Best Online Social Work Programs in Grand Rapids, MI (2026)

Updated June 11, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Grand Rapids, Michigan has 5 accredited schools offering social work programs. Grand Rapids has a population of about 197,768. Median household income is $65,526 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 40.1% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI metro area, the top-earning social work-related role is Social and Community Service Manager at a median $84,280 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

The 5 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 5 schools in our directory that offer social work programs near Grand Rapids. Distances are calculated from Grand Rapids city center.

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 Grand Rapids. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Published tuitionContact school for pricing

Online programsYes

Published tuitionContact school for pricing

Online programsYes

Published tuitionContact school for pricing

Online programsYes

Published tuitionContact school for pricing

Online programsYes

Published tuitionContact school for pricing

Online programs--

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

Grand Rapids is part of the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI metro area (BLS area code 24340). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Michigan statewide.

Occupation	Median Wage	Source	COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Child, Family, and School Social Worker	$56,810	Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI	$59,487
Healthcare Social Worker	$64,930	Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI	$67,990
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker	$58,970	Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI	$61,749
Social Worker, All Other	$52,510	Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI	$54,984
Social and Community Service Manager	$84,280	Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI	$88,251
Social and Human Service Assistant	$40,440	Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI	$42,346
Community Health Worker	$48,360	Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI	$50,639

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.

Grand Rapids at a Glance

Metric	Value	Source
Population	197,768	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income	$65,526	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+	40.1%	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)	95.5 (below U.S. average)	BEA RPP 2024
Social Work-related employment in Kent County	7,103 workers, 735 establishments	BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Walker, MI – 4.8 mi away (24,775 pop)
Wyoming, MI – 5.5 mi away (75,567 pop)
Kentwood, MI – 6.2 mi away (51,689 pop)
Holland, MI – 26.1 mi away (101,421 pop)
Norton Shores, MI – 33.1 mi away (24,340 pop)

Frequently Asked Questions

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering social work programs near Grand Rapids. The closest is Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, MI (3.4 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Hope College (25.6 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying social work-related roles near Grand Rapids are: Social and Community Service Manager ($84,280), Healthcare Social Worker ($64,930), Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker ($58,970). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Michigan statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Walker instead of Grand Rapids?

Walker, MI is 4.8 miles from Grand Rapids 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.

Grand Rapids’s median household income of $65,526 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Grand Rapids while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Michigan 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.

Other Programs Available in Grand Rapids

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

Data verified: June 11, 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 Online Social Work Programs in Michigan (2026)

Return to Best Online Social Work Programs in Michigan (2026)