Admission Information

Next Start Dates

Admission Requirements

At a minimum, candidates for the Master of Science in Social Work must meet the criteria below.

• A serious commitment to the profession of social work and the capacity to meet the demands of professional training, often demonstrated by internships and life experiences.
• A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education.

The Advanced Standing, One-Year Residency for Working Professionals (Reduced Residency), and Transfer pathways have additional requirements:

• Advanced Standing applicants must have completed a bachelor of social work (BSW) from a CSWE-accredited program within the past five years. (Applicants who are in their final year of their BSW can apply if they will fully complete their bachelor’s degree prior to the start of the Columbia master’s program.)
• One-Year Residency for Working Professionals (Reduced Residency) applicants must be currently working in a social services agency and have either (a) two or more years of full-time experience or (b) four or more years of part-time experience.
• Transfer applicants must have completed a full year of coursework and practicum work at another CSWE-accredited graduate school of social work in the United States within the last five years.

Start Your Application

Application Materials

All Online Campus MSW Applicants

Applicants must submit the following materials in order to be considered for admission to the Master of Science in Social Work. Please review the following information carefully and in its entirety; the admissions committee will not review your application until all required sections are completed.

Online application

• Start your application here

Official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended

• During the initial phase of the application process, you may upload unofficial transcripts for evaluation purposes. If you receive an offer of admission, you must then submit official transcripts.
• You must submit a transcript from each college or university you’ve attended for at least one term, regardless of the number of credits received.
• Transcripts should include courses, credits, and grades. They should also include any transfer or study abroad coursework.
• Please review our transcripts section for expanded information.

Resume

• Submit a detailed up-to-date 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 and/or 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.

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.
• Letters 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.

Admissions Essays

• Applicants are required to provide responses to essay questions, which are subject to change from year to year. Admissions essay questions will be available in September for admission to the following spring and fall terms. Please create an account to view the current essay questions.
• In general, applicants should use the essays as an opportunity to articulate their motivations for pursuing social work and explain why they wish to study at CSSW. Applicants are encouraged to discuss professional goals, the role(s) they intend to fulfill, their commitment to social justice, and what community or population they desire to serve in their career as a social worker.

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 tosubmitting 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.

Advanced Standing applicants and Transfer applicants have additional requirements. Please see the relevant sections below.

Advanced Standing Additional Materials

Applicants to the Advanced Standing pathway must submit all materials listed in the “All Online Campus MSW Applicants” section, plus:

• Practicum evaluation form
  • This form must be completed by your practicum instructor or appropriate person at your BSW program.
  • The form is available in the reference section of the application. The form may be submitted by mail, fax, or as an email attachment to [email protected].
• List of BSW courses with course names, numbers, descriptions, and grades received.
  • Please list the courses by term.
  • The course descriptions can be taken directly from your school’s course catalog or website. The descriptions should be uploaded in the Admissions Essay section of the application.
  • Applicants in the process of completing their BSW program should include a list of classes you will be taking in your final term(s).

Transfer Additional Materials

Applicants to the Transfer pathway must submit all materials listed in the “All Online Campus MSW Applicants” section, plus:

• Practicum evaluation form
  • This form must be completed by a practicum instructor or appropriate person at your previous graduate social work program.
  • The form is available in the reference section of the application. The form may be submitted by mail, fax, or as an email attachment to [email protected].
• List of MSW courses with course names, numbers, and descriptions
  • Please list the courses by term.
  • The course descriptions can be taken directly from your school’s course catalog or website. The descriptions should be uploaded in the Admissions Essay section of the application.
  • Applicants in the process of completing their MSW courses should include a list of classes you will be taking in your final term(s).

If you have any questions about these requirements or need help navigating the admissions process, please contact an admissions counselor at [email protected] or call (212) 488-1784 or (866) 627-4750 (toll-free).

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 ([email protected]) 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 [email protected].