Application deadline

Admissions requirements

Application contents

Decision Deadlines

SSW Financial Aid Application

Ask a Current Student Questions

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Application deadline

The School of Social Work admits students only once each year. Applications for any of the following MSW programs (both the Graduate School application and the departmental Social Work application with all supporting documents) must be received by January 16. The review of admissions applications and the consideration for financial aid will begin by January 16. Applicants can apply to only one social work program per year.

• Two-Year Full-time applicants (fall enrollment in Chapel Hill)
• Full-time Advanced Standing applicants (fall enrollment in Chapel Hill)
• Distance Education Advanced Standing applicants (First summer session enrollment in May in Winston-Salem)
• Triangle Distance Education applicants (fall enrollment in Durham)
• Asheville Distance Education applicants (fall enrollment of each odd year in Asheville)
• Winston-Salem Distance Education applicants (fall enrollment in Winston-Salem)

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Admissions requirements and review process

The School of Social Work recruits a wide range of applicants from diverse backgrounds. We are seeking students who are interested in working in a range of fields of practice, in different geographic areas, and with a broad interest in different populations. For example, we are seeking students who will work with rural, urban, and suburban populations, with youth and elderly populations, with racially diverse populations, and with those who are ill or challenged by mental and physical disabilities. We seek applicants who can build on the strengths inherent in vulnerable and oppressed populations. We need graduates who can provide services to individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities. Our search is for leaders who can bring compassion and wisdom to the most intransigent social problems.

Applicants must hold an appropriate baccalaureate degree from a four-year college or university, or its international equivalent based on a four-year curriculum. Applicants must also have a broad liberal arts background encompassing knowledge and world views from a variety of disciplines. A cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 or better is preferred.

A Graduate Record Exam (GRE) score is required. Applicants who score in the 50th percentile or higher on the verbal and quantitative sections of the GRE are more competitive. Click here to learn more about the GRE.

International Applicants - The school is particularly interested in recruiting students who represent a range of cultural perspectives in order to serve the diverse populations in the southeast and in the United States as a whole. We also seek to make our program available to international students. It is imperative that international students be able to speak English fluently. International applicants must have a minimum total score of 575 on the written version of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or minimum of 233 on computer-based test, or a minimum of 90 on the internet-based TOEFL with a minimum of 22 on each section. This is not a requirement of students who are residents of a country where English is the language of instruction or if they hold a bachelor's degree from a United States institution. The TOEFL must have been taken within the last two years. All new international students are required to take the University's English Proficiency Test before registering for their first semester of study, unless they have been awarded a degree from a U.S. institution (excluding US trust territories), or are a resident of a country where English is the language of instruction. International applicants must also provide documentation of their financial independence or support while they study in the United States.

Application Contents  

Before an application can be evaluated for admission it must be complete, according to the requirements indicated below:

A) To be sent to the Graduate School Admissions Office

Mailing Address:
Graduate School Admissions Office
200 Bynum Hall, CB# 4010
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-4010

1. Graduate School Application. Complete online. (Also available are printable (PDF) version of the application and forms).
2. Application fee is $73.00
3. Request 2 official copies of all transcripts. Send one copy to the Graduate School, and send one to the School of Social Work as noted below. International applicants must provide an English translation as well. List on the Graduate School application all (high schools/colleges, universities) you have ever attended for any length of time, whether or not you have completed a term (list most recent first).
4. Request ETS to send Official GRE exam scores to Graduate School. A Graduate Record Exam (GRE) score is required for admission. Applicants are more competitive when they score in the 50th percentile or higher on each of the GRE sections, particularly the verbal and quantitative sections. The GRE must be taken within five years of application. We must have test scores by the same date that applications are due. Click here to learn more about the GRE.
5. TOEFL scores for international applicants who received their bachelors degree at a school where English was not the primary language.
   

B) To be sent to the School of Social Work Admissions Office

Mailing Address:
MSW Admissions Office
UNC School of Social Work
Tate - Turner - Kuralt Building, Room 370-C
325 Pittsboro St., CB# 3550
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3550

