All applicants to the Master of Science in Social Work program are required to submit the following:

Platform, Program & Specialization

Candidates must choose a platform, program, and area of specialization when applying. Please review the range of choices on our Degree Options page.

Completed Online Application Form

The online application form can be accessed at apply.ssw.columbia.edu/apply. All students, regardless of platform, program or specialization, must submit their application through this portal. The portal opens in August of each year for admissions in January and September of the following year. Instructions in the portal guide your through the process.

Application Fee

 

The $75 application fee is required upon submission of the application.

Application fee waivers are granted to alumni of AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, Teach for America, McNair Scholars, Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP), and Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), and to veterans of the U.S. armed forces. Fee waivers are also granted to applicants who are experiencing financial hardship.

To request an application fee waiver, applicants should submit their request via the Application Fee Waiver Request Form after creating an online application. Applicants must be prepared to submit an official document confirming participation in the appropriate program. The fee waiver must be requested prior to submitting the application and application fee. Applicants should not submit an application fee if they fall into one of these categories. All submitted fees are non-refundable. Please submit the application fee waiver request at least a week or two prior to the application deadline to allow for sufficient processing time.

Resume

Submit a detailed current resume that lists paid work and volunteer experience separately, starting with the current or most recent position. Resumes should indicate whether each experience was full-time or part-time, paid or unpaid, and the nature of the client population served, if applicable. Part-time experience should also indicate the weekly hours worked. Be sure to use month/year to indicate the beginning and end dates for all activities included. The resume may be longer than one page.

The resume should include:

• complete professional, academic, and volunteer history (provide sufficient detail; always include the name of the larger agency and name of program or department where you worked or volunteered),
• details about direct research experience and/or published papers or articles, if applicable,
• descriptions of community and leadership activities,
• awards, distinctions, honors, or other recognition received,
• other relevant life experiences, and
• all languages read/spoken in addition to English.

Professional Experience:
Calculate and submit the number of months of professional and volunteer experience. These should match what was submitted in your resume.

Essays

Applicants are asked to respond to 2-3 essay prompts. These prompts must be addressed in separate essays. The essays are an opportunity for applicants to tell the admissions committee about their professional interests and experiences that have influenced their decision to pursue the MSW degree at CSSW. Please see the Admissions Essays section of this document for additional details.

Two Letters of Reference

Students who have received a degree in the past five years are required to provide at least one academic reference from faculty at that institution. Students more than five years away from their most recent degree are encouraged to provide an academic reference.

All applicants are required to submit two (2) reference letters.

Appropriate references include professors, the applicant’s most recent employer or volunteer supervisor, or those who know the applicant in a professional context. No personal references will be accepted, nor references from professionals with whom you have had a client or patient relationship.

Under no circumstances should you upload a letter on behalf of a recommender. Any person who writes a letter of recommendation must submit that letter themselves. Letter of recommendation must be submitted digitally via the online application system. Applicants should not participate in the drafting of their recommendation letters.

Our online application system accommodates only two letters of reference. CSSW adheres to the provisions of the Educational Privacy Act of 1974 in respect to references.

Transcripts

Transcripts for Application Review
During the initial phase of the application process, applicants may upload unofficial transcripts for evaluation purposes. Uploaded transcripts should include the following information: Courses, Credits, and Grades – including transfer and study abroad coursework. Applicants must submit a transcript from each university attended for at least one term, regardless of the number of credits received. Applications will not be reviewed until we have received all of your transcripts.
NOTE: Printouts of web-based course records will not be accepted for admission review.

Students with international transcripts will also be required to provide an ICAP course-by-course evaluation from World Education Services (WES) for your application to be considered complete.

Please note that you must provide all grades earned at the time of application submission, as well as in-progress coursework when available.

Transcript Requirements for Admitted Students
Once a student has accepted an offer of admission, they must submit an official electronic transcript from each university attended for at least one term, regardless of the number of credits received. Courses, credits, grades and conferral must all be included. Graduate students should provide an official transcript indicating bachelor’s degree conferral prior to entering graduate studies. If the student received a bachelor’s degree from a U.S. institution, that institution must be accredited by one of the regional accrediting agencies recognized by the U.S. government.

If you are in the process of completing a degree at the time you apply, final official transcripts with degree conferral (for domestic institutions) or a final official WES evaluation showing degree conferral, including your degree certificate (for international institutions) will be required for enrollment. Failure to submit an official transcript or WES with degree conferral within 30 days following the start of your first semester will result in a hold on your account and, if not remedied, can result in dismissal from the program.

