Social Work at University of Akron Main Campus

University of Akron's social work program sits right at the national median for earnings but underperforms within Ohio, ranking in just the 40th percentile among the state's 41 programs. While first-year graduates earn $37,541—nearly identical to the national average—they're trailing the Ohio median by about $450 and earning substantially less than peers at comparable public universities like Bowling Green ($40,959) or University of Toledo ($39,254). More troubling is the earnings trajectory: graduates actually see their income decline by 4% by year four, suggesting potential challenges with career advancement or retention in higher-paying social work positions.

The debt picture offers one bright spot—at $27,708, it's manageable and sits in the 36th percentile nationally, meaning most programs saddle graduates with more debt. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.74 is reasonable for a helping profession. However, that initial financial advantage gets undermined by stagnant income growth, meaning the debt burden doesn't lighten over time as it typically should.

For Ohio families, this is a program that gets you credentialed but doesn't appear to position graduates as competitively as other in-state options. If your child is committed to social work and considering University of Akron for other reasons—location, fit, affordability—it's workable. But if maximizing earnings potential within the field matters, exploring higher-performing Ohio programs like Capital or Bowling Green would likely pay off within the first few years of employment.