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Clinical social worker education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a clinical social worker. Clinical social workers usually study social work, psychology, or mental health counseling. 54% of clinical social workers hold a master's degree, and 41% hold an bachelor's degree. We analyzed 12,977 real clinical social worker resumes to see exactly what clinical social worker education sections show.
The most common colleges for clinical social workers are the New York University and the New York University.
There are also many online clinical social worker courses to help get the education required to be a clinical social worker.
There are certain clinical social worker certifications that you should consider. These clinical social worker certifications include Academy of Certified Social Workers Credential (ACSW) and Certification in Forensic Social Work (CFSW).
What education do you need to become a clinical social worker?
What degree do you need to be a clinical social worker?
- Master's, 54%
- Bachelor's, 41%
- Associate, 3%
- Doctorate, 1%
- Other Degrees, 1%
What should I major in to become a clinical social worker?
- Social Work, 57%
- Psychology, 15%
- Sociology, 5%
- Other Majors, 16%
Most common colleges for clinical social workers
| Clinical social worker common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| New York University | 10.75% |
| Wayne State University | 7.73% |
| Fordham University | 7.41% |
| University of Southern California | 7.34% |
| Boston University | 6.18% |
Best majors for clinical social workers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Social Work | 56.6% |
| 2 | Psychology | 14.6% |
| 3 | Mental Health Counseling | 7.0% |
| 4 | Sociology | 4.7% |
| 5 | Clinical Psychology | 2.2% |
Best colleges for clinical social workers
The best colleges for clinical social workers are Boston College, Boston University, and University of Pennsylvania.
A clinical social worker with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for clinical social workers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become clinical social workers.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
3. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
4. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Enrollment
31,503
5. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,464
Enrollment
9,639
6. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
7. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Enrollment
32,072
8. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Enrollment
16,205
9. Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH • Private
In-state tuition
$49,042
Enrollment
5,131
10. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
20 best online courses for clinical social workers
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Top 10 most affordable universities for clinical social workers
The most affordable schools for clinical social workers are Hunter College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and brigham young university.
If the best universities for clinical social workers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for clinical social workers.
1. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
2. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
3. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
4. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
5. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
6. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
7. Minot State University
Minot, ND • Private
In-state tuition
$7,064
Cost of attendance
15,576
8. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
9. Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$4,831
Cost of attendance
19,559
10. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for clinical social workers
The hardest universities for clinical social workers to get into are Boston College, Boston University, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for clinical social workers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for clinical social workers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
Admissions rate
28%
SAT average
1,429
2. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
4. Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,443
5. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
7. Fordham University
Bronx, NY • Private
Admissions rate
46%
SAT average
1,354
8. Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY • Private
Admissions rate
50%
SAT average
1,284
9. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
Admissions rate
23%
SAT average
1,398
10. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for clinical social workers
The easiest schools for clinical social workers to get into are Nyack College, kean university, and notre dame de namur university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a clinical social worker without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for clinical social workers.
1. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
2. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
3. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
4. Fresno Pacific University
Fresno, CA • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,053
5. College of New Rochelle, The
New Rochelle, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
982
6. Texas Woman's University
Denton, TX • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,059
7. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
8. Washington Adventist Hospital
Takoma Park, MD • Private
Admissions rate
52%
SAT average
958
9. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
10. Iona College
New Rochelle, NY • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,089
Average clinical social worker salary by education level
| Clinical social worker education level | Clinical social worker salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $75,685 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $51,090 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $65,617 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $61,718 |
Clinical social worker education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common community and social services questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025