Arkansas has 9 CSWE-accredited Bachelor of Social Work programs, the authoritative count from the CSWE Directory of Accredited Programs. The longest-accredited is Arkansas State University, which has held CSWE accreditation since 1978. 1 of the 9 record an online option; the rest are campus-based. 1 is hosted at a Carnegie R1 (very high research) university and 2 at a Carnegie R2 (high research) university.
Each program below is scored on the same five-factor model used in our national ranking, so the order reflects accreditation longevity, delivery and schedule flexibility, program breadth, and the institution's Carnegie research tier, all applied identically nationwide.
Arkansas BSW programs at a glance
9
CSWE-accredited BSW programs
1978
Oldest, Arkansas State University, accredited since
1
Offer an online option
3
At an R1 or R2 research university
Arkansas's 9 programs span CSWE accreditation from 1978 to 2017, and the highest-scoring on our five-factor model is University of Arkansas at Little Rock at 7.1 out of 10, a Carnegie R2 research university. The newest, University of Arkansas at Fort Smith, earned accreditation in 2017. Among the Arkansas programs we have verified tuition for, published in-state tuition runs from $3,300 to $24,240 a year. A child, family, and school social worker in Arkansas earns a median of $43,330 a year, 27% below the national median of $59,550 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
All 9 CSWE-Accredited BSW Programs in Arkansas
Every one of these BSW programs in Arkansas holds current CSWE accreditation. Status, dates, campus locations and online options come from the CSWE Directory of Accredited Programs, and each card cites its own sources inline. Tuition is shown for reference only and is not factored into the score.
- #1
University of Arkansas at Little Rock
Little Rock, AR · CSWE-Accredited since 1999 · Online or On-Campus
7.1
Online or On-Campus Carnegie R2 Full & part-time 1 campus + online 1 certificate Accred. since 1999Why it ranks in Arkansas
Based in Little Rock, University of Arkansas at Little Rock is a public university offering a BSW in Arkansas. The 120 hour degree runs both in person and fully online, and a 2+2 agreement lets students who finish a two-year degree at several community colleges complete the BSW in two more years at Little Rock. Seniors spend 16 hours a week in placement, 240 hours per semester, and cannot shop for their own site since the school holds the agency relationships directly. Coordinators match students to settings that include hospices, domestic violence shelters, prisons, reentry programs and immigrant services, and a B or better is needed to move into the second field semester. In-state tuition runs $6,600 a year against $19,050 for nonresidents, in line with the Arkansas median of $6,600.
Annual tuition (not factored)
In-state $6,600 · Out-of-state $19,050 / year
Locations
Little Rock, AR (1999-present); Online (2018-present)
Visit the University of Arkansas at Little Rock BSW program site
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 6.3
- Delivery (22%) 7.0
- Prestige (15%) 7.5
- Schedule (12%) 10.0
- Breadth (11%) 6.5
- #2
University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, AR · CSWE-Accredited since 1985 · On-Campus
7.1
On-Campus Carnegie R1 Full-time 1 campus 1 certificate Accred. since 1985Why it ranks in Arkansas
Based in Fayetteville, University of Arkansas is a public university offering a BSW in Arkansas. The professional core is a locked sequence of Social Work Practice I, II and III alongside research and technology, HBSE II, and two field internships each paired with its own field seminar. Nine pre-professional courses come first, among them public speaking, American national government and a biology or biological anthropology requirement. Applications to the professional core close the second Friday of October for fall entry and the second Friday of March for spring, and late packets are not read. Students need a 2.5 GPA across ten named courses, a personal statement, a signed ethics acknowledgment and documentation of at least 30 hours of relevant work or volunteer experience. CSWE accreditation dates to 1985, 41 years of unbroken standing, above the Arkansas median of 27 years.
