Aurora University

Aurora University sits at #6 of 587 BSW-awarding colleges by graduating class size, with 192 social work degrees conferred in the most recent year — about 1.05% of the 18,362 awarded nationwide.

68.2% of students here finish their degree, against a national median of 50.4% across the BSW colleges in this directory — a meaningful margin. Students who finish take a median of 5 years to do it. Transfer students actually outperform first-time entrants here (74.5% vs 56.0%), which is a good signal if you are coming from a community college.

The average student pays $19,053 a year after grants and scholarships — about the same as the $19,006 median across the 21 BSW colleges in Illinois. 51.0% of first-time students receive Pell Grants, a high share that usually reflects a student body with substantial financial need — and a financial aid office practiced at handling it. Net price is the number that matters when comparing programs, not sticker tuition — and because most social work roles are with government or nonprofit employers, graduates are typically eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness.