This section serves as a guide for applying to the MSW program. Careful attention to the description of standards of behavior, application materials, requirements, and information, coupled with the MSW application checklist, should smooth the entire process.

Please be certain to use only current year application materials to avoid following outdated guidelines.

Submitting Application Materials and Application Closing Date

It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that all admission materials arrive by the closing date of January 15.

The Graduate Admissions Office must receive the Graduate School application form, which can be completed on the Graduate Admissions webpage, https://www.grad.washington.edu/applForAdmiss/, and a $50 application fee. If accepted to the MSW program, you must send a final set of official transcripts to the Graduate School.

The School of Social Work Admissions Office must receive: a complete set of official transcripts, a copy of the Graduate School application form, the School of Social Work application form, the GPA worksheet, the admissions essay, a résumé, the work experience form, three reference forms, and personal disclosure statement.

It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that all admission materials arrive by the closing date of January 15.

Forms

The application for admission to the Graduate School form is located online at https://www.grad.washington.edu/applForAdmiss/ and should be completed online. The application fee ($50), payable to the Graduate School, must accompany this form.

Applicants may apply for an application fee waiver as a part of the online Graduate School application. Applicants who apply for an application fee waiver will receive notification via email within three business days of submitting their fee-waiver request, and those whose requests have been approved will be instructed to return to the application to complete the application submission process.

The application for admission to the MSW program is available on the Social Work website at www.ssw.washington.edu/admissions/forms.php. Please indicate on the application form the program option(s) you wish to be considered for (Day, Extended Degree, or Advanced Standing Program), and in the upper right-hand corner on the application, the year you are applying for. For additional information about the Advanced Standing option, please refer to the section titled “Advanced Standing Program.”

Résumé

You must include an up-to-date résumé as part of the admissions material (maximum two pages long). On the résumé, please list:

• Educational background
• All paid work experience: dates, number of hours per month, employer name and address, job title, brief overview of job responsibilities. Please highlight experience in diverse communities.
• Volunteer social service experience: dates, number of hours per month, organization name, duties/roles. Include field practicum experiences here. Highlight any experience in diverse communities.
• Awards, honors, and special achievements you have earned (academic, work, volunteer)
• Languages spoken and written and level of fluency (including ASL)
• Research experiences: include any research you have conducted or been a part of
• International experiences (length of time, work/volunteer experiences).

Transcripts and the GPA

One copy of official transcripts from each undergraduate and graduate institution attended must be submitted. Request the registrar of each institution to mail you one copy of official transcripts in a sealed envelope. THIS ENVELOPE MAY NOT BE OPENED. A full set of transcripts should be included with the other application materials you send to the School of Social Work.

Applicants who are offered admission to the MSW program will be asked by the Graduate Admissions Office to submit an additional complete set of transcripts at that time. Only those who have been recommended for acceptance to the University of Washington will be required to send a second set of transcripts. If enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program at the time of application, it is your responsibility to send updated transcripts or grade reports. Admission to the University of Washington Graduate School is contingent upon completion of all undergraduate requirements for a bachelor’s degree. Failure to complete a bachelor’s degree prior to the beginning of graduate school will result in your being dropped from the MSW program.

Applicants are required to fill out the GPA worksheet. When computing the GPA, applicants should use their own copy of transcripts, not the official transcripts that are sent in sealed envelopes and forwarded with the other application materials to the School. The grade point average is based on the last 90 quarter credits or 60 semester credits. If an applicant has earned a number of credits after graduating with a bachelor’s degree, those credits may be considered within the last 90 quarter or 60 semester credits in computing the GPA. If an applicant has earned a minimum of 30 graded quarter credits (20 semester credits) after completing the bachelor’s degree, a GPA may be established using only those credits. Please indicate on the GPA worksheet what quarters or semesters your GPA is based on, and follow the directions on the GPA worksheet for the exact calculation of your GPA.

Graduate Record Examination (GRE)

As of June 2005, the School of Social Work no longer requires GRE scores for admission to the MSW program.

References

Please list the names of those providing references at the bottom of the application form (front side), and submit three references only. References should be used to support your social service background or academic preparedness.