Official Transcripts from Domestic Institutions
All admitted students who have attended a college or university in the United States must submit electronic transcripts directly from their school, delivered directly to the admissions office at Columbia School of Social Work. Transcripts and attachments provided by the student cannot be considered official.

If an institution based in the U.S. does not offer electronic delivery, the admitted student must email the Office of Admissions (cssw-admit@columbia.edu) with the link to their prior institution’s web page concerning transcript orders to confirm that paper is the only option and obtain permission to submit a paper transcript.

If a paper transcript is the only option, it must be sent directly from the other institution to Columbia School of Social Work. It may not be delivered or forwarded via the student.

Official Transcripts from International Institutions
Applicants who attended institutions outside the U.S. must provide official records of study with your application. These should be issued as stated below and include all course titles, grades received, degree title and degree award date. Documents not in English must be accompanied by a certified translation. To qualify for an admission review, applicants who have completed a degree from outside of the United States must demonstrate proof of academic equivalency to a standard U.S. bachelor’s degree.

For all international institution transcripts, the student must contact World Education Services (WES) and order a course-by-course evaluation and International Credential Advantage Package to be sent directly to Columbia School of Social Work. Students for whom this imposes a financial burden may contact the Office of Admissions directly at cssw-admit@columbia.edu.

Application review, evaluation, and decision

All required application materials must be submitted by the posted deadlines in order to facilitate application review and decision. Each application is screened by admissions staff first, then reviewed by a minimum of two trained readers who review all components of the application using a robust rubric that has been reviewed and approved by the Admissions Committee. International applicants may be contacted for an interview.

All applications are reviewed within a week of submission for completeness; applicants are notified if there are any missing or additionally required materials. All completed applications will be reviewed within eight weeks of a confirmed completed application. If a reviewer has any relationship to a particular applicant, that reviewer must make this known and recuse themselves from evaluating that application.

All applicants with fully complete and reviewed applications will be notified of a decision (i.e., admit, waitlist, or reject). Notifications concerning admission application processing and final decisions are provided electronically to all applicants submitting completed applications.

Applicants who are pursuing an undergraduate degree at the time that admissions acceptance is granted are informed that they are admitted pending the receipt of their final transcript indicating receipt of the bachelor’s degree.

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Applicants to the International, Advanced Standing, One-Year Residency for Working Professionals (Reduced Residency), Professional Option, and Transfer programs must submit all the required materials mentioned above, and will have the following additional requirements.

International Applicants

English-Language Proficiency

To be considered for admission to a graduate program at the Columbia School of Social Work, students must be comfortable with rapid and idiomatic spoken English. If the language of the applicant’s undergraduate degree was English and they are a citizen or permanent resident of a country whose official national language is English, they need not take further steps to prove fluency. However, their undergraduate education was not conducted in English, the applicant must satisfy one of the following criteria:

1. TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). Please visit the ETS TOEFL website for more information on this examination. A minimum score of 600 (paper-based test) or 100 (Internet-based test) is necessary for admission to Columbia. Note: Test scores are only considered valid for two years, and CSSW does not accept MyBest Scores.
2. IELTS (International English Language Testing System). Please visit the IELTS website for more information on this examination. A minimum score of 7.0 is necessary for admission to Columbia.
3. Duolingo English Test. Please visit the Duolingo English Test website for more information on this examination. A minimum score of 130 is necessary for admission to Columbia.

Advanced Standing Applicants

1. Specific Admission Essays: Applicants should follow the instructions in the Admission Essays section, answering all three essays prompts listed.
2. Practicum Learning Evaluation Form: Applicants must have an Undergraduate Field Evaluation Form completed by a field instructor or appropriate person at your BSW program. The form can be found in the Advanced Standing Program section of the application. The form should be submitted by email by the person who completed the form to cssw-admit@columbia.edu.
3. List of BSW Courses: A list of all of your BSW program courses with course descriptions must be submitted for review. They should be listed by term taken, including course names and numbers, available grades, and course descriptions which can be taken directly from the school’s course catalog or website. Applicants in the process of completing their BSW program should include a list of classes that will be taken in the final semester(s). Course descriptions should be uploaded in the Advanced Standing Program section of the application.

One-Year Residency for Working Professionals (Reduced Residency) Applicants

1. Specific Admission Essays: Applicants should follow the instructions in the Admission Essays section, answering all three essays prompts listed.
2. Supervisor Recommendation: One of the two required recommendation letters must come from a current supervisor. The letter should confirm that you have discussed the requirements of the program as outlined above and that your site can meet them.

