How much debt do Hood College social work graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $25,578, which ranks 3rd lowest of 7 social work bachelor's programs in Maryland. That works out to about $271 a month over 10 years.

Is a social work degree from Hood College worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 78% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 72%. Compare the cost with other Maryland programs before deciding.

Hood College Social Work (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Social Work
Private nonprofit college
Frederick, MD
About 10 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Hood College social work graduates earn less than graduates of most social work programs nationally, $32,805 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $25,578 in federal loans, close to the national median of $26,579. Several Maryland programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$32,80521st percentile of 328 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$48,77749% more than year one

Median federal debt$25,5783rd lowest of 7 Maryland programs

Debt-to-earnings78%Maryland median 76%, national 72%

How it compares

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

	Hood College	Maryland	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$32,805	$37,612	$37,220
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$48,777	$56,184	$49,258
Median federal debt at graduation	$25,578	$25,789	$26,579
Debt as share of first-year pay	78%	76%	72%
Programs compared		7	328

Five years out, Hood College graduates earn about the national figure but about $7,407 less than the Maryland median. Several Maryland programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

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

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

Hood CollegeOther Maryland 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 49% between the first and fifth year.

Hood College grads, year 1$32,805

Hood College grads, year 5$48,777

All Maryland social work grads, year 5$56,184

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 $271 a month, or 9.9% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the Washington area are about 9% above the national average, so a $32,805 salary here buys what about $30,128 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

$76,390

Median pay in Maryland. 4,710 people work in this job in Maryland. 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%: $41,240Top 10%: $105,570

Social and Community Service Managers

$87,450

Median pay in Maryland. 4,300 people work in this job in Maryland. 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%: $58,050Top 10%: $151,610

Healthcare Social Workers

$76,440

Median pay in Maryland. 4,750 people work in this job in Maryland. 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%: $40,210Top 10%: $96,340

Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers

$73,580

Median pay in Maryland. 2,250 people work in this job in Maryland. 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%: $38,100Top 10%: $104,000

About Hood College

Tuition and fees	$47,700 / year
Average net price after aid	$20,873 / year
Admission rate	78%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	57%
Undergraduate students	1,194

Social Work ranks 4th of 6 bachelor's programs at Hood College by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($78,873), Business Administration ($47,694), and Criminal Justice ($41,764).

Other social work bachelor's programs near Frederick

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Hood CollegeFrederick, MD · private nonprofit		$32,805	$25,578
Shepherd UniversityShepherdstown, WV · public	21 mi	$32,965	$27,722
UMBCBaltimore, MD · public	39 mi	$40,316	$22,500
George MasonFairfax, VA · public	41 mi	$38,559	$24,188
Coppin StateBaltimore, MD · public	41 mi	$37,612	$28,750
Shippensburg University of PennsylvaniaShippensburg, PA · public	44 mi	$37,206	$26,982
Morgan StateBaltimore, MD · public	45 mi	$39,059	$35,000
Bowie StateBowie, MD · public	45 mi	$32,989	$31,000
Messiah UniversityMechanicsburg, PA · private nonprofit	56 mi	$34,818	$27,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $32,805 one year after graduating and $48,777 five years after. The median across social work bachelor's programs in Maryland is $37,612.

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 Maryland 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 Maryland, ranked7 programs by pay and debt Social Work bachelor's programs in the US, ranked328 programs by pay and debt All Hood College programs, ranked6 programs by pay and debt