Admission Criteria

 

Requirements for admission to the Regular MSW Program

  1. A Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree from a recognized institution (NOTE: Bachelor of Applied Science degrees are not accepted)
  2. A grade-point average of at least 3.00 (on a 4.0-point scale) during undergraduate study or in 14 or more credits of graduate study. The grade point average in the last 60 credits or their equivalents of undergraduate courses is primarily considered. If your undergraduate GPA is lower than 3.00, you will be asked on the application to explain the circumstances and why you feel you are now ready to be successful in graduate school.
  3. Evidence of personal and professional qualities considered important for the practice of social work as demonstrated through the Applicant Statement and letters of reference.
  4. Prior academic work must reflect a liberal arts perspective (at least nineteen semester credits in humanities and social and natural sciences, such as courses in sociology, psychology, anthropology, history, philosophy, literature, and languages).

Statewide Blended applicants must also live more than 30 miles from the East Lansing campus and, if out of state, must live within 50 miles of the Michigan border.

Weekend applicants who are out of state must live within 50 miles of the Michigan border.

The GRE is not a requirement for admissions to our MSW program.

Requirements for admission to the Advanced Standing MSW Program

  1. A Bachelor degree in Social Work granted from a program accredited by the CSWE. Your degree must be conferred before the program begins summer semester, but no longer than six years ago. If the program is not listed in CSWE’s current list of accredited undergraduate programs, it is the applicant’s responsibility to provide documentation of a baccalaureate program’s accreditation status. No exceptions can be made to this requirement.
  2. A grade-point average of at least 3.25 (on a 4.0 scale) during undergraduate studies. The grade point average in the last 60 credits or their equivalents of undergraduate courses is primarily considered. Applicants with a GPA lower than 3.25 are not eligible for the Advanced Standing program and should consider applying for the Regular Program.
  3. Evidence of personal and professional qualities considered important for the practice of social work as documented in the Applicant Statement and letters of reference.
  4. Prior academic work must reflect a liberal arts perspective.  You will be asked to document at least nineteen semester credits in humanities and social and natural sciences, such as courses in sociology, psychology, anthropology, history, philosophy, literature, and languages.

Statewide Blended applicants must live more than 30 miles from the East Lansing campus and, if out of state, within 50 miles of the Michigan border.

The GRE is not a requirement for admissions to our MSW program.

For more details on the application process, please see the Application Process page.

Prospective Students