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
252
Colleges with salary data
Average 20-Yr Net ROI
+$92,459
Across all programs
Average Annual Cost
$33,698
Cost of attendance
| # | College | State | 20-Yr Net ROI | Median Salary | Annual Cost | Avg Debt | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
San Jose State University
Grad rate: 66.2% |
CA | +$697,570 | $79,448 | $25,695 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 2 |
California State University-East Bay
Grad rate: 45.5% |
CA | +$528,294 | $70,695 | $22,803 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 3 | Loma Linda University | CA | +$517,520 | $67,876 | N/A | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 4 |
University of California-Berkeley
Grad rate: 93.5% |
CA | +$515,544 | $72,048 | $42,708 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 5 |
California State University-Los Angeles
Grad rate: 52.0% |
CA | +$468,354 | $67,133 | $17,153 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 6 |
San Francisco State University
Grad rate: 52.2% |
CA | +$458,804 | $67,466 | $25,258 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 7 |
California State University-Fresno
Grad rate: 55.5% |
CA | +$458,540 | $66,792 | $18,650 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 8 |
California State University-Long Beach
Grad rate: 71.3% |
CA | +$421,600 | $65,111 | $20,310 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 9 |
California State University-Monterey Bay
Grad rate: 62.4% |
CA | +$410,446 | $65,124 | $26,017 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 10 |
University of California-Los Angeles
Grad rate: 92.6% |
CA | +$404,674 | $65,898 | $36,643 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 11 |
California State University-Bakersfield
Grad rate: 49.5% |
CA | +$404,050 | $64,084 | $18,815 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 12 |
California State University-Dominguez Hills
Grad rate: 46.7% |
CA | +$400,362 | $63,563 | $15,449 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 13 |
California State University-San Bernardino
Grad rate: 54.5% |
CA | +$395,740 | $63,478 | $16,910 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 14 |
California State University-Northridge
Grad rate: 56.1% |
CA | +$378,366 | $62,950 | $20,317 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 15 |
California State University-Stanislaus
Grad rate: 56.6% |
CA | +$376,116 | $62,660 | $18,542 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 16 |
California State University-Sacramento
Grad rate: 55.1% |
CA | +$371,612 | $62,852 | $22,714 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 17 |
California State University-Fullerton
Grad rate: 69.3% |
CA | +$343,966 | $60,875 | $16,767 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 18 |
California State University-Chico
Grad rate: 63.9% |
CA | +$332,160 | $61,167 | $25,590 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 19 |
CUNY Hunter College
Grad rate: 58.7% |
NY | +$304,060 | $58,534 | $13,310 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 20 |
University of Nevada-Reno
Grad rate: 62.1% |
NV | +$301,976 | $59,569 | $24,702 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 21 |
CUNY Lehman College
Grad rate: 51.2% |
NY | +$291,468 | $57,919 | $13,456 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 22 |
Bridgewater State University
Grad rate: 55.3% |
MA | +$285,172 | $58,775 | $25,164 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 23 |
College of Staten Island CUNY
Grad rate: 33.7% |
NY | +$275,412 | $57,179 | $14,084 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 24 |
The Catholic University of America
Grad rate: 79.0% |
DC | +$275,064 | $63,073 | $73,198 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 25 |
California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt
Grad rate: 46.1% |
CA | +$262,836 | $57,583 | $24,412 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 26 |
University of Nevada-Las Vegas
Grad rate: 48.7% |
NV | +$252,360 | $56,562 | $19,440 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 27 | University of Maryland Baltimore | MD | +$249,800 | $54,490 | N/A | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 28 |
University of Wyoming
Grad rate: 60.3% |
WY | +$244,358 | $56,455 | $22,371 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 29 |
University of Washington-Tacoma Campus
Grad rate: 58.5% |
WA | +$238,384 | $56,372 | $24,528 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 30 |
San Diego State University
Grad rate: 78.1% |
CA | +$234,726 | $56,472 | $27,357 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 31 |
Minnesota State University-Mankato
Grad rate: 53.3% |
MN | +$230,750 | $55,794 | $22,565 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 32 |
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Grad rate: 84.6% |
MN | +$228,854 | $56,344 | $29,013 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 33 |
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Grad rate: 50.9% |
TX | +$227,474 | $55,208 | $18,343 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 34 |
University of Washington-Seattle Campus
Grad rate: 84.0% |
WA | +$226,876 | $56,372 | $30,282 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 35 |
Rhode Island College
Grad rate: 45.0% |
RI | +$213,060 | $54,502 | $18,490 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 36 |
Brigham Young University
Grad rate: 80.4% |
UT | +$201,222 | $54,149 | $20,879 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 37 |
Florida Gulf Coast University
Grad rate: 57.3% |
FL | +$197,882 | $53,721 | $18,269 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 38 |
Azusa Pacific University
Grad rate: 62.8% |
CA | +$197,330 | $57,340 | $54,735 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 39 |
Montclair State University
Grad rate: 64.8% |
NJ | +$196,128 | $54,399 | $25,926 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 40 |
Westfield State University
Grad rate: 57.4% |
MA | +$195,770 | $54,432 | $26,435 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 41 |
Portland State University
Grad rate: 52.9% |
OR | +$194,262 | $53,958 | $22,449 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 42 |
University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus
Grad rate: 59.7% |
CT | +$193,546 | $53,769 | $20,917 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 43 |
University of Connecticut-Avery Point
Grad rate: 57.8% |
CT | +$192,174 | $53,769 | $21,603 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 44 |
Southern Connecticut State University
Grad rate: 50.5% |
CT | +$192,036 | $54,461 | $28,592 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 45 |
Howard University
Grad rate: 69.2% |
DC | +$190,040 | $56,647 | $51,450 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 46 |
Stony Brook University
Grad rate: 77.8% |
NY | +$187,412 | $54,288 | $29,174 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 47 |
Augsburg University
Grad rate: 54.1% |
MN | +$186,408 | $57,117 | $57,966 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 48 |
University of Connecticut-Hartford Campus
Grad rate: 63.9% |
CT | +$185,318 | $53,769 | $25,031 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 49 |
University of North Dakota
Grad rate: 63.2% |
ND | +$182,920 | $53,604 | $24,580 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 50 |
George Mason University
Grad rate: 69.9% |
VA | +$182,516 | $53,823 | $26,972 | 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.