Annual tuition (not factored)
In-state $7,666 · Out-of-state $26,690 / year
Locations
Fayetteville, AR (1985-present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 8.6
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 10.0
- Schedule (12%) 6.0
- Breadth (11%) 5.0
- #3
Arkansas State University
State University, AR · CSWE-Accredited since 1978 · On-Campus
6.9
On-Campus Carnegie R2 Full-time 1 campus Accred. since 1978Why it ranks in Arkansas
Based in State University, Arkansas State University is a public university offering a BSW in Arkansas. Social work sits in the College of Nursing and Health Professions rather than a liberal arts college, alongside occupational therapy, physical therapy and communication disorders. Undergraduates can add a minor in Children's Advocacy Studies with advisor approval. The most recent bachelor's assessment cohort of 59 students cleared the program's own 85 percent benchmark on all nine CSWE competencies, scoring between 91.5 and 97 percent. Evidence comes from named assignments including a policy analysis paper, a community cultural observation and a project to design a nonprofit social work agency. CSWE accreditation dates to 1978, 48 years of unbroken standing, above the Arkansas median of 27 years.
Annual tuition (not factored)
In-state $7,176 · Out-of-state $13,248 / year
Locations
State University, AR (1978-present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 9.7
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 7.5
- Schedule (12%) 6.0
- Breadth (11%) 3.0
- #4
Harding University
Searcy, AR · CSWE-Accredited since 1978 · On-Campus
6.6
On-Campus Full-time 1 campus Accred. since 1978Why it ranks in Arkansas
Based in Searcy, Harding University is a private university offering a BSW in Arkansas. The major is 120 credit hours taught on ground, with four years the average time to degree. Strong students are inducted into Alpha Delta Mu, the national social work honor society, and placements across central Arkansas can be student-designed rather than assigned. Harding belongs to Partnerships in Public Child Welfare, an Arkansas consortium funded by Title IV-E, and its Child Welfare Traineeship pays a $4,000 stipend with a placement at the Division of Children and Family Services. Trainees take child welfare and law courses, apply to DCFS before graduating and accept work in one of three counties they name. Published tuition is $24,240 a year at one rate for residents and nonresidents, above the Arkansas median of $6,600.
Annual tuition (not factored)
$24,240 / year (private, one rate for all students)
Locations
Searcy, AR (1978-Present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 9.7
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 6.0
- Breadth (11%) 3.0
- #5
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
Pine Bluff, AR · CSWE-Accredited since 1989 · On-Campus
5.8
On-Campus Full-time 1 campus Accred. since 1989Why it ranks in Arkansas
Based in Pine Bluff, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff is a public university offering a BSW in Arkansas. The credential is a Bachelor of Arts requiring at least 120 semester hours, and there is no social work minor as a lighter alternative. Majors must keep a 2.50 cumulative average in their social work courses, and any social work grade below a C has to be repeated. Field experience runs two senior-year semesters at 205 clock hours each, 410 hours in total, with students in the agency fifteen hours a week. The six-credit Field Experience and Labs I and II sequence pairs each placement with a one-hour weekly lab. Seniors choose sites in juvenile justice, child welfare, schools, drug recovery and mental health. CSWE accreditation dates to 1989, 37 years of unbroken standing, above the Arkansas median of 27 years.
Annual tuition (not factored)
In-state $6,060 · Out-of-state $14,070 / year
Locations
Pine Bluff, AR (1989-present)
Visit the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff BSW program site
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 7.9
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 6.0
- Breadth (11%) 3.0
- #6
Southern Arkansas University
Magnolia, AR · CSWE-Accredited since 2000 · On-Campus
5.6
On-Campus Full & part-time 1 campus Accred. since 2000Why it ranks in Arkansas
Southern Arkansas University teaches the BSW in Magnolia, one of the CSWE-accredited BSW programs in Arkansas. The major is 53 hours inside a 120-hour degree, with a three-course practice sequence, two semesters of human behavior, and separate courses in ethics, statistics and research methods. Outside it, students take an international elective such as comparative politics or international law, a cultural diversity course such as The North American Indian, and foreign language or American Sign Language. The program's stated emphasis is meeting needs in a rural and varied service area, and it operates inside a multidisciplinary Behavioral and Social Sciences department that exposes students to neighbouring fields. Coursework is offered on campus and in hybrid format. In-state tuition runs $3,300 a year against $4,680 for nonresidents, below the Arkansas median of $6,600. It carries the lowest published in-state tuition among the BSW programs in Arkansas.
