New York · BSW programs by city
Best BSW Programs near New York City, NY (2026)
Published
Edited by Zoe MacDougall, BS in Psychology
New York City, New York (population 8,258,035) has 10 CSWE-accredited BSW programs based in the city , with 4 more accredited programs within about 60 miles. For New York City residents who need to study from home, 6 New York programs also run an online option. Every program on this New York City page is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), which is what Advanced Standing admission to an MSW depends on.
Studying Social Work in New York City
New York City is the largest social-work labor market in the United States, and the scale shows up everywhere a BSW student looks. With more than 8.2 million residents across five boroughs, the city runs its own child-welfare, homeless-services, public-hospital, and benefits systems, each larger than the equivalent agency in most states.
For a baccalaureate student, that means an unusually deep choice of field placements and first jobs: city agencies, the public hospital system, the nation’s largest school district, settlement houses, and hundreds of community nonprofits, most of them reachable by subway. It also means practice with one of the most linguistically diverse populations anywhere, where Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Haitian Creole, Bengali, and many other languages are part of the daily caseload.
New York City also has a large cluster of CSWE-accredited BSW programs, spread across the CUNY senior colleges and private universities in several boroughs, so students can study close to home and build agency relationships in the neighborhoods where they want to work.
The Best BSW Programs in New York City, NY
Accredited programs with a campus in New York City, ranked by our five-factor model. A New York City program shows a national or online rank badge only if it places in that list's top 25.
- #1 In New York City
Adelphi University
Garden City, NY · CSWE-accredited since 1951 · On-Campus
7.8
On-campus Full or part-timeWhy it ranks near New York City
Adelphi University teaches the BSW in New York City itself. Undergraduates complete 300 to 400 practicum hours in human service agencies, working directly with individuals, families, groups and communities. The practicum education department assigns the placements, and students already employed in human services can apply to use that job as their site. Each spring the school runs a Social Action Initiative that puts undergraduates into advocacy projects such as Being Anti-Racist, Racism and Criminal Justice, and #StopAsianHate. Undergraduate social work students are eligible for scholarships as high as $18,000 a year. CSWE accreditation dates to 1951, 75 years of unbroken standing, above the local median of 35 years. No other program among the programs within reach of New York City has held CSWE accreditation longer.
Five-factor score breakdown
- Accreditation longevity (40%) 10.0
- Delivery flexibility (22%) 7.0
- Prestige (Carnegie research tier) (15%) 5.0
- Schedule flexibility (12%) 10.0
- Program breadth (11%) 3.0
- #2 In New York City
New York University
New York, NY · CSWE-accredited since 1974 · On-Campus
7.4
On-campus Full-time Carnegie R1Why it ranks near New York City
New York University teaches the BSW in New York City itself. The major carries 64 credits alongside a 64-credit liberal arts core that requires human biology, introductory sociology and introductory psychology. Social work coursework runs from Society and Social Welfare through two semesters each of Human Behavior in the Social Environment and Practice, plus Agencies and Organizations, research methods and two electives. The school replaced the word field with practicum across course, position and department titles, citing the older term's historical association with slavery and the exploitation of immigrant laborers. The Seminar in Field Instruction that trains new practicum instructors keeps its original name while area schools decide whether to change it. Published tuition is $60,438 a year at one rate for residents and nonresidents, above the local median of $26,698.
Five-factor score breakdown
- Accreditation longevity (40%) 10.0
- Delivery flexibility (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (Carnegie research tier) (15%) 10.0
- Schedule flexibility (12%) 6.0
- Program breadth (11%) 3.0
- #3 In New York City
York College, City University of New York
Jamaica, NY · CSWE-accredited since 1985 · On-Campus
6.6
On-campus Full or part-timeWhy it ranks near New York City
York College, City University of New York teaches the BSSW in New York City itself. Entry to the major is a separate application reviewed each semester, requiring 45 completed credits, a cumulative GPA of 2.7 or higher, completion of SCWK 101 and a grade of C or better in every social work course, transfer credit included. Deadlines are July 31 for fall and January 31 for spring. Staying in the major means holding a 2.70 cumulative GPA and a C or better in each social work course, with one chance to repeat and department permission needed to repeat either practicum course. Departing from the NASW Code of Ethics or the York College Code of Conduct is grounds for dismissal. In-state tuition runs $6,930 a year against $14,880 for nonresidents, below the local median of $26,698.
