District of Columbia has 3 CSWE-accredited Bachelor of Social Work programs, the authoritative count from the CSWE Directory of Accredited Programs. The longest-accredited is Catholic University of America, which has held CSWE accreditation since 1974. None of the 3 record an online option, all are campus-based. 1 is hosted at a Carnegie R1 (very 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.
District of Columbia BSW programs at a glance
3
CSWE-accredited BSW programs
1974
Oldest, Catholic University of America, accredited since
0
Offer an online option
1
At an R1 or R2 research university
District of Columbia's 3 programs span CSWE accreditation from 1974 to 1976, and the highest-scoring on our five-factor model is Catholic University of America at 7.9 out of 10, a Carnegie R1 research university. The newest, University of the District of Columbia, earned accreditation in 1976. Among the District of Columbia programs we have verified tuition for, published in-state tuition runs from $5,292 to $54,630 a year. A child, family, and school social worker in District of Columbia earns a median of $73,550 a year, 24% above the national median of $59,550 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
All 3 CSWE-Accredited BSW Programs in District of Columbia
Every one of these BSW programs in District of Columbia 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
Catholic University of America
Washington, DC · CSWE-Accredited since 1974 · On-Campus
7.9
On-Campus Carnegie R1 Full & part-time 1 campus Accred. since 1974Why it ranks in District of Columbia
Catholic University of America teaches the BSW in Washington, one of the CSWE-accredited BSW programs in District of Columbia. Fourteen social work courses spread across all four years, opening with SSS 101, which carries 24 required hours of volunteer work, and moving through paired human behavior, policy and research and statistics sequences. The first practice course adds its own four hour weekly practicum, 48 hours in total, before the senior practice courses run concurrently with field instruction. Undergraduates complete a single internship, placed at a Washington DC agency for 14 hours a week across the fall and spring of senior year, with a weekly integrative seminar built around the placement. The school reports partnerships with more than 450 agencies. Published tuition is $54,630 a year at one rate for residents and nonresidents, above the District of Columbia median of $18,292.
Annual tuition (not factored)
$54,630 / year (private, one rate for all students)
Locations
Washington, DC (1974-Present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 10.0
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 10.0
- Schedule (12%) 10.0
- Breadth (11%) 3.0
- #2
University of the District of Columbia
Washington, DC · CSWE-Accredited since 1976 · On-Campus
7.2
On-Campus Full & part-time 1 campus Accred. since 1976Why it ranks in District of Columbia
Based in Washington, University of the District of Columbia is a public university offering a BSW in District of Columbia. Students apply during the first half of the junior year, after clearing SOWK-205, SOWK-310 and SOWK-320, with a 2.0 overall average and a 2.5 across the professional foundation courses. The file includes a statement of interest, two reference letters that may not come from UDC social work faculty, and a two-hour Beginning-Level Competence Assessment. The student-led Social Work Association plans community service and advocacy projects through the year and elects its officers annually. The program also houses the Nu Kappa chapter of Phi Alpha, the national social work honor society, which inducts new members each year. In-state tuition runs $5,292 a year against $12,144 for nonresidents, below the District of Columbia median of $18,292.
Annual tuition (not factored)
In-state $5,292 · Out-of-state $12,144 / year
Locations
Washington, DC (1976-present)
Visit the University of the District of Columbia BSW program site
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 10.0
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 10.0
- Breadth (11%) 3.0
- #3
Gallaudet University
Washington, DC · CSWE-Accredited since 1976 · On-Campus
6.9
On-Campus Full-time 1 campus 1 certificate Accred. since 1976Why it ranks in District of Columbia
Based in Washington, Gallaudet University is a private university offering a BSW in District of Columbia. The senior internship runs a full year in the same agency across both semesters, roughly 225 hours per term at 16 hours a week. Before that, the case management course carries a pre-field requirement of weekly visits to a human services organization to observe the process. Placements stay in the DC, Maryland and Virginia corridor and lean toward agencies built around deaf communities, including the Deaf Abused Women's Network, Deaf REACH and the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center, alongside district school systems and the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency. Published tuition is $18,292 a year at one rate for residents and nonresidents, in line with the District of Columbia median of $18,292.
Annual tuition (not factored)
$18,292 / year (private, one rate for all students)
Locations
Washington, DC (1976-present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 10.0
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 6.0
- Breadth (11%) 5.0
The Social Work Industry in District of Columbia
A Bachelor of Social Work is the entry credential for District of Columbia'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, District of Columbia's 3 accredited programs are based in Washington, all campus-based. 1 is 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 District of Columbia social-service economy.
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 1.37 in District of Columbia, meaning the occupation is 37% more concentrated than the national average. The state supports roughly 3.5 of these jobs per 1,000 jobs statewide.
In District of Columbia, social workers held about 3,710 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 DC | Median | Mean | 10th to 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Child, family, and school social workers | 2,430 | $73,550 | $79,540 | $53,020 to $113,440 |
| Healthcare social workers | 420 | $94,100 | $93,120 | $60,970 to $124,230 |
| Mental health and substance abuse social workers | 510 | $73,310 | $83,340 | $57,940 to $115,500 |
| Social workers, all other | 350 | $96,380 | $100,760 | $71,060 to $131,770 |
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 District of Columbia; O*NET: Child, Family, and School Social Workers; CSWE Directory of Accredited Programs; HRSA health workforce shortage areas.
Social Work Licensure in District of Columbia
Licensing data from the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB), the body that develops the social work licensing exams, captured 2026.
District of Columbia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| LSWA | Licensed Social Work Associate | ASWB Bachelors exam | Yes |
The license ladder continues to the master's level (LGSW 2, LGSW1, LISW), and the clinical, independent-practice level (LICSW). 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.