Annual tuition (not factored)
In-state $3,300 · Out-of-state $4,680 / year
Locations
Magnolia, AR (2000-present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 6.2
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 10.0
- Breadth (11%) 3.0
- #7
Philander Smith College
Little Rock, AR · CSWE-Accredited since 2001 · On-Campus
5.6
On-Campus Full & part-time 1 campus Accred. since 2001Why it ranks in Arkansas
Based in Little Rock, Philander Smith College is a private university offering a BSW in Arkansas. Field practicum is split across two semesters, each worth five credit hours and each paired with its own three-credit practicum seminar. That comes to sixteen credit hours of placement and seminar in the senior year, listed as separate courses on the transcript. Students pick three special topics courses from cultural diversity, child welfare, professional decision making and mental health. The required general education block includes Introduction to Social Justice and two terms of freshman colloquium with chapel. Published tuition is $11,804 a year at one rate for residents and nonresidents, above the Arkansas median of $6,600.
Annual tuition (not factored)
$11,804 / year (private, one rate for all students)
Locations
Little Rock, AR (2001-present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 6.0
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 10.0
- Breadth (11%) 3.0
- #8
University of Arkansas at Monticello
Monticello, AR · CSWE-Accredited since 2000 · On-Campus
5.1
On-Campus Full-time 1 campus Accred. since 2000Why it ranks in Arkansas
University of Arkansas at Monticello teaches the BSW in Monticello, one of the CSWE-accredited BSW programs in Arkansas. The four-year curriculum is built around the ecological paradigm, so coursework keeps returning to the reciprocal relationship between a person and their environment. Named practice areas include child, adolescent and family services, health care, mental health, criminal justice settings, geriatrics and substance abuse services. A Community Advisory Committee led by practicing social workers reviews components of the department and reports back on how graduates and current students perform in local agencies. Students have their own channel through the Student Social Work Association, a student-led group with $25 annual dues set by its own membership vote. In-state tuition runs $5,400 a year against $11,250 for nonresidents, below the Arkansas median of $6,600.
Annual tuition (not factored)
In-state $5,400 · Out-of-state $11,250 / year
Locations
Monticello, AR (2000-present)
Visit the University of Arkansas at Monticello BSW program site
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 6.2
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 6.0
- Breadth (11%) 3.0
- #9
University of Arkansas at Fort Smith
Fort Smith, AR · CSWE-Accredited since 2017 · On-Campus
4.1
On-Campus Full-time 1 campus Accred. since 2017Why it ranks in Arkansas
University of Arkansas at Fort Smith teaches the BSW in Fort Smith, one of the CSWE-accredited BSW programs in Arkansas. The degree totals 120 credit hours on campus and runs on a cohort model, so students move through the advanced social work courses together as a group rather than assembling them piecemeal. It sits in the College of Health, Education, and Human Sciences. The department also runs an 18-hour social work minor and points majors toward a 9-credit Spanish for the Helping Professions certificate, which stacks Intermediate Spanish I and II with a Spanish for the Professions course aimed at human services and health care settings. CSWE accreditation dates to 2017, 9 years of unbroken standing, below the Arkansas median of 27 years.
Annual tuition (not factored)
In-state $4,512 · Out-of-state $11,376 / year
Locations
Fort Smith, AR (2017-present)
Visit the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith BSW program site
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 3.4
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 6.0
- Breadth (11%) 3.0
The Social Work Industry in Arkansas
A Bachelor of Social Work is the entry credential for Arkansas's front-line social-service workforce. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET, social workers are employed across public human-services and child-welfare agencies, hospitals and health systems, K-12 schools, community mental-health and substance-use programs, aging and disability services, and nonprofit and faith-based organizations. BSW-level roles are generalist and direct-practice: case manager, child and family caseworker, community and behavioral-health worker, and social and human-service assistant. Supervisory, therapeutic, and independent clinical positions generally require a master's. If you plan to pursue graduate education, BestMSWPrograms.org covers the best MSW programs to help you take that next step.
