New Jersey has 10 CSWE-accredited Bachelor of Social Work programs, the authoritative count from the CSWE Directory of Accredited Programs. The longest-accredited is Stockton University, which has held CSWE accreditation since 1975. None of the 10 record an online option, all 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.
New Jersey BSW programs at a glance
10
CSWE-accredited BSW programs
1975
Oldest, Stockton University, accredited since
0
Offer an online option
3
At an R1 or R2 research university
New Jersey's 10 programs span CSWE accreditation from 1975 to 2022, and the highest-scoring on our five-factor model is Seton Hall University at 8.0 out of 10, a Carnegie R2 research university. The newest, William Paterson University, earned accreditation in 2022. Among the New Jersey programs we have verified tuition for, published in-state tuition runs from $12,996 to $48,670 a year. A child, family, and school social worker in New Jersey earns a median of $76,280 a year, 28% above the national median of $59,550 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
All 10 CSWE-Accredited BSW Programs in New Jersey
Every one of these BSW programs in New Jersey 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
Seton Hall University
South Orange, NJ · CSWE-Accredited since 1976 · On-Campus
8.0
On-Campus Carnegie R2 Full & part-time 1 campus 2 certificates Accred. since 1976Why it ranks in New Jersey
Seton Hall University teaches the BASW in South Orange, one of the CSWE-accredited BSW programs in New Jersey. The major runs 66 hours: 48 in social work, six in electives and 12 in required cognates covering biology, statistics for social science, introductory psychology and sociology. The core moves from Social Problems and Programs and Social Policy Analysis through two Behavior and Environments courses, three Theory and Practice courses, ethics, research methods and a senior seminar. Through the New Jersey Baccalaureate Child Welfare Education Program, a limited number of seniors receive full scholarships, intern with the Division of Child Protection and Permanency and move into a job after graduation. Accelerated tracks include a 3+3 route to a law degree and a 3+2 with the Master of Public Administration. Published tuition is $48,670 a year at one rate for residents and nonresidents, above the New Jersey median of $24,932.
Annual tuition (not factored)
$48,670 / year (private, one rate for all students)
Locations
South Orange, NJ (1976-Present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 10.0
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 7.5
- Schedule (12%) 10.0
- Breadth (11%) 7.0
- #2
The Rutgers State University of New Jersey
New Brunswick, NJ · CSWE-Accredited since 1978 · On-Campus
7.7
On-Campus Carnegie R1 Full-time 3 campuses Accred. since 1978Why it ranks in New Jersey
Based in New Brunswick, The Rutgers State University of New Jersey is a public university offering a BSW in New Jersey. Practicum falls in the senior year and draws on a network of roughly 900 partner agencies across the region. Instructors must hold an MSW with two years of post-graduate experience, meet the student for an hour of supervision each week and comment on process recordings, and a liaison visits the site each semester. Seats are limited, so students declare the major early in the spring of sophomore year with a 3.0 cumulative GPA, roughly 60 credits, and six prerequisites covering basic psychology, introductory sociology, human biology, statistics and two humanities or social science courses. The program grants no social work credit for prior work or life experience. In-state tuition runs $13,674 a year against $32,436 for nonresidents, below the New Jersey median of $24,932. It operates more approved teaching sites than any of the BSW programs in New Jersey.
Annual tuition (not factored)
In-state $13,674 · Out-of-state $32,436 / year
Locations
New Brunswick, NJ (1978-present); Camden, NJ (1978-present); May's Landing, NJ (1978-present)
Visit the The Rutgers State University of New Jersey BSW program site
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 9.7
- Delivery (22%) 6.0
- Prestige (15%) 10.0
- Schedule (12%) 6.0
- Breadth (11%) 3.0
- #3
The Rutgers State University of New Jersey Newark Campus
Newark, NJ · CSWE-Accredited since 1980 · On-Campus
7.5
On-Campus Carnegie R2 Full & part-time 2 campuses Accred. since 1980Why it ranks in New Jersey
The Rutgers State University of New Jersey Newark Campus teaches the BSW in Newark, one of the CSWE-accredited BSW programs in New Jersey. The policy sequence splits in two, Social Welfare Policies to the 1930s (910:341) and Contemporary Social Welfare Policies (910:342), both carrying signature assignments the department uses for outcome assessment. Theory and Methods I and a junior year Professional Development course gate entry to everything that follows. The Baccalaureate Child Welfare Education Program, a statewide consortium with New Jersey's Division of Child Protection and Permanency, pays senior year tuition and hires successful interns. Applications close every March 1 and require a 2.8 GPA plus the Children and Families course, and it is the only route to a DCP&P placement. In-state tuition runs $13,674 a year against $32,436 for nonresidents, below the New Jersey median of $24,932.