Transfer Applicants

1. Specific Admission Essays: Applicants should follow the instructions in the Admission Essays section, answering all three essays prompts listed.
2. Academic Reference: One of the two required recommendation letters must be an academic reference.
3. Practicum Learning Evaluation Form: Transfer student applicants must have a Graduate Field Evaluation Form completed by a field instructor or appropriate person at your current/former MSW program. The form is located in the Transfer Program section of the application. The form should be submitted by email by the person who completed the form to cssw-admit@columbia.edu.
4. List of MSW Courses: A list of all of your MSW program courses with descriptions must be submitted for review. They should be listed by term taken, including course names and numbers, available grades, and course descriptions which can be taken directly from the school’s course catalog or website. Applicants in the process of completing their MSW courses should include a list of classes you will be taking in your final semester(s). Course descriptions should be uploaded in the Transfer Program section of the application.

Note: Transfer students are admitted for a maximum of one year of study at CSSW.

Non-Degree Applicants

We are not accepting non-degree applications at this time. Check back closer to the fall term for the application process. Back to Top

The following standards, distinguished from academic standards, describe the physical, cognitive, emotional, and character requirements to provide reasonable assurance that students can complete the entire course of study and participate fully in all aspects of social work education and practice. Acquisition of competence as a social worker is a lengthy and complex process that will be undermined by significant limitations of the student’s ability to participate in the full spectrum of the experiences and the requirements of the curriculum. Students in the Columbia School of Social Work are expected to possess the following abilities and attributes at a level appropriate to their year in the program. They are expected to meet these standards in the classroom, in their practice, and elsewhere. Attention to these standards will be part of evaluations made by faculty responsible for evaluating applications for admission as well as by faculty responsible for evaluating students’ classroom and practicum performance.

Motor Abilities

The social work student must have sufficient motor abilities to attend class and practicum placement. Reasonable accommodation through technology for limitations in motor abilities will be allowed. The Office of Disability Services may be consulted regarding reasonable accommodations. For more information, please visit health.columbia.edu/disability-services.

Sensory Abilities

Social work students must have the ability through their senses to participate in classes and practicum placement. Students must acquire and integrate data through the use of their senses. Reasonable accommodation through technology for limitations in sensory abilities will be allowed. The Office of Disability Services may be consulted regarding reasonable accommodations. For more information, please visit health.columbia.edu/disability-services.

Communication Skills

The social work student must communicate effectively and sensitively with other students, faculty, staff, clients and other professionals. Students must express their ideas and feelings clearly and demonstrate a willingness and ability to listen to others. They must have sufficient skills in spoken and written English to understand the content presented in the program.

Professional Commitment

The social work student must have a strong commitment to the goals of social work and to the ethical standards of the profession. The student must be committed to the essential values of social work, which are the dignity and worth of every individual and one’s right to a just share of society’s resources.

Self-Awareness

The social work student must know how one’s values, attitudes, beliefs, emotions and past experiences affect one’s thinking, behavior and relationships. The student must be willing to examine and change one’s behavior when it interferes with working with clients and other professionals and must be able to work effectively with others in subordinate positions as well as with those in authority.

Knowledge Base for Social Work Practice

The professional activities of social work students must be grounded in relevant social, behavioral and biological science knowledge and research. This includes knowledge and skills in relationship-building, data-gathering, assessment, interventions and evaluation of practice.

Objectivity

The social work student must be able to objectively and systematically evaluate clients and their situations in an unbiased, factual way.

Empathy

The social work student must endeavor to seek to comprehend another individual’s way of life and values. The social work student must be able to communicate this empathy and support to the client as a basis for a productive professional relationship.

Energy

The social work student must be resilient to the undesirable effects of stress, exercising appropriate self-care and developing cooperative and facilitative relationships with colleagues and peers.

Acceptance of Diversity

The social work student must appreciate the value of human diversity. The social work student must serve in an appropriate manner all persons in need of assistance, regardless of the person’s age, class, race, ethnicity, religious affiliation (or lack thereof), gender, ability, sexual orientation and value system.

Interpersonal Skills

The social work student must demonstrate the interpersonal skills needed to relate effectively to other students, faculty, staff, clients and other professionals. These include compassion, altruism, integrity, and the demonstration of respect for and consideration of others.

Professional Behavior

The social work student must behave professionally by knowing and practicing within the scope of social work, adhering to the profession’s code of ethics, respecting others, being punctual and dependable, prioritizing responsibilities, and completing assignments on time. Back to Top

Office of Admissions Contact Information

Columbia School of Social Work Office of Admissions 1255 Amsterdam Avenue New York, NY 10027 Email: cssw-admit@columbia.edu Telephone: (212) 851-2400 Fax: (212) 851-2305