Oregon has 5 CSWE-accredited Bachelor of Social Work programs, the authoritative count from the CSWE Directory of Accredited Programs. The longest-accredited is University of Portland, which has held CSWE accreditation since 2003. 1 of the 5 record an online option; the rest are campus-based. 1 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.
Oregon BSW programs at a glance
5
CSWE-accredited BSW programs
2003
Oldest, University of Portland, accredited since
1
Offer an online option
1
At an R1 or R2 research university
Oregon's 5 programs span CSWE accreditation from 2003 to 2014, and the highest-scoring on our five-factor model is Portland State University at 5.7 out of 10, a Carnegie R2 research university. The newest, Warner Pacific University, earned accreditation in 2014. Among the Oregon programs we have verified tuition for, published in-state tuition runs from $8,694 to $54,400 a year. A child, family, and school social worker in Oregon earns a median of $64,130 a year, 8% above the national median of $59,550 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
All 5 CSWE-Accredited BSW Programs in Oregon
Every one of these BSW programs in Oregon 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
Portland State University
Portland, OR · CSWE-Accredited since 2007 · Online or On-Campus
5.7
Online or On-Campus Carnegie R2 Full-time 1 campus + online Accred. since 2007Why it ranks in Oregon
Based in Portland, Portland State University is a public university offering a BSW in Oregon. A dedicated Practicum Education team of coordinators handles placements rather than leaving students to find their own, and there is a separate employer-based route for students already working in the field. Distance students have their own site coordinators based in Central Oregon and Eugene. Graduates go into work as case managers, child welfare workers, community health workers, family support specialists, housing program coordinators and substance abuse specialists. Employers named by the school include the Oregon Department of Human Services, Portland Public Schools and other districts, and Multnomah County. In-state tuition runs $8,694 a year against $26,334 for nonresidents, below the Oregon median of $40,220. It carries the lowest published in-state tuition among the BSW programs in Oregon.
Annual tuition (not factored)
In-state $8,694 · Out-of-state $26,334 / year
Locations
Portland, OR (2007-present); Online (2018-present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 5.0
- Delivery (22%) 7.0
- Prestige (15%) 7.5
- Schedule (12%) 6.0
- Breadth (11%) 3.0
- #2
University of Portland
Portland, OR · CSWE-Accredited since 2003 · On-Campus
5.1
On-Campus Full-time 1 campus Accred. since 2003Why it ranks in Oregon
Based in Portland, University of Portland is a private university offering a BSW in Oregon. The practicum runs two semesters at an average of 15 hours a week in a selected agency, supervised by a field instructor the University appoints. A regularly scheduled process seminar runs alongside it to tie coursework to what students are seeing in the placement. The department sets out the Oregon licensing picture on the major page: since the 2011 Title Protection Act, anyone using the title social worker must register with the Oregon Board of Licensed Social Workers, and the Registered Baccalaureate Social Worker credential is the bachelor's-level route. Published tuition is $54,400 a year at one rate for residents and nonresidents, above the Oregon median of $40,220.
Annual tuition (not factored)
$54,400 / year (private, one rate for all students)
Locations
Portland, OR (2003-present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 5.7
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 6.0
- Breadth (11%) 4.5
- #3
Pacific University
Forest Grove, OR · CSWE-Accredited since 2008 · On-Campus
5.1
On-Campus Full & part-time 1 campus Accred. since 2008Why it ranks in Oregon
Based in Forest Grove, Pacific University is a private university offering a BSW in Oregon. Practicum partnerships run through the Portland region, including the Department of Human Services, Washington County and local nonprofits, and students shape placements around their own interests. The work includes assessing needs for housing, food and counseling, coordinating multiple services as a case manager, and meeting people in their homes. Juniors in the major can compete for the Claire Argow Scholarship, endowed in the name of the former Pacific faculty member and prisoners rights advocate the program carries. Students also have the university's Omicron Kappa chapter of Phi Alpha and a Social Work Club that connects them with local social service organizations. Published tuition is $53,174 a year at one rate for residents and nonresidents, above the Oregon median of $40,220.
