Best Social Work Schools Near Champaign, IL (2026)

Updated September 6, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Champaign, Illinois has 5 accredited schools offering social work programs, with tuition ranging from $4,415 to $34,309 per year for indexed programs. Champaign has a population of about 88,822. Median household income is $57,544 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 53.6% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Champaign-Urbana, IL metro area, the top-earning social work-related role is Social and Community Service Manager at a median $78,910 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Social Work Schools to Champaign

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer social work programs near Champaign, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Champaign city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Champaign. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL 2.4 miles from Champaign
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
90.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 86%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $81,054
Avg net price $14,355/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 95%
  • Programs offered: 177

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Illinois schools on the Illinois social work page.

Social Work Wages Near Champaign

Champaign is part of the Champaign-Urbana, IL metro area (BLS area code 16580). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Illinois statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Child, Family, and School Social Worker $60,360 Champaign-Urbana, IL $65,113
Healthcare Social Worker $62,860 Champaign-Urbana, IL $67,810
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker $49,960 IL statewide $53,894
Social Worker, All Other $60,870 Champaign-Urbana, IL $65,663
Social and Community Service Manager $78,910 Champaign-Urbana, IL $85,124
Social and Human Service Assistant $44,640 Champaign-Urbana, IL $48,155
Community Health Worker $39,040 Champaign-Urbana, IL $42,114

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.

Champaign at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 88,822 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $57,544 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 53.6% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 92.7 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024
Social Work-related employment in Champaign County 1,594 workers, 159 establishments BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Champaign-Area Cities With Social Work Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited social work schools are near Champaign, IL?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering social work programs near Champaign. The closest is University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in Champaign, IL (2.4 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Indiana State University (64.0 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying social work roles near Champaign?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying social work-related roles near Champaign are: Social and Community Service Manager ($78,910), Healthcare Social Worker ($62,860), Social Worker, All Other ($60,870). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Illinois statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Urbana instead of Champaign?

Urbana, IL is 4.0 miles from Champaign and has its own set of local social work programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Champaign an affordable place to study social work?

Champaign’s median household income of $57,544 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Champaign while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Illinois public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.

Learn More About Social Work Programs

Other Programs Available in Champaign

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Champaign:

Data verified: September 6, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

Back to Best Social Work Schools in Illinois: Online Programs (2026)