How much debt do Cal State LA social work graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $11,000, which ranks the lowest of 16 social work bachelor's programs in California. That works out to about $117 a month over 10 years.

Is a social work degree from Cal State LA worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 29% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 72%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 10% or less. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several California programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

Cal State LA Social Work (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Cal State LA social work graduates stay in California?

Most do. 96% (245 of 254) were working in California one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Social Work
Public university
Los Angeles, CA
About 279 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Cal State LA social work graduates earn about what social work graduates earn nationally, $37,477 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $11,000 in federal loans, less than at 98% of social work programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying social work degrees in California.

First-year earnings$37,47753rd percentile of 328 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$59,86160% more than year one

Median federal debt$11,000The lowest of 16 California programs

Debt-to-earnings29%California median 44%, national 72%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The California and national columns are the medians across all social work bachelor's programs that report the figure.

	Cal State LA	California	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$37,477	$37,995	$37,220
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$59,861	$58,149	$49,258
Median federal debt at graduation	$11,000	$17,259	$26,579
Debt as share of first-year pay	29%	44%	72%
Programs compared		16	328

Five years out, Cal State LA graduates earn more than the national figure and about the same as the California median.

Debt and first-year pay at every California social work program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the California medians.

Cal State LAOther California programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

What graduates earn over time

Pay rises about 60% between the first and fifth year.

Cal State LA grads, year 1$37,477

Cal State LA grads, year 5$59,861

All California social work grads, year 5$58,149

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $117 a month, or 3.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (119 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	10% or less
Paying down the balance	30–39%
Paused payments (forbearance)	10–19%
In default	10% or less

The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

96% of graduates (245 of 254) were working in California one year after graduating. Prices in the Los Angeles area are about 14% above the national average, so a $37,477 salary here buys what about $33,000 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

$65,200

Median pay in California. 60,310 people work in this job in California. 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.

Bottom 10%: $45,360Top 10%: $103,050

Social and Community Service Managers

$83,210

Median pay in California. 33,510 people work in this job in California. 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.

Bottom 10%: $56,510Top 10%: $149,280

Healthcare Social Workers

$89,660

Median pay in California. 17,690 people work in this job in California. 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.

Bottom 10%: $54,220Top 10%: $134,880

Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers

$79,000

Median pay in California. 19,860 people work in this job in California. 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.

Bottom 10%: $46,450Top 10%: $147,300

About Cal State LA

In-state tuition and fees	$7,160 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$19,760 / year
Average net price after aid	$3,967 / year
Admission rate	91%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	53%
Undergraduate students	19,562

Social Work ranks 19th of 42 bachelor's programs at Cal State LA by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($98,811), Civil Engineering ($73,178), and Electrical Engineering ($63,981).

Other social work bachelor's programs near Los Angeles

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Cal State LALos Angeles, CA · public		$37,477	$11,000
Azusa Pacific UniversityAzusa, CA · private nonprofit	17 mi	$33,089	$24,643
Mount Saint Mary's UniversityLos Angeles, CA · private nonprofit	18 mi	$38,512	$30,000
Cal State Long BeachLong Beach, CA · public	20 mi	$42,925	$11,276
CSUNNorthridge, CA · public	24 mi	$34,447	$12,449
La Sierra UniversityRiverside, CA · private nonprofit	40 mi	$42,213	$35,500
University of Massachusetts GlobalAliso Viejo, CA · public	42 mi	$41,327	$34,250
Cal State San BernardinoSan Bernardino, CA · public	49 mi	$39,145	$13,018

Common questions

The median graduate earns $37,477 one year after graduating and $59,861 five years after. The median across social work bachelor's programs in California is $37,995.

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 California 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

Social Work bachelor's programs in California, ranked16 programs by pay and debt Social Work bachelor's programs in the US, ranked328 programs by pay and debt All Cal State LA programs, ranked42 programs by pay and debt