Best Schools for Social Work in 2026

9 schools ranked by TSW Score · Updated 2026

These are the top schools offering Social Work, ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score. The score combines graduate earnings, AI automation resilience, job market demand, and return on tuition investment. The average Social Work graduate earns $30,861/yr across 9 schools.

Programs Ranked
9
Avg Earnings
$30,861/yr
Avg TSW Score
53/100
AI-Proof Rating
Resilient
37% task exposure

All Social Work Programs Ranked

Click any row for full AI scenario analysis, earnings projections, and career path breakdown.

# School TSW Score Earnings ROI
1 Indiana University-Indianapolis
Indianapolis, IN · Social Work
58
57–59
$41,561/yr 38.8x
2 Rowan College of South Jersey-Cumberland Campus
Vineland, NJ · Social Work
57
54–58
$37,250/yr 43.5x
3 Rowan College of South Jersey-Gloucester Campus
Sewell, NJ · Social Work
57
54–58
$37,250/yr 43.5x
4 Austin Community College District
Austin, TX · Social Work
64
58–65
$34,003/yr 93.1x
5 Connecticut State Community College
Hartford, CT · Social Work
52
46–53
$29,555/yr 41.8x
6 Camden County College
Blackwood, NJ · Social Work
50
43–51
$24,616/yr 50.6x
7 Clark State College
Springfield, OH · Social Work
50
48–50
$29,981/yr 34.7x
8 Iowa Central Community College
Fort Dodge, IA · Social Work
44
40–45
$25,197/yr 28.8x
9 South Texas College
McAllen, TX · Social Work
41
35–41
$18,336/yr 36.8x

Methodology

Programs are ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score, which combines four equally weighted factors: graduate earnings (Year 1 after graduation), AI automation resilience (based on OpenAI and academic research), job market size (BLS annual openings), and earnings-to-tuition multiple (projected earnings vs. program tuition).

Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, which reports actual median earnings of graduates — not self-reported surveys.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best school for Social Work?
Based on our TradeSchoolOutlook Score, Indiana University-Indianapolis ranks #1 for Social Work with a score of 58/100 and graduate earnings of $41,561/yr.
How much do Social Work graduates earn?
Across 9 schools, Social Work graduates earn an average of $30,861/yr in their first year. The highest-earning program reports $41,561/yr.
Is Social Work an AI-proof career?
Social Work has an average AI task exposure of 37%, rated "Resilient". This trade is resilient to AI disruption — most tasks require physical presence and human judgment.
Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024–2034 (employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE. Last updated 2025.