Annual tuition (not factored)
In-state $13,674 · Out-of-state $32,436 / year
Locations
Newark, NJ (1980-present); Lincroft, NY (2011-present)
Visit the The Rutgers State University of New Jersey Newark Campus BSW program site
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 9.4
- Delivery (22%) 5.0
- Prestige (15%) 7.5
- Schedule (12%) 10.0
- Breadth (11%) 3.0
- #4
Stockton University
Galloway, NJ · CSWE-Accredited since 1975 · On-Campus
7.4
On-Campus Full & part-time 1 campus 1 certificate Accred. since 1975Why it ranks in New Jersey
Based in Galloway, Stockton University is a public university offering a BSW in New Jersey. The senior placement totals 436 hours, usually arranged as two days a week across both semesters and taken with practicum seminars, after a two-credit junior practicum course prepares students for it. Placements draw on more than 70 community agencies across southern New Jersey. A child welfare concentration adds Topics in Child Welfare and Child Welfare Services and Practice, and requires the senior placement to sit in a child welfare agency. Those students can apply to BCWEP, which pays a stipend and tuition during the internship year at the Division of Child Protection and Permanency in exchange for two years as a caseworker. In-state tuition runs $12,996 a year against $20,884 for nonresidents, below the New Jersey median of $24,932. It carries the lowest published in-state tuition among the BSW programs in New Jersey.
Annual tuition (not factored)
In-state $12,996 · Out-of-state $20,884 / year
Locations
Galloway, NJ (1980-Present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 10.0
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 10.0
- Breadth (11%) 5.0
- #5
Monmouth University
West Long Branch, NJ · CSWE-Accredited since 1975 · On-Campus
7.3
On-Campus Full & part-time 1 campus Accred. since 1975Why it ranks in New Jersey
Based in West Long Branch, Monmouth University is a private university offering a BSW in New Jersey. Practicum comes in two stages rather than one senior block. Juniors put in 100 hours, usually one full day a week, on interviewing, case management and prevention education, then seniors complete 400 hours across two semesters working on counseling, crisis intervention and advocacy. The school runs standing community initiatives students can attach to. They include the Coming Home Project, focused on returning career, reservist and National Guard military personnel and their families, an LGBT+ Older Adult Project, a suicide prevention research and training project, and a community garden that donates produce locally. Published tuition is $44,098 a year at one rate for residents and nonresidents, above the New Jersey median of $24,932.
Annual tuition (not factored)
$44,098 / year (private, one rate for all students)
Locations
West Long Branch, NJ (1975-present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 10.0
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 10.0
- Breadth (11%) 4.5
- #6
Ramapo College
Mahwah, NJ · CSWE-Accredited since 1978 · On-Campus
7.0
On-Campus Full & part-time 1 campus Accred. since 1978Why it ranks in New Jersey
Based in Mahwah, Ramapo College is a public university offering a BSW in New Jersey. Practicum is spread across three courses rather than a single placement, Social Work in Agencies and Communities followed by Social Work Theory and Practice I and II, each focused on a different aspect of practice. A director, a practicum coordinator and a program coordinator handle placements, with one-on-one interviews and site visits. The program publishes two-year transfer sequences for graduates of Bergen, County College of Morris, Hudson, Sussex and Warren community colleges. Passaic County Community College students who finish an Associate in Science in Human Services can take the third and fourth years of the Ramapo BSW without leaving the PCCC campus. In-state tuition runs $15,978 a year against $26,388 for nonresidents, below the New Jersey median of $24,932.
Annual tuition (not factored)
In-state $15,978 · Out-of-state $26,388 / year
Locations
Mahwah, NJ (1978-present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 9.7
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 10.0
- Breadth (11%) 3.0
- #7
Georgian Court University
Lakewood, NJ · CSWE-Accredited since 1995 · On-Campus
6.2
On-Campus Full & part-time 1 campus 1 certificate Accred. since 1995Why it ranks in New Jersey
Based in Lakewood, Georgian Court University is a private university offering a BSW in New Jersey. The major totals 120 credits over four years on the Lakewood campus, with a second program option running at Cumberland. Students who need flexibility can take the degree part-time or full-time through GCU at Brookdale, which pairs evening classes with online coursework. An accelerated associate's to B.S.W. path lets students who already hold a two-year degree move straight into the major. Social work sits in the same department as gerontology, so students can add a gerontology minor built around aging-focused coursework, or a social work minor of 18 credits with electives in child welfare, family systems and the human-animal bond. Published tuition is $35,360 a year at one rate for residents and nonresidents, above the New Jersey median of $24,932.
