Social Work

Master of Social Work Application Information

Application deadline

The priority application deadline to start the MSW program in summer/fall 2024 is Monday, January 15, 2024. Thereafter, applications are accepted on a rolling basis until the MSW program is full or until March 25, 2024, whichever comes first.

Requirements to apply to the msw program

  • An earned undergraduate degree
    • Advanced Standing MSW Program: undergraduate degree must be in social work from CSWE-accredited program. If the social work degree was earned outside of the United States, applicants must have their transcripts evaluated by the Council on Social Work Education’s International Social Work Degree Recognition and Evaluation Service to determine whether the social work program was equivalent to a CSWE-accredited program.
    • Regular MSW Program: undergraduate degree can be in any field other than social work.
  • College courses in at least three of the following areas: psychology, sociology, economics, statistics, political science, or human biology
  • Grades:
    • 2.7 or better cumulative GPA (or submit a GRE taken within the past five years with scores at 29th or higher percentile)
    • Advanced MSW program: grades in all required junior and senior-year social work courses should be B- or better to indicate mastery of course content, or the equivalent course may have to be repeated at the Foundation level. Contact the MSW Program Director for additional information.
  • Applicants whose transcripts are not in English or whose GPA was not on a 4-point scale must have their transcripts translated/evaluated by a National Association of Credential Evaluation Services agency.
  • International applicants should see the Graduate Admission Requirements web page for English language, financial, and other requirements pertaining to international applicants.

Preparing for your application

Before you start your online application, you will need to have some information ready, including a personal statement, your resume/CV, contact information for the people who will complete recommendations for you, and information about your GPA and prerequisite classes.

Personal statement

Your personal statement (also called “statement of purpose”) should be approximately 2 pages, single-spaced (up to 1000 words). You will be able to upload this to the online application. It should address these topics:

  • Factors that influenced your decision to become a social worker and pursue an advanced degree. How will this degree help you achieve your professional goals?
  • A pressing social and economic justice issue, what makes this issue particularly salient, and ways you might address it as a masters-level social worker.
  • Your experience in the area of social and economic justice, and any of your goals in this area beyond those addressed in the first bullet point.
  • Accomplishments you believe are relevant, including ways in which you have demonstrated leadership in areas such as employment, volunteerism, Peace Corps/AmeriCorps/VISTA, and/or military service.

Resume/CV

  • You will be able to upload this to the online application

Recommendations

  • Three recommendations are required. We suggest one academic and two professional recommendations.
  • You will request recommendations via the online application. There, you will provide the recommenders’ names and email addresses and the online software will email them a link so that they can fill out the recommendation form online and upload their recommendation letter online.

GPA and prerequisite classes

  • The online application software will email you a fillable pdf to complete and upload online, with questions about your cumulative and last-4-terms GPA and prerequisite classes. This is a required part of the application. The system may not email this fillable pdf to you until after you have submitted your application, but you will still be able to upload it to the online system from your application status page to complete your application.

Transcripts

Have all colleges/universities that you have attended (except the University of Toledo) send transcripts directly to the University of Toledo, College of Graduate Studies. Your college/university can either mail or electronically send the official transcript.

Complete your online application for the University of Toledo MSW program

Start the MSW application at:    https://www.utoledo.edu/graduate/apply/

The online application consists of multiple sections. Please see instructions about each section below.

  1. Personal background: your address, demographics, etc.
  2. Emergency contact
  3. Program selection
    • The MSW program is not a 100% online program
    • The MSW program does not have a dual degree program, joint plan of study program, or a pipeline program at this time.
    • Important: Although Fall 2024 is the only entry term listed on the application software at this time, applicants to the Advanced Standing MSW Program will start in Summer Session II. We will adjust entry term at time of acceptance to the Advanced Standing MSW Program.
    • Indicate whether you are interested in a graduate assistantship. This is a 20 hour/week full graduate assistantship with a department or program other than the social work program.
  4. Instructions: upload your resume here.
  5. Material waivers:
    • English proficiency – complete if you are an international applicant and you meet one or more of the waiver criteria listed on the web site
    • GMAT: not applicable to the MSW program
    • GRE: complete waiver request if your cumulative GPA is 2.7 or higher
  6. Professional licensure: read and acknowledge
  7. Social work: this is the social work-specific section of the application.
    • Admissions request: program, advanced-year track, and whether you will attend full-time
    • Additional personal information
    • Personal statement – please upload here
    • Code of ethics: read and acknowledge
    • Field placement: this section is only available to applicants who will be attending full-time
  8. Teaching, research, or practical experience: use this section to elaborate on volunteer, internship, leadership, and life experiences that are related to social work or human services. In the “participation” section you may include a brief description of your experience, tasks, responsibilities, accomplishments, the population served, etc.
  9. Employment history: use this section to elaborate on employment, whether or not jobs were related to social work or human services.
  10. Academic history: add colleges/universities here. You will need to know the first and last month and year you attended each university.
  11. MSW recommendations: for each recommender, click “add new” and fill in their contact information. You may add a personal message to them. Choose whether to waive your rights to access the recommendation, and type your name to sign. The “browse” button is only used if your recommender has sent a recommendation directly to you.
  12. Signature
  13. Review: check to be sure your application is complete, then pay the application fee and submit your application.

The online application will email you a fillable GPA/prerequisites pdf after you submit your application. Remember to fill it out and upload it via the application status page in order to complete your application.

Cost of graduate school & financial aid

Information about graduate scholarships, tuition, and financial aid can be found on the following University of Toledo web pages:

Financial aid: If you would like to apply for federal student loans or other financial aid, complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). You do not have to complete the FAFSA if you do not need loans to pay for graduate school, but this information may be required for consideration for need-based assistance or merit-based assistantships/positions.

Graduate assistantships: These generally pay for some tuition and provide a stipend in exchange for the student working 20 hours/week (full GA-ship) or 10 hours/week (half GA-ship). You may apply for full GA-ships through the online application and/or directly with programs or offices offering a graduate assistantship.

Graduate Assistantships

The social work program usually offers several “half” graduate assistantships. These provide tuition remission for 6 credits/semester during fall and spring semesters, as well as a stipend of $2,250/semester which is earned throughout fall and spring terms. In exchange, GAs work for the social work program 10 hours/week in fall and spring semesters. GA-ships are available only for full-time students, and they are competitively awarded. If you are interested, complete the Social Work Program Graduate Assistantship Application and submit it by emailing to SWgradApp@utoledo.edu

Last Updated: 12/12/23