2026 Best Value Clinical/Medical Social Work Schools in the Southwest Region
[Clinical/Medical Social Work](/majors/health-care-professions/mental-social-health-services/clinical-medical-social-work/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 6 schools to find the best return on investment for clinical/medical social work students.
What’s on this page:
2026 Best Value Clinical/Medical Social Work Schools in the Southwest Region
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in clinical/medical social work, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Clinical/Medical Social Work Schools
Pima Community College tops our 2026 list of the best value clinical/medical social work schools in the Southwest Region. Pima Community College is a very large public school located in the city of Tucson. Students from in state pay about $2,442 in tuition and fees, compared with $7,758 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $5,250 to complete the clinical/medical social work program here. Clinical/medical Social Work graduates of Pima Community College earn a median of $36,004 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
A rank of #2 makes Mclennan Community College one of the best values for clinical/medical social work. Mclennan Community College is a large public school located in the city of Waco. Students from in state pay about $3,660 in tuition and fees, compared with $5,910 for out-of-state students. Clinical/medical Social Work graduates carry a median of $14,073 in student loans. Early-career clinical/medical social work graduates make about $40,499. That is a strong return on a $14,073 median debt.
Students looking for strong value in clinical/medical social work will find it at Eastern New Mexico University Main Campus, which ranked #3. Eastern New Mexico University Main Campus is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Portales. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $7,074, with out-of-state students paying around $9,054. Typical student debt for clinical/medical social work graduates is $20,378. Early-career clinical/medical social work graduates make about $40,645. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 92% of applicants are accepted.
Central Texas College came in at #4 on our 2026 list of the best value clinical/medical social work schools. Set in the suburb of Killeen, Central Texas College is a large public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $3,750, compared with $7,500 for out-of-state students. Clinical/medical Social Work graduates carry a median of $11,290 in student loans. Soon after graduation, clinical/medical social work degree recipients from Central Texas College generally make around $53,086. Set against $11,290 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
Santa Fe Community College came in at #5 on our 2026 list of the best value clinical/medical social work schools. Santa Fe Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the rural area of Santa Fe. In-state tuition and fees average $1,851, compared with $4,131 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $15,267 to complete the clinical/medical social work program here. Soon after graduation, clinical/medical social work degree recipients from Santa Fe Community College generally make around $51,935. That is a strong return on a $15,267 median debt.
New Mexico Highlands University placed #6 among the best values for clinical/medical social work. Located in the town of Las Vegas, New Mexico Highlands University is a mid-sized public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $7,416, compared with $12,336 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $18,375 to complete the clinical/medical social work program here. Soon after graduation, clinical/medical social work degree recipients from New Mexico Highlands University generally make around $42,702. That is a strong return on a $18,375 median debt.
Narrow Clinical/Medical Social Work Schools by State
More Clinical/Medical Social Work Rankings
View All Clinical/Medical Social Work Rankings >
Notes and References
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 6 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 3 ranked schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
