How much debt do UW-River Falls social work graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $26,303, which ranks 5th lowest of 10 social work bachelor's programs in Wisconsin. That works out to about $279 a month over 10 years.

Is a social work degree from UW-River Falls worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 57% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 72%.

UW-River Falls Social Work (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Social Work
Public university
River Falls, WI
About 13 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

UW-River Falls social work graduates earn more than graduates of most social work programs nationally, $45,870 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $26,303 in federal loans, close to the national median of $26,579. It is one of the higher-paying social work degrees in Wisconsin.

First-year earnings$45,87097th percentile of 328 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$54,83520% more than year one

Median federal debt$26,3035th lowest of 10 Wisconsin programs

Debt-to-earnings57%Wisconsin median 62%, national 72%

How it compares

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

	UW-River Falls	Wisconsin	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$45,870	$42,035	$37,220
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$54,835	$51,997	$49,258
Median federal debt at graduation	$26,303	$26,449	$26,579
Debt as share of first-year pay	57%	62%	72%
Programs compared		10	328

Five years out, UW-River Falls graduates earn more than the national figure and about $2,838 more than the Wisconsin median.

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

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

UW-River FallsOther Wisconsin 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 20% between the first and fifth year.

UW-River Falls grads, year 1$45,870

UW-River Falls grads, year 5$54,835

All Wisconsin social work grads, year 5$51,997

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 $279 a month, or 7.3% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the Minneapolis area are about 5% above the national average, so a $45,870 salary here buys what about $43,760 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

$59,280

Median pay in Wisconsin. 5,710 people work in this job in Wisconsin. 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%: $44,400Top 10%: $80,900

Social and Community Service Managers

$82,130

Median pay in Wisconsin. 3,580 people work in this job in Wisconsin. 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%: $61,090Top 10%: $115,520

Healthcare Social Workers

$66,910

Median pay in Wisconsin. 3,770 people work in this job in Wisconsin. 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%: $50,280Top 10%: $91,040

Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers

$61,860

Median pay in Wisconsin. 1,880 people work in this job in Wisconsin. 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%: $45,430Top 10%: $87,690

About UW-River Falls

In-state tuition and fees	$9,008 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$17,470 / year
Average net price after aid	$14,054 / year
Admission rate	82%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	57%
Undergraduate students	4,205

Social Work ranks 8th of 20 bachelor's programs at UW-River Falls by first-year earnings. The top three are Physics ($62,196), Agricultural Engineering ($57,627), and Accounting ($56,825).

Other social work bachelor's programs near River Falls

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
UW-River FallsRiver Falls, WI · public		$45,870	$26,303
Metropolitan State UniversitySaint Paul, MN · public	23 mi	$47,637	$29,615
St Catherine UniversitySaint Paul, MN · private nonprofit	28 mi	$44,257	$30,912
Bethel University (Minnesota)Saint Paul, MN · private nonprofit	30 mi	$45,259	$25,000
Augsburg UniversityMinneapolis, MN · private nonprofit	31 mi	$43,303	$25,737
St Olaf CollegeNorthfield, MN · private nonprofit	39 mi	$45,146	$27,000
UW-Eau ClaireEau Claire, WI · public	55 mi	$40,562	$23,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $45,870 one year after graduating and $54,835 five years after. The median across social work bachelor's programs in Wisconsin is $42,035.

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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin, ranked10 programs by pay and debt Social Work bachelor's programs in the US, ranked328 programs by pay and debt All UW-River Falls programs, ranked20 programs by pay and debt