How much debt do UM-Flint social work graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $38,000, which ranks 14th lowest of 14 social work bachelor's programs in Michigan. That works out to about $403 a month over 10 years.

Is a social work degree from UM-Flint worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 94% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 72%. Compare the cost with other Michigan programs before deciding.

UM-Flint Social Work (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do UM-Flint social work graduates stay in Michigan?

Most do. 97% (28 of 29) were working in Michigan one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Social Work
Public university
Flint, MI
About 26 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

UM-Flint social work graduates earn more than graduates of most social work programs nationally, $40,371 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $38,000 in federal loans, more than at 95% of social work programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying social work degrees in Michigan.

First-year earnings$40,37179th percentile of 328 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$52,29030% more than year one

Median federal debt$38,00014th lowest of 14 Michigan programs

Debt-to-earnings94%Michigan median 74%, national 72%

How it compares

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

	UM-Flint	Michigan	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$40,371	$37,858	$37,220
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$52,290	$50,448	$49,258
Median federal debt at graduation	$38,000	$27,000	$26,579
Debt as share of first-year pay	94%	74%	72%
Programs compared		14	328

Five years out, UM-Flint graduates earn more than the national figure and about $1,842 more than the Michigan median.

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

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

UM-FlintOther Michigan 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 30% between the first and fifth year.

UM-Flint grads, year 1$40,371

UM-Flint grads, year 5$52,290

All Michigan social work grads, year 5$50,448

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 $403 a month, or 12.0% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (92 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	20% or less
Paused payments (forbearance)	20% or less
In default	20% 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

97% of graduates (28 of 29) were working in Michigan one year after graduating. Prices in the Flint area are about 7% below the national average, so a $40,371 salary here buys what about $43,394 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

$59,270

Median pay in Michigan. 15,760 people work in this job in Michigan. 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%: $41,260Top 10%: $81,100

Social and Community Service Managers

$85,500

Median pay in Michigan. 6,320 people work in this job in Michigan. 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%: $53,100Top 10%: $127,910

Healthcare Social Workers

$67,600

Median pay in Michigan. 4,860 people work in this job in Michigan. 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%: $47,640Top 10%: $91,190

Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers

$60,830

Median pay in Michigan. 4,620 people work in this job in Michigan. 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%: $42,150Top 10%: $82,750

About UM-Flint

In-state tuition and fees	$14,704 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$28,320 / year
Average net price after aid	$7,007 / year
Admission rate	70%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	40%
Undergraduate students	4,411

Social Work ranks 14th of 26 bachelor's programs at UM-Flint by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($80,029), Mechanical Engineering ($74,974), and Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ($64,434).

Other social work bachelor's programs near Flint

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
UM-FlintFlint, MI · public		$40,371	$38,000
Oakland UniversityRochester Hills, MI · public	34 mi	$38,446	$28,250
Saginaw Valley StateUniversity Center, MI · public	37 mi	$38,503	$31,000
Michigan StateEast Lansing, MI · public	44 mi	$34,089	$26,169
Eastern Michigan UniversityYpsilanti, MI · public	53 mi	$38,517	$31,111
Wayne StateDetroit, MI · public	55 mi	$39,774	$28,012

Common questions

The median graduate earns $40,371 one year after graduating and $52,290 five years after. The median across social work bachelor's programs in Michigan is $37,858.

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 Michigan 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 Michigan, ranked14 programs by pay and debt Social Work bachelor's programs in the US, ranked328 programs by pay and debt All UM-Flint programs, ranked26 programs by pay and debt