University of St Francis

With 16 social work graduates in the latest year, University of St Francis runs a small BSW cohort — #335 among 587 programs nationally by size. Worth asking the department how often required practice courses run, since smaller programs sometimes offer them only once a year.

65.3% 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. Unusually, part-time students complete at a higher rate here (69.3%) than full-time students (61.0%) — often a sign of a program built around people already working in the field.

The average student pays $14,045 a year after grants and scholarships — $4,961 below the $19,006 median across the 21 BSW colleges in Illinois. 50.0% 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.