Boston University

With 1 social work graduates in the latest year, Boston University runs a small BSW cohort — #10 among 10 programs nationally by size. Worth asking the department how often required practice courses run, since smaller programs sometimes offer them only once a year.

72.2% 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. First-time entrants complete at 89.3% against 63.3% for transfers — worth checking how transfer credits map onto the practice sequence.

The average student pays $24,420 a year after grants and scholarships — about the same as the $24,860 median across the 12 BSW colleges in Massachusetts. 21.0% of first-time students receive Pell Grants. 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.