The Most Affordable MSW Programs: Public, Private and Online Schools Ranked

Grad school can be expensive. It’s well known that social work is an underpaid field of work, despite the exponential good social workers do in mental health, child welfare, social justice advocacy, substance abuse and addictions, and other social services. Because of this, it’s important to make sure that a Master of Social Work program (or MSW for short) is affordable.

Where you live and the type of school you attend play a role in finding the cheapest MSW programs. Keep this in mind as you review the list of the top 10 most affordable MSW programs.

Top 10 cheapest MSW programs

These Master of Social Work degree programs are ranked first by residents’ overall tuition costs for one academic year of coursework. You'll also see the tuition and fees for non-residents. However, this doesn’t include the average cost of living for MSW students (e.g., on-campus versus off).

According to Cost Helper, the average MSW program at a public university is $13,800 per year. But all of the schools on this list come in under that total cost.

10. Texas State University

Tuition and fees, resident: $12,547.30

Tuition and fees, non-resident: $25,207.30

9. University of North Dakota

Tuition and fees resident: $12,234.24

Tuition and fees non-resident: $17,589.36

8. Georgia State University

Tuition and fees resident: $11,680

Tuition and fees non-resident: $32,344

7. St. Cloud State University

Tuition and fees resident: $8,570

Tuition and fees non-resident: $12,444

6. California State University, Los Angeles

Tuition and fees resident: $8,198

Tuition and fees non-resident: $17,702

5. Metropolitan State University of Denver

Tuition and fees resident: $8,095.77

Tuition and fees non-resident: $10,965.27

4. University of Utah

Tuition and fees resident: $7,610.22

Tuition and fees non-resident: $20,165.02

3. New Mexico State University

Tuition and fees resident: $5,753

Tuition and fees non-resident: $17,743

2. Appalachian State University

Tuition and fees for a resident: $4,003.50

Tuition and fees for a non-resident: $10,719.50

1. University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Tuition and fees resident: $3,810.50

Tuition and fees non-resident: $10,527.50

You may have noticed that resident tuition is always significantly less than non-resident tuition for graduate students. If you don’t see your state on the list or simply don’t have time for the traditional classroom, you might find a better match looking at online courses for your master's in social work.

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Cheapest online MSW programs

Your life is busy, so online classes might serve you better. For example, maybe you need to work full-time and go to school part-time. If this is the case, then an online MSW program is worth looking into. Online social work degree programs are becoming increasingly popular and are typically trusted by employers as long as they are accredited.

Here are the yearly tuition and fees for five affordable online MSW programs:

5. Arizona State University

Tuition and fees for residents: $13,384

Tuition and fees for non-residents: $13,384

4. Tennessee State University

Tuition and fees for residents: $11,078.00

Tuition and fees for non-residents: $23,878.00

3. Marshall University

Tuition and fees for residents: $8,728.00

Tuition and fees for non-residents: $21,062.00

2. Metropolitan State University of Denver

Tuition and fees for residents: $7,650.50

Tuition and fees for non-residents: $10,520.00

1. University of South Florida

Tuition and fees for residents: $7,235.70

Tuition and fees for non-residents: $18,150.30

Online master's degree programs tend to be the most affordable option for an MSW degree, especially if you choose to go out of state. Social work students can also consider private schools that have a set price. In general, however, they are the most expensive MSW degree program option.

Private school MSW programs you can actually afford

Private schools are known for carrying a higher price tag. Cost Helper estimates that the average cost of an MSW program at a private university is $36,300 per year. You should be certain that you can afford to pay more before choosing a private school. Even if the school is considered one of the best around, that doesn’t mean it’s the best decision for your finances.

That said, here are five of the most affordable MSW programs at private schools, that come in well below average for one year of tuition rates (broken up by tuition per credit hour and tuition for one academic year):

5. George Fox University

Tuition per credit hour: $712

Total tuition for one academic year in the advanced standing program: $22,027

4. Spalding University

Tuition per credit hour: $730

Approximate tuition for a full academic year: $21,900

3. Aurora University

Tuition per credit hour: $600

Approximate tuition for the full academic year: $18,000

2. Campbellsville University

Tuition per credit hour: $559

Approximate tuition for one academic year: $16,770

1. Brigham Young University

LDS Business College student tuition and fees: $7,474.00

Non-LDS student tuition and fees: $14,764

These private social work programs come in well under the average for a private university. However, private schools tend to list by credit hour, and nailing down an exact ticket price for the program must be done by requesting more information from the school.

How to pay for a Master’s of Social Work

No matter which school you choose, you’re going to be paying. If you choose a less expensive school, you might want to consider taking out a private student loan instead of a federal student loan.

If you have good credit or have a creditworthy cosigner, you might qualify for a lower interest rate with a private student loan than you'll receive with an unsubsidized federal student loan or Grad PLUS loan.

You could pay as little as $7,621 if you attend the University of North Carolina. But let’s assume you’ll need to take out about $10,000 for some wiggle room. With the average MSW salary and assuming you’re single, you’ll pay less with a private student loan if you can get a 4.5% interest rate. The chart below looks at it from a 10-year pay-off standpoint. You could expedite this process with a shorter loan term too.

When shopping for private student loans, be sure to look at all your options. Some lenders have perks like a cash bonus or flexible payment plans. You can start by reviewing our list of top lenders.

However, it might not make sense to take out private student loans if you'll have a large amount of debt from your undergrad degree program or graduate school. You can pursue Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) in most social work practice jobs by working for a government employer, community organization or nonprofit. If this is your situation, you could take out an unsubsidized student loan and enter PSLF.

Related: Student Loan Forgiveness for Social Workers

Get a plan for grad school debt

If making decisions about your graduate degree and career goals feels overwhelming, we’re here to help. We offer a pre-debt consultation for this very thing. You can talk through your loan options, discuss costs for traditional versus online MSW degrees, and look at how much debt you already have. We'll help make a plan that keeps your financial health a priority.

Methodology

All programs on this cheapest MSW programs list are accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). There are currently 309 MSW programs that are CSWE-accredited. Using this as the basis for schools that are credible, tuition was then cross-referenced with the data on Socialworklicensure.org and SocialWorkDegreeGuide.com. As a last measure, the tuition data was compared to the College Score Card data on average debt provided by the Department of Education.