How much debt do Rutgers social work graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $25,000, which ranks 3rd lowest of 6 social work bachelor's programs in New Jersey. That works out to about $265 a month over 10 years.

Is a social work degree from Rutgers worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 63% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 72%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 5% or less.

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

Q: Do Rutgers social work graduates stay in New Jersey?

Most do. 92% (172 of 186) were working in New Jersey one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Social Work
Public university
New Brunswick, NJ
About 81 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Rutgers social work graduates earn more than graduates of most social work programs nationally, $39,936 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $25,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $26,579. One other New Jersey program reports higher pay.

First-year earnings$39,93676th percentile of 328 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$53,42834% more than year one

Median federal debt$25,0003rd lowest of 6 New Jersey programs

Debt-to-earnings63%New Jersey median 67%, national 72%

How it compares

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

	Rutgers	New Jersey	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$39,936	$38,140	$37,220
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$53,428	$53,428	$49,258
Median federal debt at graduation	$25,000	$25,000	$26,579
Debt as share of first-year pay	63%	67%	72%
Programs compared		6	328

Five years out, Rutgers graduates earn more than the national figure and about the same as the New Jersey median.

Debt and first-year pay at every New Jersey social work program

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

RutgersOther New Jersey 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 34% between the first and fifth year.

Rutgers grads, year 1$39,936

Rutgers grads, year 5$53,428

All New Jersey social work grads, year 5$53,428

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 $265 a month, or 8.0% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (230 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	5% or less
Paying down the balance	15–19%
Paused payments (forbearance)	25–29%
In default	5% 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. Separately, 34 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $16,372.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

92% of graduates (172 of 186) were working in New Jersey one year after graduating. Prices in the New York area are about 13% above the national average, so a $39,936 salary here buys what about $35,479 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

$76,280

Median pay in New Jersey. 7,360 people work in this job in New Jersey. 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%: $47,830Top 10%: $109,420

Social and Community Service Managers

$95,290

Median pay in New Jersey. 5,530 people work in this job in New Jersey. 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%: $62,510Top 10%: $154,370

Healthcare Social Workers

$82,690

Median pay in New Jersey. 4,310 people work in this job in New Jersey. 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%: $54,950Top 10%: $118,300

Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers

$66,590

Median pay in New Jersey. 2,420 people work in this job in New Jersey. 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%: $45,180Top 10%: $102,130

About Rutgers

In-state tuition and fees	$17,929 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$37,441 / year
Average net price after aid	$24,406 / year
Admission rate	58%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	84%
Undergraduate students	37,751

Social Work ranks 42nd of 74 bachelor's programs at Rutgers by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($87,594), Electrical Engineering ($82,598), and Computer and Information Science ($80,448).

Other social work bachelor's programs near New Brunswick

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
RutgersNew Brunswick, NJ · public		$39,936	$25,000
Seton Hall UniversitySouth Orange, NJ · private nonprofit	20 mi	$47,734	$25,721
Medgar Evers CollegeBrooklyn, NY · public	28 mi	$44,311	$15,096
Montclair StateMontclair, NJ · public	28 mi	$33,095	$25,000
NYUNew York, NY · private nonprofit	28 mi	$26,837	$25,000
Georgian Court UniversityLakewood, NJ · private nonprofit	30 mi	$38,530	$23,000
Hunter CollegeNew York, NY · public	31 mi	$42,227	$9,608
Cairn University-LanghorneLanghorne, PA · private nonprofit	34 mi	$36,289	$27,000
CUNY York CollegeJamaica, NY · public	37 mi	$44,742	$9,500

Common questions

The median graduate earns $39,936 one year after graduating and $53,428 five years after. The median across social work bachelor's programs in New Jersey is $38,140.

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 New Jersey 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 New Jersey, ranked6 programs by pay and debt Social Work bachelor's programs in the US, ranked328 programs by pay and debt All Rutgers programs, ranked75 programs by pay and debt