Annual tuition (not factored)
$53,174 / year (private, one rate for all students)
Locations
Forest Grove, OR (2008-present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 4.9
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 10.0
- Breadth (11%) 3.0
- #4
George Fox University
Newberg, OR · CSWE-Accredited since 2003 · On-Campus
5.0
On-Campus Full-time 1 campus Accred. since 2003Why it ranks in Oregon
George Fox University teaches the BSW in Newberg, one of the CSWE-accredited BSW programs in Oregon. The internship is a two-course sequence, SWRK 476 and 477, at 225 clock hours each and ideally taken as a full-year practicum in the final year, with a one-hour seminar every week alongside it. Students have interned at Oregon DHS child welfare and adult protective services, Catholic Charities, Multnomah County Health and Washington County Juvenile Justice. Two semester-long study abroad internships, at Uganda Christian University and in Quito, Ecuador, earn field experience hours and are usually taken in the second or third year. Students move through the major as a cohort, and interprofessional education sessions with other health disciplines run twice a year. CSWE accreditation dates to 2003, 23 years of unbroken standing, above the Oregon median of 19 years.
Annual tuition (not factored)
$40,220 / year (private, one rate for all students)
Locations
Newberg, OR (2003-present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 5.7
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 6.0
- Breadth (11%) 3.0
- #5
Warner Pacific University
Portland, OR · CSWE-Accredited since 2014 · On-Campus
4.4
On-Campus Full-time 1 campus Accred. since 2014Why it ranks in Oregon
Warner Pacific University teaches the BSW in Portland, one of the CSWE-accredited BSW programs in Oregon. The major is 14 courses and 48 credits, plus four prerequisites including anatomy and physiology, general psychology and principles of sociology, for 60 credits in all. Required coursework reaches past the usual practice and research sequence to include Addictions, Mental Health and Trauma and a course on Human Trafficking and Human Rights. The department reports a 1:15 faculty-to-student ratio and describes its curriculum as trauma-informed. Graduates can apply for Registered Baccalaureate Social Worker licensure through the Oregon Board of Licensed Social Workers, and no social work course credit is granted for life or previous work experience. Published tuition is $20,050 a year at one rate for residents and nonresidents, below the Oregon median of $40,220.
Annual tuition (not factored)
$20,050 / year (private, one rate for all students)
Locations
Portland, OR (2014-present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 3.9
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 6.0
- Breadth (11%) 4.5
The Social Work Industry in Oregon
A Bachelor of Social Work is the entry credential for Oregon'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, Oregon's 5 accredited programs are based across 3 cities, including Portland, Forest Grove, Newberg, 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 Oregon 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 1.33 in Oregon, meaning the occupation is 33% more concentrated than the national average. The state supports roughly 3.4 of these jobs per 1,000 jobs statewide.
In Oregon, social workers held about 14,890 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 OR | Median | Mean | 10th to 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Child, family, and school social workers | 6,630 | $64,130 | $68,400 | $47,760 to $89,220 |
| Healthcare social workers | 2,320 | $84,350 | $85,830 | $60,480 to $111,720 |
| Mental health and substance abuse social workers | 2,230 | $68,210 | $73,050 | $50,280 to $100,680 |
| Social workers, all other | 3,710 | $67,820 | $70,200 | $48,750 to $89,220 |
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 Oregon; O*NET: Child, Family, and School Social Workers; CSWE Directory of Accredited Programs; HRSA health workforce shortage areas.
Social Work Licensure in Oregon
Licensing data from the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB), the body that develops the social work licensing exams, captured 2026.
Oregon 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| RBSW | Registered Baccalaureate Social Worker | ASWB Bachelors exam | Yes |
The license ladder continues to the master's level (LMSW), and the clinical, independent-practice level (CSWA, 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.