Education authority site · Master of Social Work
An MSW is a means to a license, so the search should not stop at the admissions page. We built MSWDegree.com to record what each school publishes about credits, advanced standing, field hours and tuition, then carry the reader forward to the board rules that decide when they can practice clinically in their state.
The Problem
One school prices its MSW per credit, another per term, a third as a program total, and many public schools only publish a resident rate. Put side by side as printed, those numbers cannot be compared. We record each price in the school's own words with its basis and year, and only where a school publishes a per-credit rate and a credit count does the site multiply them into a labeled estimated tuition. Per-term prices and general graduate rates are never converted.
The second gap is what happens after graduation. A clinical license depends on the state board, not the school, so the site pairs the program data with license tiers, exam requirements and supervised experience rules checked across 52 jurisdictions. CSWE status comes only from CSWE's directory, and programs in candidacy are labeled as such rather than shown with the accredited badge.
The Research Tools
Half the MSW options on the site can be taken online. One list explains how those programs really work, and the other ranks the ones that publish a price on a single scale.
Online programs
The online list covers 261 of the 530 MSW options, offered by 253 schools. It says up front that coursework moves online but field education does not: every program still requires supervised agency hours, usually 900. Of the 261, 231 are fully CSWE-accredited and 30 are in candidacy, 240 offer advanced standing, and 177 have a part-time plan for working adults.
Compare online MSW programsCost ranking
The affordable online MSW ranking orders programs by estimated tuition, lowest first, one program per school. Across 201 online options the estimate runs from $11,155 to $116,155, with a median of $40,300. Every card shows the school's original tuition wording beside the estimate, so a resident rate or a distance learning fee is never hidden inside the number.
See the most affordable online MSW programsWho Uses the Research
Link earning starts with the person who would need the resource. The architecture makes that path explicit instead of publishing content first and hunting for a reason to promote it later.
| Primary Evidence | Published Resource | Who Uses It |
|---|---|---|
| School program, catalog, admissions and tuition pages | Credits, advanced standing, field hours, GRE policy and estimated tuition | Applicants comparing what each MSW actually requires and costs |
| CSWE directory of accredited programs and IPEDS completions | Accreditation badges, candidacy labels and program-size rankings | Students who need a degree their board will accept |
| State social work boards, ASWB, and BLS OEWS May 2025 | License tiers, exam steps, and pay for four social worker occupations | Graduates planning the route from MSW to LMSW and LCSW |
Explore the Site
Open the live program lists, licensing guide, and license planner.
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We gather the records, keep each price in its source wording, and build the tools that carry a reader from comparison to the next real step.
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