Governors State University

Governors State University conferred 24 bachelor's degrees in social work in the most recent reporting year, ranking #249 among the 587 colleges nationally that award the degree. That is a mid-sized program — large enough to sustain a dedicated field placement office, small enough that faculty tend to know students by name.

44.4% of students complete their degree, below the 50.4% median across BSW-awarding colleges — worth asking the department about directly. Students who finish take a median of 5 years to do it. Transfer students actually outperform first-time entrants here (54.8% vs 18.0%), which is a good signal if you are coming from a community college.

The average student pays $12,756 a year after grants and scholarships — $6,250 below the $19,006 median across the 21 BSW colleges in Illinois. 59.0% 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.