Visit the York College, City University of New York BSW program site
Five-factor score breakdown
- Accreditation longevity (40%) 8.6
- Delivery flexibility (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (Carnegie research tier) (15%) 5.0
- Schedule flexibility (12%) 10.0
- Program breadth (11%) 3.0
- #4 In New York City
Lehman College, City University of New York
Bronx, NY · CSWE-accredited since 1983 · On-Campus
6.5
On-campus Full-time 1 certificateWhy it ranks near New York City
Lehman College, City University of New York teaches the BSW in New York City itself. The major comes in two sizes: 55 credits, or 58 credits in a version that builds in the Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor Trainee certificate, so students leave with a substance use credential alongside the degree. An interdisciplinary minor in aging is available, and some courses run hybrid with evening and weekend sections. Students are not permitted to find their own placements; the department's Practicum Education Office arranges every one, drawing on agencies across New York City and neighboring counties. New sites are visited by the practicum director before approval and must commit to an hour of individual supervision each week plus weekly review of process recordings. In-state tuition runs $6,930 a year against $14,880 for nonresidents, below the local median of $26,698.
Visit the Lehman College, City University of New York BSW program site
Five-factor score breakdown
- Accreditation longevity (40%) 8.9
- Delivery flexibility (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (Carnegie research tier) (15%) 5.0
- Schedule flexibility (12%) 6.0
- Program breadth (11%) 5.0
- #5 In New York City
Fordham University
New York, NY · CSWE-accredited since 1999 · On-Campus
6.3
On-campus Full or part-time Carnegie R2Why it ranks near New York City
Fordham University teaches the BASW in New York City itself. Prerequisites span sociology, psychology, human biology, American pluralism and a course on contemporary U.S. government or social policy, plus a B or better in SOWK 2600, Introduction to Social Work and Social Welfare. The file also takes a three to five page autobiographical statement and three references, one of them from the SOWK 2600 instructor. The bachelor's major is run by the Graduate School of Social Service, sitting alongside the MSW and the PhD rather than inside an undergraduate department. Deadlines are May 1 for fall entry and December 1 for spring. Published tuition is $60,335 a year at one rate for residents and nonresidents, above the local median of $26,698.
Five-factor score breakdown
- Accreditation longevity (40%) 6.3
- Delivery flexibility (22%) 5.0
- Prestige (Carnegie research tier) (15%) 7.5
- Schedule flexibility (12%) 10.0
- Program breadth (11%) 3.0
- #6 In New York City
Long Island University, Brooklyn
Brooklyn, NY · CSWE-accredited since 1999 · On-Campus
6.1
On-campus Full or part-time Carnegie R2Why it ranks near New York City
Long Island University, Brooklyn teaches the BSW in New York City itself. Of the 120 credits required for the degree, 47 sit inside social work, and the senior year carries a 400-hour internship. The program is run out of the School of Health Professions alongside occupational therapy, mental health counseling and marriage and family therapy. The BSSW can be taken full time or part time, with classes scheduled on weekdays and weekday evenings at the Brooklyn campus. Students who qualify can join Phi Alpha Iota Chi, the campus chapter of the national social work honor society. Published tuition is $39,458 a year at one rate for residents and nonresidents, above the local median of $26,698.
Five-factor score breakdown
- Accreditation longevity (40%) 6.3
- Delivery flexibility (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (Carnegie research tier) (15%) 7.5
- Schedule flexibility (12%) 10.0
- Program breadth (11%) 3.0
- #7 In New York City
Mercy University
Dobbs Ferry, NY · CSWE-accredited since 1997 · On-Campus
5.6
On-campus Full-timeWhy it ranks near New York City
Mercy University teaches the BSW in New York City itself. The 120 credit degree divides into 60 credits of general education, 42 credits of social work and 18 open elective credits, which full-time students finish in four years. Coursework runs at the Bronx and Westchester campuses, and students often pair the major with a psychology or sociology minor. Students declare pre-social work first, apply to the major by the end of sophomore year, and normally enter the program the following fall. Applicants need at least 45 credits and a 2.60 cumulative GPA, and sit for an interview with the program director that covers the time demands of the senior year practicum. Published tuition is $21,236 a year at one rate for residents and nonresidents, below the local median of $26,698.
