Application Process
What is the application deadline?
SPRING 2025
Priority Deadline:
October 1, 2024 11:59 PM ET-
16 Month students are encouraged to apply by this deadline.
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Priority applicants will be strongly considered for our top scholarships.
Final Deadline:
October 15, 2024 11:59 PM ET
FALL 2025
Priority Deadline:
December 1, 2024 11:59 PM ET- Advanced Standing, Transfer, and International students are encouraged to apply by this deadline.
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Priority applicants will be strongly considered for our top scholarships.
Second Deadline:
February 15, 2025 11:59 PM ET-
Two Year students are encouraged to apply by this deadline.
Final Deadline:
April 1, 2025 11:59 PM ET
All materials (e.g., recommendation letters, field evaluations, international (non-U.S.) coursework evaluations, English language proficiency test scores) must be received by the final deadline.
We recommend starting and completing your application as soon as possible in order to allow for sufficient time to gather all required documents, especially if you have non-U.S. international coursework (excluding study abroad) which will require WES evaluation, as this process can take several weeks. We also cannot review an application until it is complete; the sooner you complete your application, the sooner you will receive a decision.
Am I eligible to apply for an MSW?
At a minimum, applicants must meet the following criteria:
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A regionally-accredited bachelor's degree or its evaluated international equivalent
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Academic record suggesting the ability to excel at graduate-level study
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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
- For non-native English speaking applicants only: a combined TOEFL score of 100 or higher (MyBest Scores not accepted); IELTS Band of 7.0 or higher; Duolingo English Test score of 130 or higher
Additional pathway-specific requirements include:
Advanced Standing
To be eligible for the Advanced Standing program, applicants must have completed (or be in the process of completing) a Bachelor of Social Work degree (CSWE-accredited, CASWE-accredited, or ISWDRES-evaluated) within the past 5 years.
One-Year Residency for Working Professionals (Reduced Residency)
To be eligible for the One-Year Residency for Working Professionals program, applicants must have completed at least two years of full-time, or four years of part-time, direct practice professional experience at the time of application. You must also be able to complete the residency requirement outlined below within your agency.
The OYR program is structured into two periods: the pre-residency period (usually two years of part-time enrollment while continuing to work full-time at a social services organization), and the residency period (a year of full-time enrollment).
In place of their generalist year practicum learning placement, students enroll in a practicum learning seminar in which they integrate classroom learning with their employment experiences. In their residency year, students complete a 28-hour per week practicum placement at their place of employment, of which 14 hours of their usual employment activities may be counted. The student must also be able to complete 14 separate hours on assignments outside of current work responsibilities with a different supervisor (Practicum Instructor) who has an MSW and is, or will be, SIFI certified (or its equivalent).
Transfer
To be eligible for the Transfer program, applicants must have completed (or be in the process of completing) one full year (approximately 30 credits) of practicum learning and coursework at another Master of Social Work program (CSWE-accredited, CASWE-accredited, or ISWDRES-evaluated) within the past 5 years.
What is required to submit an application?
You must submit an online application. Please review our application requirements in detail. In general, application materials include the following:
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Resume
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2-3 essay responses
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Two letters of recommendation
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Transcripts and/or international (non-U.S.) coursework evaluation
- For non-native English speaking applicants: English language proficiency scores
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$75 application fee
Do you provide any application fee waivers?
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 to submitting 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.
Why am I receiving an error message when I try to submit the application fee payment?
There are a couple of common reasons for this. Please make sure that you are filling out the Billing Address entirely, including selecting a state from the dropdown list. Please also ensure that the Billing Address you are entering matches the credit card's billing address on file with your bank.
Where can I learn more about the social work profession?
You can read the
Code of Ethics by the National Association of Social Workers. You may also be interested in reading about the nine social work competencies outlined in the
Education Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).
What essay prompts do I need to respond to?
Please
start your application in order to view the application essay prompts. The prompts vary by program pathway.
Can I submit three recommendation letters instead of two?
No, the application will only accommodate two letters of recommendation per applicant.
Can I submit GRE or GMAT scores?
No, the GRE and GMAT are not components of our application (optional or required), so we do not consider these test scores in reviewing applicants for the master's program.
Where should I submit my English language proficiency scores?-
For TOEFL, our ETS code is 2158
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For Duolingo, our organization is Columbia University - School of Social Work - Graduate
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For IELTS, please email your Test Report Form (TRF) Number (see bottom right corner of the Test Report Form) to us at cssw-admit@columbia.edu; please make sure to include your 9-digit Application Reference Number from our application portal.
What is the application review, evaluation, and decision process?
All required application materials must be submitted by the posted deadlines in order to facilitate application review and decision. Each application is screened by admissions staff first, then reviewed by a minimum of two trained readers who review all components of the application using a robust rubric that has been reviewed and approved by the Admissions Committee. International applicants may be contacted for an interview.
All applications are reviewed within a week of submission for completeness; applicants are notified if there are any missing or additionally required materials. All completed applications will be reviewed within eight weeks of a confirmed completed application. If a reviewer has any relationship to a particular applicant, that reviewer must make this known and recuse themselves from evaluating that application.
All applicants with fully complete and reviewed applications will be notified of a decision. Notifications concerning admission application processing and final decisions are provided electronically to all applicants submitting completed applications.
Applicants who are pursuing an undergraduate degree at the time that admissions acceptance is granted are informed that they are admitted pending the receipt of their final transcript indicating receipt of the bachelor’s degree.
How can I check the status of my submitted application?
To monitor the status of your application materials, you may log into your application portal. Please check your email to ensure you receive and respond to missing material communications from us. You will receive a notification email once a decision has been made.
