Briar Cliff University Social Work (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Social Work
- Private nonprofit university
- Sioux City, IA
- About 12 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release ยท BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Briar Cliff University social work graduates earn more than graduates of most social work programs nationally, $42,935 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $37,564 in federal loans, more than at 94% of social work programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying social work degrees in Iowa.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Iowa and national columns are the medians across all social work bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Debt and first-year pay at every Iowa social work program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Iowa medians.
Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $398 a month, or 11.1% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
50% of graduates (19 of 38) were working in Iowa one year after graduating. Prices in the Sioux City area are about 14% below the national average, so a $42,935 salary here buys what about $49,662 buys in a typical US city.
Careers this field leads to
These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to social work, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.
Child, Family, and School Social Workers
$52,250Median pay in Iowa. 3,410 people work in this job in Iowa. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 33,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.
Social and Community Service Managers
$65,940Median pay in Iowa. 2,790 people work in this job in Iowa. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 18,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.
Healthcare Social Workers
$63,050Median pay in Iowa. 1,550 people work in this job in Iowa. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 9% from 2025 to 2035, with about 16,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers
$48,530Median pay in Iowa. 1,200 people work in this job in Iowa. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 10% from 2025 to 2035, with about 12,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.
About Briar Cliff University
Social Work ranks 2nd of 2 bachelor's programs at Briar Cliff University by first-year earnings. The other is Business Administration ($55,784).
Common questions
The median graduate earns $42,935 one year after graduating. The median across social work bachelor's programs in Iowa is $38,294.
The median federal loan balance is $37,564, which ranks 6th lowest of 6 social work bachelor's programs in Iowa. That works out to about $398 a month over 10 years.
It depends on your other options. Debt equals 87% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 72%. Compare the cost with other Iowa programs before deciding.
Most do. 50% (19 of 38) were working in Iowa one year after graduating.
About this data
- Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
- Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
- Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
- Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of Iowa comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
- Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
- School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the social work program.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
- Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
- NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024