Five-factor score breakdown
- Accreditation longevity (40%) 6.6
- Delivery flexibility (22%) 5.0
- Prestige (Carnegie research tier) (15%) 5.0
- Schedule flexibility (12%) 6.0
- Program breadth (11%) 3.0
- #8 In New York City
Medgar Evers College, City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY · CSWE-accredited since 2009 · On-Campus
5.0
On-campus Full or part-timeWhy it ranks near New York City
Medgar Evers College, City University of New York teaches the BSSW in New York City itself. Eleven foundation courses carry the major, and on top of them students work in one of three areas of special interest: child welfare, substance abuse or gerontology. The department sits inside the School of Science and Allied Health rather than a social sciences division, and it also runs a separate minor in social welfare. The degree was established in January 2008, accredited in October 2012, and raised to full departmental status by the CUNY Board of Trustees in 2017. It meets the educational requirement for the Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker credential in many states, but New York's LMSW and LCSW both require a master's. In-state tuition runs $6,930 a year against $14,880 for nonresidents, below the local median of $26,698.
Visit the Medgar Evers College, City University of New York BSW program site
Five-factor score breakdown
- Accreditation longevity (40%) 4.7
- Delivery flexibility (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (Carnegie research tier) (15%) 5.0
- Schedule flexibility (12%) 10.0
- Program breadth (11%) 3.0
- #9 In New York City
College of Staten Island
Staten Island, NY · CSWE-accredited since 2011 · On-Campus
4.9
On-campus Full or part-timeWhy it ranks near New York City
College of Staten Island teaches the BSSW in New York City itself. Practice experience is staged across two years. Juniors complete a 65-hour community service learning placement in a community-based human service agency, which is treated as preparation for the senior practicum, and that practicum runs 480 hours at one of nearly 50 social service agencies serving Staten Island and the surrounding area. Assessment data for 2023-2024 covered a small in-person cohort of 11 students, and all nine competencies cleared the department's 85 percent benchmark. Results ran from 89 percent on engaging with individuals, families and communities up to 94.8 percent on advancing human rights and justice. In-state tuition runs $6,930 a year against $14,880 for nonresidents, below the local median of $26,698.
Five-factor score breakdown
- Accreditation longevity (40%) 4.4
- Delivery flexibility (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (Carnegie research tier) (15%) 5.0
- Schedule flexibility (12%) 10.0
- Program breadth (11%) 3.0
- #10 In New York City
Hunter College, City University of New York
New York, NY · CSWE-accredited since 2014 · On-Campus
4.7
On-campus Full-time 2 certificatesWhy it ranks near New York City
Hunter College, City University of New York teaches the BSW in New York City itself. Students pick one of two tracks at application, child welfare or care coordination, and that choice drives the second policy course and both semesters of the senior practice courses. The rest of the sequence pairs Social Work Practice and Learning Labs with two terms of human behavior, then adds research and two integrative seminars. The practicum runs two full days a week, 14 hours, through both semesters of the final year, with an integrative seminar attached to each. Applicants have already logged agency time before admission through a required 32-hour volunteer assignment. In-state tuition runs $6,930 a year against $14,880 for nonresidents, below the local median of $26,698.
