University of South Alabama Social Work (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Social Work
- Public university
- Mobile, AL
- About 23 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
University of South Alabama social work graduates earn about what social work graduates earn nationally, $33,771 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $30,500 in federal loans, more than at 80% of social work programs in the country. Several Alabama programs report higher pay.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Alabama and national columns are the medians across all social work bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, University of South Alabama graduates earn less than the national figure and about the same as the Alabama median.
Debt and first-year pay at every Alabama social work program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Alabama medians.
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.
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 $323 a month, or 11.5% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
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, 23 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $31,391.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
81% of graduates (26 of 32) were working in Alabama one year after graduating. Prices in the Mobile area are about 12% below the national average, so a $33,771 salary here buys what about $38,333 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
$46,660Median pay in Alabama. 4,220 people work in this job in Alabama. 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
$72,310Median pay in Alabama. 2,350 people work in this job in Alabama. 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
$60,000Median pay in Alabama. 2,850 people work in this job in Alabama. 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
$41,500Median pay in Alabama. 740 people work in this job in Alabama. 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 University of South Alabama
Social Work ranks 19th of 31 bachelor's programs at University of South Alabama by first-year earnings. The top three are Electrical Engineering ($81,499), Chemical Engineering ($71,116), and Nursing ($69,447).
Other social work bachelor's programs near Mobile
Common questions
The median graduate earns $33,771 one year after graduating and $43,857 five years after. The median across social work bachelor's programs in Alabama is $34,128.
The median federal loan balance is $30,500, which ranks 5th lowest of 8 social work bachelor's programs in Alabama. That works out to about $323 a month over 10 years.
It depends on your other options. Debt equals 90% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 72%. Compare the cost with other Alabama programs before deciding.
Most do. 81% (26 of 32) were working in Alabama 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 Alabama 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