It is your responsibility to ensure that the references are mailed in sealed, unopened envelopes and that the sealed envelopes are included in the application materials submitted for consideration. Family members or personal friends are not appropriate references.

The reference forms should be downloaded from our website. Please read the statement regarding Public Law 93-380 at the bottom of the reference form. Sign the reference form if you wish to waive your right to review the reference. It is important for the person writing the reference and for the Admissions Committee to know what decision you have made regarding this right of review.

Admissions Essay

Write a two-part essay that specifically addresses the questions listed below. Both sections of the essay should be clearly titled. The maximum length of the entire essay should be no more than four pages, machine-generated (12-pt. font, double spaced). Use two or three pages to address the autobiographical statement. You will have one or two pages remaining to write the social problem analysis. The total length of the essay (parts 1 and 2) should not exceed four pages.

1. Autobiographical statement: Write an autobiographical statement explaining why you would like to be a social worker. Your response should reflect important family and community influences, as well as a description of characteristics that distinguish you as a potential candidate for the MSW degree. The Admissions Committee is interested in evidence of your:

• Commitment to social justice
• Leadership abilities
• Notable achievements/accomplishments (academic, work, volunteer)
• Persevering in the face of adversity
• Persevering in the face of oppression/discrimination
• Significant experiences in diverse communities
• Bilingual skills (including ASL)
• Disadvantaged background
• International experience (including First Nations).

It is important to show how you have grown from these experiences – what you have learned – and how these experiences will affect your approach to your social work education and practice. Comment on the factors that led to your choice of social work education and why you are making this choice at this time. Please discuss your career goals: what you expect to be doing in five years and ten years.

2. Social problem analysis: Describe a social problem that you consider significant. Please discuss it with regard to the following four areas:

• What are the societal contributions to the origin and maintenance of this problem?
• Why, in your opinion, does this problem deserve public attention and resources?
• If relevant, include any personal experiences that have contributed to your identification and understanding of the problem.
• Describe possible ways of addressing the problem, including leadership roles you might undertake.

Washington State Patrol Criminal Background Check

The School will have a new method for processing background checks for admitted students this year. Please check the applicant instructions on the website for current information.

Personal Disclosure Statement

Please answer the questions and attach any necessary explanations to the personal disclosure statement form in the application forms section of the website. Be certain to sign the form. Return the form with the materials you send to the School of Social Work.  

International Applicants

International applicants to the University of Washington have additional admissions requirements that must be met, including submission of a current TOEFL score. Please follow the instructions for international applicants at the UW’s web page at www.grad.washington.edu. At the graduate site’s main page, select “International Applicants.” International applicants are urged to submit their Graduate School international application form by November 1.

Due to the new INS rules and regulations, adhering to the suggested application dates is critical to allow sufficient time to obtain a visa. Graduate Admissions cannot guarantee that applications received after January 1 can be processed in time for consideration and successful admissions. International applicants unable to meet these timelines are encouraged to apply for another admission period.

MSW Transfer Applicants

Applicants who apply after completing part of the requirements for an MSW degree at another accredited MSW program may satisfy some of the School’s requirements. Included with the other application materials, transfer applicants must submit course syllabi and a transcript providing evidence of having passed social work courses with a 2.7 (B-) grade or better. Students seeking credit for Soc W 524, Foundation Practicum, must also provide a copy of their graduate practicum evaluations. Using the course descriptions in this bulletin, transfer applicants can identify the UW School of Social Work courses most similar to those proposed for transfer. With the advent of the new MSW curriculum, transfer students may have difficulty receiving credit for previous MSW courses due to their incompatibility with the new curriculum.

Applicants who are applying as a transfer student from another MSW program are strongly encouraged to include members of the social work faculty of their previous institution among the required references.

Re-applicants

Applicants who have previously applied to the program should note that files are held for one year only. Denied applicants from the Fall 2008 application period should follow the instructions in this section. Denied applicants from application periods before Fall 2008 must submit all new materials.

To re-apply for the MSW program, applicants will need, at a minimum, to submit new application forms to the Graduate School (plus the application fee) and to the School of Social Work. On the School’s application form, please indicate ‘Re-applicant’ in the box at the top right of the front page. In all cases, request a current year bulletin to use for information about the admissions process in effect for the year of application.