Visit the Hunter College, City University of New York BSW program site
Five-factor score breakdown
- Accreditation longevity (40%) 3.9
- Delivery flexibility (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (Carnegie research tier) (15%) 5.0
- Schedule flexibility (12%) 6.0
- Program breadth (11%) 7.0
Accredited Campuses Within 60 Miles of New York City
4 accredited programs with a campus within about 60 straight-line miles of central New York City, ranked by our five-factor model. The full profile for each school sits on the page of the city its campus is in, or in the New York ranking.
| Program | Nearest campus | Miles | Format | Natl. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State University of New York at Stony Brook | Stony Brook | ~46 | On-Campus | #146 |
| Molloy University | Rockville Centre | ~16 | On-Campus | #209 |
| Dominican University New York | Orangeburg | ~27 | On-Campus | #312 |
| Long Island University, Post | Brookville | ~22 | On-Campus | #343 |
Online BSW Programs Open to New York City Students
New York-based CSWE-accredited programs with an online option, which New York City residents can complete from home. Programs based outside New York that also take New York City students are in the national online BSW ranking.
| Institution | Accredited | Format | Natl. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Syracuse University | 1975 | Online or On-Campus | #22 |
| SUNY Buffalo State University | 1975 | Online or On-Campus | #63 |
| SUNY Brockport | 1973 | Online or On-Campus | #86 |
| Roberts Wesleyan University | 1979 | Online or On-Campus | #113 |
| Keuka College | 1982 | Online or On-Campus | #137 |
| State University of New York at Plattsburgh | 1996 | Online or On-Campus | #231 |
What Social Workers Earn in the New York City Area in 2026
New York City, New York sits within the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area, the labor market that sets pay and demand for its social-service workforce. The labor market New York City draws on employs roughly 55,130 social workers across the specialties , and the most common BSW-level specialty there, child, family, and school social work, pays a $66,540 median. These figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS program (May 2025) for the area around New York City.
| Occupation | Employed | Median wage | Typical range (10th–90th) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Child, family & school social workers | 24,350 | $66,540 | $49,820 to $108,720 |
| Social & human service assistants (entry-level) | 35,540 | $47,860 | $36,070 to $67,420 |
| Healthcare social workers | 17,250 | $78,610 | $50,060 to $108,260 |
| Mental health & substance abuse social workers | 12,090 | $82,450 | $52,800 to $125,870 |
| Social workers, all other | 1,440 | $85,080 | $58,810 to $118,350 |
| Social & community service managers (macro) | 16,090 | $100,570 | $68,210 to $162,290 |
How local pay compares
Child, family & school social workers around New York City earn a median of $66,540 versus $65,100 statewide in New York and $59,550 nationally. That is at or above the New York median.
Where do social workers work in New York City in 2026?
New York City’s social-work job market is anchored by city government. The Administration for Children’s Services runs the city’s child-welfare system, the Department of Social Services, which combines the Human Resources Administration and the Department of Homeless Services, oversees benefits and the shelter system, and NYC Health + Hospitals, the largest public health system in the country, employs medical and psychiatric social workers across its hospitals in every borough.
Private hospital systems add many more roles, including NewYork-Presbyterian, Mount Sinai, NYU Langone Health, and Montefiore in the Bronx, and the VA New York Harbor Healthcare System serves veterans in Manhattan and Brooklyn. The New York City Department of Education, the largest school district in the nation, hires school social workers, while hundreds of contracted nonprofits, from settlement houses to foster care agencies such as Catholic Charities and JCCA, employ BSW-level caseworkers across all five boroughs.
New York City, New York sits in five counties, one for each borough. Representative organizations in and around the city that commonly employ social workers and BSW-level human-service staff include:
- NYC Administration for Children’s Services and its contracted foster care and prevention agencies
- NYC Department of Social Services (Human Resources Administration and Department of Homeless Services)
- NYC Health + Hospitals, the largest public health system in the U.S.
- NewYork-Presbyterian, Mount Sinai, NYU Langone Health, and Montefiore
- New York City Department of Education
- VA New York Harbor Healthcare System
An illustrative list of employers known to operate around New York City, not an exhaustive or BLS-sourced one.
Beyond New York City, BLS projects national social worker employment to grow 7% from 2024 to 2034, faster than the average for all occupations, with healthcare and mental-health settings leading. Pay by role for New York City graduates to compare against is in our salary guides.
Source for New York City: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025) for New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ, with projections from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook. The medians include every worker in each occupation, so BSW-level pay in New York City usually sits toward the low end of each range.
