CollegeCostWise

Master's · Chattanooga, Tennessee

Is Social Work at The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga worth it?

Medium confidence Medium confidence: 40–99 graduates behind the earnings figures.

The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans

Graduates typically don't earn back the cost within 20 years, compared with the no-degree baseline.

Earnings 1 year after graduating
$50,607
Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating
$56,298
Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation
$35,767
NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
Typical borrowing (no graduate net price is published)
$38k (likely $38k – $38k)
AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Earnings bump, year 4
−$3k a year vs bachelor's graduates 4 years out in TN
2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback
Not within 20 years in most scenarios
Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return
−$219k (likely −$287k – −$128k)
Today's dollars
20-year net return
−$210k (likely −$357k – −$11k)
Today's dollars

Change income, residency or loans Compare Social Work at other schools

Scorecard reports no net price for graduate programs; cost is based on what graduates typically borrowed.

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