Rankings

Published August 27, 2026

Edited by Zoe MacDougall, BS in Psychology

CSWE-accredited MSW program rankings, scored on our published seven-factor methodology.

National Rankings

The national rankings score every CSWE-accredited MSW program in the country on one model, and are the place to start if you are not tied to a state.

Top 15 detailed

Best CSWE-Accredited MSW Programs, Nationally Ranked

Full scored ranking with methodology, BLS salary data, and citations from official university and government sources.

Top 15 online

Best Online CSWE-Accredited MSW Programs

Ranked by online delivery quality, cost per credit, Advanced Standing options, and accreditation history.

Accelerated 1-year

Best Advanced Standing MSW Programs

Ranked one-year accelerated tracks for CSWE-accredited BSW holders, scored on cost per credit, field hours, and concentration options.

Top 15 faith-based

Best Faith-Based MSW Programs

The highest-scoring CSWE-accredited programs at religiously affiliated institutions, identified from IPEDS and ranked on our data-driven model.

Top 15 faith-based · accelerated

Best Faith-Based Advanced Standing MSW Programs

Accelerated one-year tracks for BSW holders at religiously affiliated institutions, scored on the same data-driven model.

MSW Programs by City

MSW programs by city cover what a state page cannot: which programs are actually commutable from where you live, and which are only reachable online.

Find CSWE-accredited programs in and near specific cities, with nearby campuses and online options.

State Rankings

The state rankings cover all fifty, but accredited programs are not spread evenly across them. The twelve states below hold 194 of the 350 accredited MSW programs in the country, and California alone holds 29. If you are willing to move, that is where the choice is; if you are not, the state page for where you live is the honest place to start.

CSWE-accredited MSW programs by state, the twelve largest. Source: CSWE Directory of Accredited Programs.