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PAU
Palo Alto University
At a glance
MSW Tuition
$50K
/yr · all students
Total Program
$100K
2yr program
Recent Grads
New / TBD
LCSW Payback
5.0yr
After licensure
Across all programs at the institution, 49% of students take at least one course online.
CSWE-Accredited Programs at Palo Alto University
MSW · Master of Social Work
Available at: Online
What this MSW costs you — and how fast it pays back
At $50K/yr in-state tuition, the full Palo Alto University MSW program runs about $100K over 2 years. After completing post-MSW supervised hours (typically 2 years) and passing the ASWB Clinical exam, an LCSW in clinical practice typically earns ~$20,000/yr more than an LMSW without clinical licensure. That makes your tuition payback period roughly 5.0 years after licensure.
This is a directional estimate using BLS national medians. Actual ROI varies by region, setting, and specialization. Out-of-state students typically face higher tuition; some programs offer assistantships that reduce net cost.
Data sources & methodology. Tuition, enrollment, and institutional metadata are pulled from the IPEDS 2024-25 release (NCES). CSWE accreditation status, program format, and locations are from the public CSWE Accredited Programs directory. Graduation counts come from IPEDS Completions (CIP code 44.0701, July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024). LCSW salary lift estimate uses a conservative $20,000/yr delta between LMSW and LCSW (vs ~$30K vs no MSW) — see BLS OEWS 2023. Information last updated May 2026 — accreditation status, tuition, and program details may have changed since IPEDS reporting; always verify with the school directly. Browse all 622 programs →