Annual tuition (not factored)
$35,360 / year (private, one rate for all students)
Locations
Lakewood, NJ (1998-Present); Vineland/Cumberland, NJ (2015-2025)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 7.0
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 10.0
- Breadth (11%) 5.0
- #8
Centenary University
Hackettstown, NJ · CSWE-Accredited since 2006 · On-Campus
5.2
On-Campus Full & part-time 1 campus Accred. since 2006Why it ranks in New Jersey
Based in Hackettstown, Centenary University is a private university offering a BSW in New Jersey. Seniors complete a structured internship spanning two semesters, coordinated by the program and supervised on site by an agency Field Instructor who holds an MSW and certification as a field instructor. The placement is where classroom practice skills get tested, and it leaves graduates with working contacts in the regional social service network. The program runs on a cohort model, so students move through many of their classes as a group, and classes are small enough that majors work directly with faculty who are all practicing social workers still active in the community. It is one of only a handful of bachelor's social work programs in New Jersey. CSWE accreditation dates to 2006, 20 years of unbroken standing, below the New Jersey median of 47 years.
Annual tuition (not factored)
$36,636 / year (private, one rate for all students)
Locations
Hackettstown, NJ (2006-present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 5.2
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 10.0
- Breadth (11%) 3.0
- #9
Saint Elizabeth University
Morristown, NJ · CSWE-Accredited since 2016 · On-Campus
4.6
On-Campus Full & part-time 1 campus Accred. since 2016Why it ranks in New Jersey
Based in Morristown, Saint Elizabeth University is a private university offering a BSW in New Jersey. The internship is concentrated in the senior year and runs two days a week in an approved agency, with students placed in social service agencies, hospitals, criminal justice settings or schools and mentored by a specially trained social worker. Molly Fagan serves as director of field education. The bachelor's is a recent addition at the Morristown campus, having earned accreditation in the summer of 2019. Lauren Busfield chairs the department, which houses the degree along with its own field education office in Santa Maria Hall. Published tuition is $33,886 a year at one rate for residents and nonresidents, above the New Jersey median of $24,932.
Annual tuition (not factored)
$33,886 / year (private, one rate for all students)
Locations
Morristown, NJ (2016-present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 3.6
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 10.0
- Breadth (11%) 3.0
- #10
William Paterson University
Wayne, NJ · CSWE-Accredited since 2022 · On-Campus
3.9
On-Campus Full-time 1 campus Accred. since 2022Why it ranks in New Jersey
Based in Wayne, William Paterson University is a public university offering a BSW in New Jersey. The major is built as 14 sequential courses, so the order they are taken in is fixed rather than left to student choice, and the sequence culminates in a senior-year internship. The program sits inside the Department of Sociology, Criminal Justice, and Social Work rather than a standalone school. The internship runs 400 hours and is scheduled in the senior year as the capstone of the course sequence. Requirements are set out in a combined student handbook and field practicum manual, most recently updated for 2025. CSWE accreditation dates to 2022, 4 years of unbroken standing, below the New Jersey median of 47 years.
Annual tuition (not factored)
In-state $14,690 · Out-of-state $24,004 / year
Locations
Wayne, NJ (2022-present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 2.6
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 6.0
- Breadth (11%) 4.5
The Social Work Industry in New Jersey
A Bachelor of Social Work is the entry credential for New Jersey'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, New Jersey's 10 accredited programs are based across 13 cities, including South Orange, New Brunswick, Camden, May's Landing, Newark, Lincroft, and others, all campus-based. 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 New Jersey 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 0.68 in New Jersey, meaning the occupation is 32% less concentrated than the national average. The state supports roughly 1.7 of these jobs per 1,000 jobs statewide.
In New Jersey, social workers held about 14,730 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 NJ | Median | Mean | 10th to 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Child, family, and school social workers | 7,360 | $76,280 | $78,560 | $47,830 to $109,420 |
| Healthcare social workers | 4,310 | $82,690 | $85,340 | $54,950 to $118,300 |
| Mental health and substance abuse social workers | 2,420 | $66,590 | $70,930 | $45,180 to $102,130 |
| Social workers, all other | 640 | $76,640 | $77,550 | $42,710 to $114,880 |
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 New Jersey; O*NET: Child, Family, and School Social Workers; CSWE Directory of Accredited Programs; HRSA health workforce shortage areas.
Social Work Licensure in New Jersey
Licensing data from the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB), the body that develops the social work licensing exams, captured 2026.
New Jersey 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| CSW1 | Certified Social Worker 1 | No ASWB exam required | Yes |
| CSW2 | Certified Social Worker 2 | No ASWB exam required | Not specified |
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.