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GRE scores not required for Ph.D. applications

UNC School of Social Work will not require Graduate Record Examination scores for applications to its doctoral program, beginning with applications for fall 2022 admission. In addition, the School will not require a writing sample as part of the doctoral application package.

These changes come after the School received approval from UNC Graduate School to waive the GRE for a five-year trial period. The School announced a similar waiver for its Master of Social Work programs in 2018.

Students with non-traditional transcripts or low GPAs on previous coursework may still submit GRE scores if they feel those scores might strengthen their applications for admission.

Schools of social work are among many institutions of higher education that have begun to waive the GRE requirement or deemphasize it as an admission criterium. Some research (including a 2017 UNC-Chapel Hill study) suggests that the GRE is not a good indicator of student success at the graduate level.

The School’s doctoral program leads to the Ph.D. in Social Work. Graduates are prepared to develop, test, and disseminate social interventions in all areas of social work and possess a strong foundation in research methodology and data analysis. Typically, graduates of the program continue their careers as faculty members and administrators at leading universities across the United States and often conduct research internationally.

The School will host an information session for prospective doctoral students on Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021, at 3 p.m. There is a livestream option for this in-person session. For more information about this session, contact doctoral program manager Brenda Vawter.