $24,302 | $31,000 | Full ROI → |
| 14 |
Long Island University
Grad rate: 51.8% |
NY | +$47,464 | $54,857 | $52,419 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 15 |
University of California-Berkeley
Grad rate: 93.5% |
CA | +$45,787 | $53,757 | $42,708 | $13,719 | Full ROI → |
| 16 |
Mercy University
Grad rate: 47.6% |
NY | +$39,016 | $52,184 | $32,391 | $26,000 | Full ROI → |
| 17 |
Simmons University
Grad rate: 73.0% |
MA | +$36,222 | $58,336 | $63,512 | $27,000 | Full ROI → |
| 18 | Texas A&M University-Central Texas | TX | +$15,448 | $47,214 | $13,220 | $26,631 | Full ROI → |
| 19 |
University of Washington-Tacoma Campus
Grad rate: 58.5% |
WA | +$14,743 | $48,817 | $24,528 | $17,396 | Full ROI → |
| 20 |
University of Nevada-Reno
Grad rate: 62.1% |
NV | +$14,220 | $48,860 | $24,702 | $17,905 | Full ROI → |
| 21 |
Adelphi University
Grad rate: 68.2% |
NY | +$10,674 | $55,710 | $57,444 | $25,000 | Full ROI → |
| 22 |
Carthage College
Grad rate: 62.6% |
WI | +$10,093 | $53,886 | $47,980 | $26,449 | Full ROI → |
| 23 |
Clark Atlanta University
Grad rate: 47.0% |
GA | +$9,599 | $52,521 | $40,924 | $27,500 | Full ROI → |
| 24 |
University of Houston-Clear Lake
Grad rate: 52.3% |
TX | +$2,917 | $49,035 | $23,788 | $31,578 | Full ROI → |
| 25 |
Christopher Newport University
Grad rate: 75.6% |
VA | +$2,337 | $50,286 | $32,242 | $25,492 | Full ROI → |
| 26 |
CUNY Lehman College
Grad rate: 51.2% |
NY | -$2,855 | $45,405 | $13,456 | $12,690 | Full ROI → |
| 27 |
University of North Florida
Grad rate: 68.0% |
FL | -$3,385 | $46,756 | $20,229 | $13,029 | Full ROI → |
| 28 |
Elizabethtown College
Grad rate: 76.6% |
PA | -$4,992 | $51,614 | $49,318 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 29 |
University of Washington-Seattle Campus
Grad rate: 84.0% |
WA | -$8,272 | $48,817 | $30,282 | $17,396 | Full ROI → |
| 30 |
Monmouth University
Grad rate: 69.2% |
NJ | -$11,602 | $55,265 | $60,113 | $27,000 | Full ROI → |
| 31 |
Texas Christian University
Grad rate: 84.7% |
TX | -$18,412 | $57,255 | $72,778 | $24,000 | Full ROI → |
| 32 |
Westfield State University
Grad rate: 57.4% |
MA | -$29,010 | $47,659 | $26,435 | $27,000 | Full ROI → |
| 33 |
Cabrini University
Grad rate: 50.5% |
PA | -$30,056 | $50,450 | $49,764 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 34 |
Iona University
Grad rate: 57.0% |
NY | -$30,065 | $53,702 | $57,336 | $25,749 | Full ROI → |
| 35 |
Ashland University
Grad rate: 60.4% |
OH | -$31,756 | $48,516 | $40,519 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 36 |
University of Alaska Anchorage
Grad rate: 29.4% |
AK | -$31,834 | $46,921 | $21,848 | $31,750 | Full ROI → |
| 37 |
Dominican University New York
Grad rate: 55.0% |
NY | -$32,204 | $49,990 | $48,001 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 38 |
Marist University
Grad rate: 80.6% |
NY | -$33,350 | $54,749 | $63,898 | $24,251 | Full ROI → |
| 39 |
Brigham Young University-Hawaii
Grad rate: 59.4% |
HI | -$34,700 | $44,859 | $22,970 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 40 |
Metropolitan State University of Denver
Grad rate: 29.5% |
CO | -$35,950 | $46,764 | $22,825 | $29,578 | Full ROI → |
| 41 |
Shepherd University
Grad rate: 48.7% |
WV | -$38,256 | $45,931 | $19,863 | $27,722 | Full ROI → |
| 42 |
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Grad rate: 35.3% |
AK | -$38,320 | $46,261 | $21,182 | $28,750 | Full ROI → |
| 43 |
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
Grad rate: 56.0% |
WI | -$38,471 | $45,626 | $18,804 | $26,500 | Full ROI → |
| 44 |
San Francisco State University
Grad rate: 52.2% |
CA | -$38,811 | $46,276 | $25,258 | $17,259 | Full ROI → |
| 45 |
California State University-San Bernardino
Grad rate: 54.5% |
CA | -$41,914 | $44,165 | $16,910 | $13,018 | Full ROI → |
| 46 |
University of Saint Joseph
Grad rate: 65.4% |
CT | -$46,714 | $52,844 | $56,786 | $27,000 | Full ROI → |
| 47 |
Washburn University
Grad rate: 53.4% |
KS | -$55,557 | $45,074 | $20,949 | $24,623 | Full ROI → |
| 48 |
University of Maryland-Baltimore County
Grad rate: 70.5% |
MD | -$56,295 | $46,291 | $27,935 | $22,500 | Full ROI → |
| 49 |
Indiana University-South Bend
Grad rate: 35.9% |
IN | -$56,831 | $43,993 | $15,984 | $24,263 | Full ROI → |
| 50 |
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College
Grad rate: 70.4% |
LA | -$59,392 | $45,896 | $34,328 | N/A | Full ROI → |
How ROI is calculated
20-Year Net ROI = Gross Earnings (salary × 20) − Total Degree Cost − Debt Payoff (×1.35) − Baseline Opportunity Cost ($42,000 × 20). Data from the U.S. College Scorecard.
Find Best Social Work Degrees by State
Browse Social Work programs ranked by 20-year ROI in every state that offers this degree.