1. School of Social Work Supplemental application. Complete online.
2. Personal narrative (4 - 5 pages)
3. Current resume
4. One official copy of all transcripts.
5. Three letters of recommendation (recommendation form can be downloaded in PDF. If you need Adobe Reader, please click here to download the software.) A copy of the RECOMMENDATION GUIDELINES should be given to the persons writing the recommendations. The recommendations should be mailed to the School of Social work in a sealed envelope with the signature over the seal. One academic recommendation is required if you are a recent graduate. If not a recent graduate, a letter from a supervisor attesting to your academic capability is required. The other two or more of the recommendations should be from persons who have observed you in social work activities.
6. Financial certificate and supporting documentation. For international applicants only.
7. One self-addressed stamped envelope to be used to notify applicant of missing items or when application is complete. Check your Graduate School Web account to keep track of whether or not the Graduate School and School of Social Work have received transcripts and recommendation letters.
8. If Distance Education applicant: One-page response to questions on back of the School of Social Work, supplemental application. Questions are also listed at the end of the on-line application.
9. If Advanced Standing applicant; submit the following additional documents:
   • Field instruction information form. (may be downloaded here)
   • Copy of field instructor's evaluation form from undergraduate placement. If you will be in undergraduate field placement during the spring semester following the January 16 deadline, we MUST receive an interim evaluation prior to February 15.
   • Reference letter from BSW Program Director or Field Instructor Coordinator, if a recent graduate (within the last five years). This can be one of the three required recommendations.

Failure to provide complete, accurate, and truthful information on this application will be grounds to deny or withdraw an applicant's admission, or dismiss the applicant after enrollment.

Note about residency: If claiming NC residency for tuition purposes, the residency form is required once you have been offered admission. It can be accessed at the Graduate School's web page at http://gradschool.unc.edu OR at http://gradschool.unc.edu/forms.html. Residency forms should not be submitted to the Graduate School until after March 15.

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Decision Deadlines

The Admissions Committee will consider factors relating to the applicant's work, service, and extracurricular experience, especially as they demonstrate a commitment to improving the opportunities for the most disadvantaged individuals, families and communities. In reviewing applications, the Admissions Committee strives to recruit a diverse student body (see Admissions Requirements section) and evaluates GRE scores, the narrative statement, the resume, letters of reference, and all transcripts, including those from other graduate degrees held by the applicant. A personal interview is not required, but applicants are encouraged to visit the school and attend one of the monthly information sessions.

Every effort is made to notify Advanced Standing applicants of their acceptance by March 15th. All other decisions are made progressively from January 16 to April 15. All applicants whose completed applications reach us by the deadline will be given equal consideration. If admission is denied and the applicant wishes to appeal the decision, the following procedure is followed.

Appeals Procedure - The following procedures were adopted by the Faculty Senate on May 17, 2001, to be followed in the event an applicant to our program wishes to appeal the decision of the Admissions Committee:

1. Applicants who are not pleased with the admissions decision are encouraged to speak with the director of admissions by telephone if they wish, and be offered an appointment in person, if they prefer.
2. Following discussion with the director of admissions, the applicant may send a written appeal to the Admissions Committee. If the applicant wishes to share information that was not available to the committee or faculty readers at the time of application, it should be attached to the written appeal.
3. The Admissions Committee will meet at the earliest time, but within thirty days, to examine the applicant's appeal materials and application folder.
4. The director of admissions will communicate in writing the decision of the committee to the applicant in a timely manner.
5. The applicant may wish to direct his/her appeal to the dean of the School of Social Work following this communication. This must be done within thirty days of the date of the written communication.

More information

For more information about the School of Social Work or the admissions process, please contact:

Sharon Holmes Thomas
Director of Recruitment, Admissions and Financial Aid
(919) 962-4367
sholmes@email.unc.edu

-or-

Linda T. Wilson
Student Services Manager
(919) 962-6442
ltw2517@email.unc.edu

or come by the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Social Work Admissions Office at:

325 Pittsboro Street, Suite 370
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3550

Monthly information sessions are held to allow potential applicants an opportunity to meet some of the faculty, staff, and students, and to ask any questions they may have. The curriculum is discussed, as well as field placements, financial aid, admission requirements, etc. Listed below are the TENTATIVE dates of the upcoming information sessions for potential applicants. The sessions are always 2:00-4:30 pm in Room 300 of the Tate-Turner-Kuralt building. Please contact Jane Gump at 919-843-6284 or jgump@email.unc.edu to confirm the dates and to register for a particular session:


2008

• Jan. 4
• Feb. 1
• March 7
• April 4
• May 2
• June 6
• Aug. 1
• Sept. 12, 26
• Oct. 10, 24
• Nov. 7, 21
• Dec. 5

The applicant is responsible for completing the application file. If you provided a self-addressed, stamped envelope and you have not received notification that your application is complete, call the Student Services Office to determine what is missing. Remember, the Admissions Committee considers only COMPLETED applications.


Student Ambassadors are available to answer questions about academics and student life at the School. Click here to Ask A Current Student Questions.

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