Hawaii has 3 CSWE-accredited Bachelor of Social Work programs, the authoritative count from the CSWE Directory of Accredited Programs. The longest-accredited is University of Hawai‘i at Manoa, which has held CSWE accreditation since 1942. 1 of the 3 record an online option; the rest 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. A program marked National # ranks among the top 20 of all 535 accredited BSW programs in the country, per our five-factor scoring method.
Hawaii BSW programs at a glance
3
CSWE-accredited BSW programs
1942
Oldest, University of Hawai‘i at Manoa, accredited since
1
Offer an online option
1
At an R1 or R2 research university
Hawaii's 3 programs span CSWE accreditation from 1942 to 1999, and the highest-scoring on our five-factor model is University of Hawai‘i at Manoa at 8.6 out of 10, a Carnegie R1 research university. The newest, Hawai‘i Pacific University, earned accreditation in 1999. Among the Hawaii programs we have verified tuition for, published in-state tuition runs from $6,438 to $35,580 a year. A child, family, and school social worker in Hawaii earns a median of $68,270 a year, 15% above the national median of $59,550 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
All 3 CSWE-Accredited BSW Programs in Hawaii
Every one of these BSW programs in Hawaii 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 National #17
University of Hawai‘i at Manoa
Honolulu, HI · CSWE-Accredited since 1942 · Online or On-Campus
8.6
Online or On-Campus Carnegie R1 Full & part-time 1 campus + online Accred. since 1942Why it ranks in Hawaii
Based in Honolulu, University of Hawai‘i at Manoa is a public university offering a BSW in Hawaii. Field begins once the first semester of major requirements is done and runs as a three-course sequence, SW391 then SW490 and SW491. Distance students are matched with agencies in their own community and supervised by certified MSW-level field instructors, so no relocation is needed. Applications run through SocialWorkCAS with a $45 fee on top of the university's own, closing February 1 for fall and October 15 for early spring entry. The file takes three references, a resume, a courses in progress form, a 2.5 cumulative GPA and knowledge-base courses passed with a C or better. CSWE accreditation dates to 1942, 84 years of unbroken standing, above the Hawaii median of 48 years.
Annual tuition (not factored)
In-state $11,760 · Out-of-state $33,792 / year
2026-27 tuition · hawaii.edu
Locations
Honolulu, HI (1942-present); Online (2018-present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 10.0
- Delivery (22%) 7.0
- Prestige (15%) 10.0
- Schedule (12%) 10.0
- Breadth (11%) 3.0
- #2
Brigham Young University-Hawaii
Laie, HI · CSWE-Accredited since 1978 · On-Campus
6.6
On-Campus Full-time 1 campus Accred. since 1978Why it ranks in Hawaii
Brigham Young University-Hawaii teaches the BSW in Laie, one of the CSWE-accredited BSW programs in Hawaii. Students are encouraged to complete the internship in their home country whenever possible, which follows from the university's international enrollment. Social work coursework from overseas transfers when the accrediting body is judged equivalent to CSWE, the Australian Association of Social Workers being the example the catalog gives. The April 2025 assessment covered 128 students and cleared the 80 percent benchmark on all nine competencies, ranging from 87.1 percent on evaluating practice to 95.5 percent on intervention. Ratings combine field instructor evaluations with course products such as a bio-psycho-social assessment and a two-part IRB proposal. Published tuition is $6,438 a year at one rate for residents and nonresidents, below the Hawaii median of $11,760.
Annual tuition (not factored)
$6,438 / year (private, one rate for all students)
Locations
Laie, HI (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
- #3
Hawai‘i Pacific University
Honolulu, HI · CSWE-Accredited since 1999 · On-Campus
6.0
On-Campus Full & part-time 1 campus Accred. since 1999Why it ranks in Hawaii
Hawai‘i Pacific University teaches the BSW in Honolulu, one of the CSWE-accredited BSW programs in Hawaii. Once admitted, students move through a two-year sequenced program scheduled in evenings and weekends for working adults, based at the school's Waterfront Plaza offices in Honolulu. Supervised practicum draws on the range of populations and agency settings available across O'ahu. The gateway course, SWRK 1010, is titled Social Entrepreneurship, Social Sustainability, and Social Work, and the program frames its aim as producing social entrepreneurs. A 4+1 track adds the MSW in a fifth year with 30 remaining credits, provided students hold a B or better in social work courses and finish the bachelor's at a 3.0. Published tuition is $35,580 a year at one rate for residents and nonresidents, above the Hawaii median of $11,760.
Annual tuition (not factored)
$35,580 / year (private, one rate for all students)
Locations
Honolulu, HI (1999-present); Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam/Honolulu, HI (2020-2022); Pearl City, HI (2021-2022)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 6.3
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 10.0
- Breadth (11%) 6.0
The Social Work Industry in Hawaii
A Bachelor of Social Work is the entry credential for Hawaii'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, Hawaii's 3 accredited programs are based across 2 cities, including Honolulu, Laie, 1 offering an online option. 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 Hawaii 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 0.74 in Hawaii, meaning the occupation is 26% less concentrated than the national average. The state supports roughly 1.9 of these jobs per 1,000 jobs statewide.
In Hawaii, social workers held about 2,030 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 HI | Median | Mean | 10th to 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Child, family, and school social workers | 1,170 | $68,270 | $69,450 | $46,840 to $93,430 |
| Healthcare social workers | 660 | $85,420 | $82,370 | $51,570 to $102,670 |
| Mental health and substance abuse social workers | Not disclosed | $54,390 | $62,340 | $45,790 to $90,870 |
| Social workers, all other | 200 | $116,130 | $113,580 | $81,080 to $137,450 |
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 Hawaii; O*NET: Child, Family, and School Social Workers; CSWE Directory of Accredited Programs; HRSA health workforce shortage areas.
Social Work Licensure in Hawaii
Licensing data from the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB), the body that develops the social work licensing exams, captured 2026.
Hawaii 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| LBSW | Licensed Bachelor Social Worker | ASWB Bachelors exam | Yes |
The license ladder continues to the master's level (LSW), 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.