Write a cover letter addressed to the Director of Admissions regarding the materials to be included in the new application file. Indicate in the letter exactly what materials from the previous application should be used and what new materials are being sent. If there are additional materials that might strengthen the application file (e.g., more recent transcripts, admissions essay, references), it may be useful to include them when re-applying to the program.

If you have any questions about the re-application process, please contact the director of admissions, 206-543-5676.

Notification of Status

The review of applicant files is an important and time-intensive effort undertaken by the School’s faculty. It is our intention to notify every applicant in writing by the end of April with an admission decision. The Admissions Committee is unable to consider an applicant’s materials more than once in each admission year.

Applicants wishing to confirm that their materials have arrived and that their file is ready for review should send a self-addressed and stamped postcard with their application materials. Once an applicant’s materials arrive, a computer file and an admissions file are created. When a file is determined to be complete, the postcard is returned confirming the receipt of the application materials and the readiness of the file for review.

The School of Social Work often has more qualified candidates than available space. Based on the recommendation of our Admissions Committee, some applicants may be placed on an alternate list. The alternate list is used to fill positions in the program that become available when others offered admission decline or withdraw. Additional offers of admission to fill any vacancies in any of the School’s programs from the alternate list are made during the summer. Applicants are notified in April if they are being placed on this list.

MSW Applicant Responsibilities

The Admissions Committee wishes to give all applications as prompt and thoughtful consideration as possible. The following steps help to make this possible:

• Submit all completed application materials together at the earliest possible date in one envelope. No action can be taken until all essential materials are received.
• Review all application forms and materials for completeness and accuracy of all items before submitting them. It is to your advantage to submit the strongest possible materials (carefully selected references and a thoughtfully written admissions essay that follows the guidelines).
• Keep copies of the admissions essay and all other materials submitted for consideration by the Admissions Committee.
• Select references immediately and give or mail them copies of the reference form. Ask them to respond promptly. If a reference is unwilling or unable to respond, select an alternative reference and write to us of this change immediately. Ask the person writing the reference to keep a copy in case the original is lost in the mail.
• Notify promptly, in writing, the School of Social Work and the Office of Graduate Admissions of any change of address or decision to withdraw from consideration.
• Update transcripts if you are applying while still in school.
• Use the application checklist in the application forms section on the website to help ensure all application materials are complete before sending the materials to the School.
• Be certain your name is on all material submitted for consideration.
• Use only a current year admissions bulletin to ensure you follow the correct application procedures. The academic year 2008-2009 should be printed inside the cover page.

NOTE: Admission and program requirements are subject to change without notice. All applicants will be informed of such changes.

Liberal Arts Policy

The School of Social Work requires that an applicant to the MSW program has a liberal arts background. For purposes of admission to the MSW program, a liberal arts background is defined as a minimum of 5 quarter credits or 3 semester credits in each of the general distribution areas: humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. In addition, 60 quarter credits or 40 semester credits total coursework from the combined humanities, social science, and natural science areas are required to qualify as completing a liberal arts background.

Applicants who are admitted without a liberal arts background are encouraged to correct this deficiency before enrolling in the program. In any event, such deficiencies must be corrected by the end of the first quarter of the graduate program.

The following list of liberal arts distribution areas will be used to determine where a course belongs: humanities, social sciences, or natural sciences. The Admissions Office will review the applicant’s transcript to determine whether the liberal arts requirement is satisfied.

Humanities: architecture, art, art history, classics, comparative literature, dance, drama, English, landscape architecture, linguistics, music, philosophy, religious studies, speech communication, and all foreign languages and literature.

Social Sciences: anthropology, biomedical history, communications, economics, environmental studies, geography, history, international studies, political science, psychology, social work, sociology, urban planning, women’s studies, and all ethnic studies courses.

Natural Sciences: astronomy, atmospheric sciences, biological structure, biology, botany, chemistry, engineering, fisheries, forest resources, genetics, geology, mathematics, microbiology, nutritional sciences, oceanography, physics, speech and hearing sciences, statistics, and zoology.