Who Social Workers Serve in New York City
New York City social workers serve an enormous range of people: long-settled immigrant communities and new arrivals, older adults aging in place in rent-regulated apartments, families involved with the child-welfare system, and people moving through the city’s shelter system. Cultural humility and language access are basic job skills here, and bilingual BSW graduates are hired readily.
Housing instability shapes much of the work. New York City has a legal right to shelter, so the city operates one of the largest shelter systems in the country, and since 2022 it has also received large numbers of asylum seekers who need shelter, legal referrals, school enrollment, and benefits help. Child welfare, aging services, and community mental health remain among the largest fields for bachelor’s-level staff.
Field Placements and Agencies Around New York City
Because CSWE requires at least 400 hours of supervised field education, a BSW student in New York City has a long list of possible placement sites: NYC Health + Hospitals facilities, public schools, settlement houses, senior centers, foster care agencies, and shelters, often within a single borough.
Programs such as Hunter College, Lehman College, York College, Medgar Evers College, and the College of Staten Island at CUNY, along with Fordham, NYU, LIU Brooklyn, Mercy, and Adelphi, maintain field partnerships across the five boroughs. Many students are placed with the same nonprofits that contract with city agencies, and a strong placement frequently becomes a first job offer.
Macro Social Work Jobs in New York City
New York City is one of the best places in the country to see macro social work up close. Macro practice works at the level of organizations, communities, and policy, and the city’s mix of large public agencies, City Council advocacy, and a dense nonprofit sector creates roles in program coordination, community organizing, policy research, and contract management.
A BSW can open the door to macro work here through community-organizing, program-assistant, and outreach-coordination roles at settlement houses, tenant organizations, and advocacy groups. Senior macro positions, such as policy analyst, program director, or agency administrator, usually expect an MSW, so many New York City social workers gain macro experience at the bachelor’s level and move up after graduate school.
Can I work in child welfare with a BSW in New York City?
Yes, and it is one of the most common first jobs for BSW graduates in the city. The New York City Administration for Children’s Services investigates reports of abuse and neglect through its Child Protective Specialists, a bachelor’s-level title, and it contracts with nonprofit agencies that run foster care and family-preservation programs across all five boroughs.
Those contracted agencies hire caseworkers, case planners, and prevention workers, roles a BSW prepares you for directly. The work is demanding and closely regulated, but it builds assessment, documentation, and court-related skills quickly, and it is a well-worn route into an MSW and later supervisory or clinical work.
How do I go from a BSW to an LMSW in New York City?
Going from a BSW to an LMSW in New York City means completing a CSWE-accredited MSW and passing the ASWB Masters exam, and a recent BSW from an accredited program can shorten that path through Advanced Standing, which lets you skip much of the first MSW year. New York City has several MSW programs, so many graduates continue at a school close to where they already work.
Because New York State reserves licensed social work titles for master’s-prepared practitioners, many city employers expect BSW staff to pursue an MSW over time, and some agencies support part-time or evening study while you keep your job.
Can I get a Social Work license with a BSW in New York City, New York?
New York licenses social workers statewide, so the rules a New York City graduate follows are the state's, taken here from the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) regulatory database as captured in 2026.
From a New York City BSW, the license ladder continues to the master's level (LMSW) , and the clinical, independent-practice level (LCSW). A recent BSW from an accredited New York City-area program also opens Advanced Standing admission to a master's.
Common Questions About BSW Programs in New York City
How many CSWE-accredited BSW programs are in New York City?
How much do social workers earn in New York City?
Can I earn a BSW online from New York City?
Does New York license social workers at the bachelor level?
BSW programs in other New York cities
Sources
- CSWE Directory of Accredited Programs for the accreditation, campuses, and structure of each New York City-area program.
- U.S. Census Bureau 2023 Gazetteer and Population Estimates Program for New York City's coordinates and population.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS (May 2025) for New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ wages; ASWB regulatory database for New York license requirements.
This New York City page was published 2026-10-05 and last updated 2026-10-05. "Near" means a campus within 60 straight-line miles of central New York City.