Per the CSWE Directory of Accredited Programs, Arkansas's 9 accredited programs are based across 8 cities, including Little Rock, Fayetteville, State University, Searcy, Pine Bluff, Magnolia, and others, 1 offering an online option. 3 are hosted at a Carnegie research university (R1 or R2), which adds research and teaching-hospital placements to the local training pipeline. CSWE standards require supervised field education, so programs build placement partnerships with local agencies, hospitals, schools, and nonprofits, which makes the state's campuses a training and hiring pipeline into the surrounding Arkansas social-service economy. Online-capable programs extend that access to students in rural and remote parts of the state, areas the federal government (HRSA) frequently designates as mental-health workforce shortage areas.
Nationally, the BLS projects social-worker employment will grow 7% from 2024 to 2034, faster than the average for all occupations, with about 67,300 openings projected each year, many from the need to replace workers who leave the occupation. The BLS projects faster-than-average growth for healthcare social workers and for mental health and substance abuse social workers, specialties that hire at both the bachelor's and master's levels.
Child, family, and school social workers, the most common BSW-level specialty, have a location quotient of 0.35 in Arkansas, meaning the occupation is 65% less concentrated than the national average. The state supports roughly 0.9 of these jobs per 1,000 jobs statewide.
In Arkansas, social workers held about 4,130 jobs across the four social work occupations as of May 2025, per the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program. Employment, annual wages, and pay range by specialty:
| Occupation | Employed in AR | Median | Mean | 10th to 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Child, family, and school social workers | 1,150 | $43,330 | $46,390 | $36,070 to $59,470 |
| Healthcare social workers | 1,250 | $55,640 | $56,980 | $38,110 to $76,850 |
| Mental health and substance abuse social workers | 1,040 | $58,590 | $63,300 | $39,440 to $99,070 |
| Social workers, all other | 690 | $47,790 | $67,400 | $37,230 to $113,920 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025. Wages cover all workers in each occupation; BLS does not break wages out by degree, and BSW-level roles typically fall toward the lower end of each range. Location quotient compares the state's job concentration to the national average (1.0 = the national rate). O*NET reports tasks, skills, and local outlook by occupation.
Sources: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Social Workers; BLS state wage data for Arkansas; O*NET: Child, Family, and School Social Workers; CSWE Directory of Accredited Programs; HRSA health workforce shortage areas.
Social Work Licensure in Arkansas
Licensing data from the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB), the body that develops the social work licensing exams, captured 2026.
Arkansas licenses social workers at the bachelor level, so a CSWE-accredited BSW is the degree requirement for an entry-level license here. That makes program accreditation, the basis of our ranking, a direct licensing prerequisite.
| License | Name | Exam | CSWE BSW required |
|---|---|---|---|
| LSW | Licensed Social Worker | ASWB Bachelors exam | Yes |
The license ladder continues to the master's level (LMSW), and the clinical, independent-practice level (LCSW). A CSWE-accredited BSW also qualifies graduates for Advanced Standing admission to a master's program.
How We Ranked These Programs
Every program is scored on the same five-factor model used in the national ranking, with no state-specific adjustments. Four factors are drawn from the CSWE Directory of Accredited Programs; prestige uses the institution's 2025 Carnegie research classification.
- Accreditation longevity (40%): years of continuous CSWE accreditation.
- Delivery flexibility (22%): online option and number of approved campus locations.
- Prestige (15%): 2025 Carnegie research tier (R1, R2, or baseline).
- Schedule flexibility (12%): full-time and part-time plans of study.
- Program breadth (11%): embedded certificates and dual-degree options.
For the full model, see our ranking methodology.