Fall 2026 admissions are closed
Applications for 2027 will be available in late August. Check back then to apply!
The School of Social Work has adopted an online application process. Please carefully read and follow all instructions outlined below. Apply Now!
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Deadlines Admission Requirements Letters of Recommendation Essay Requirements
Application Deadlines
On-Campus Deadlines -
Applications for 2026 are closed
Program starts in Fall 2027 (August)
- Early Decision Deadline: November 1. Applications submitted by November 1 will receive an early decision notification and accepted applicants are eligible for graduate assistantships and scholarships provided through the School of Social Work.
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Priority Deadline: January 15. Applications submitted
by January 15 are eligible for graduate assistantships and scholarships through
the School of Social Work.
- Final Deadline: March 1. All applications must be submitted by March 1 for consideration.
Advanced Standing (Full Time)
Program starts in Summer 2027 (May)
- Early Decision Deadline: November 1. Applications submitted by November 1 will receive an early decision notification and accepted applicants are eligible for graduate assistantships and scholarships provided through the School of Social Work.
- Priority Deadline: January 15. Applications submitted by January 15 are eligible for graduate assistantships and scholarships through the School of Social Work.
- Final Deadline: March 1. All applications must be submitted by March 1 for consideration.
Online Deadlines
Advanced and Regular Standing (Part Time Only) Starts in Spring (January) or Fall (August) 2027
- Final Deadline: October 15. Applications submitted by October 15 will be reviewed promptly after the deadline. Note: Scholarships provided through the School of Social Work are not awarded for accepted spring start applicants in the first semester, but students will be eligible to apply for subsequent academic years.
- Early Decision Deadline: November 1. Applications submitted by November 1 will receive an early decision notification and accepted applicants are eligible for scholarships provided through the School of Social Work.
- Priority Deadline: February 1. Applications submitted by February 1 are eligible for scholarships through the School of Social Work.
- Final Deadline: May 1. Applications submitted between February 1 and May 1 will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Advance Standing Full Time (pilot cohort) Starts in Summer 2027 (May)
- Early Decision Deadline: November 1. Applications submitted by November 1 will receive an early decision notification and accepted applicants are eligible for scholarships provided through the School of Social Work.
- Final Deadline: February 1. Applications submitted by February 1 are eligible for scholarships through the School of Social Work.
Admissions Requirements
Regular Standing
- Domestic applicants: Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university OR a Graduate degree from a regionally accredited university
- International applicants: Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution. You are considered an international applicant if you are not a citizen or permanent resident of the United States. (*note: international applicants living outside of the United States are not eligible to apply to the online MSW program.)
Advanced Standing*
- Domestic applicants who have received a BSW from a Council on Social Work Education-accredited program within the last eight years may apply for advanced standing.
- International applicants who have received a BSW from a Council on Social Work Education-accredited program, recognized through its International Social Work Degree Recognition and Evaluation Services, or covered under a memorandum of understanding with international social work accreditors within the last eight years may apply for advanced-standing. (*note: international applicants living outside the United States are not eligible to apply to the online MSW program)
- Advanced standing enables the baccalaureate-holding social worker to move directly to the program’s advanced curriculum, waiving foundation-level courses as well as the Generalist-Foundation field experience.
The School of Social Work does not give academic credit for work or life-experience.
Grade Point Average
- At least a 2.75 overall GPA required, though a 3.0 GPA is preferred
- A 3.25 or higher GPA for advanced standing applicants in their undergraduate social work courses is preferred
- Students with an overall GPA below 2.75 may be considered for provisional admission based on a review of the applicant's transcript(s) and the strengths of the other elements on the application.
Application and Application Fee
- NEW: if interested in the pilot online full time Advanced Standing program for Summer 2027, complete a survey to get started and learn more!
- Complete the combined WVU Graduate/School of Social Work application at MyWVUportal
- Select "Social Work" and either "on-campus" or "online"
- Academic term: Select "Fall 2027" for all programs except for full time advanced standing (Summer 2027)
- Students can apply to both the on-campus and online programs, but must indicate their interest and preference in the Addendum section of their Admissions Essay in their application
- $75 application fee
Transcripts
- Submit official transcripts for all undergraduate and graduate coursework to the WVU Office of Graduate Admissions at P.O. Box 6009, Morgantown, WV 26506 or graduateadmissions@mail.wvu.edu (*note: official transcripts for applicants who attended West Virginia University will be uploaded by WVU Graduate Admissions upon submission of the graduate application).
- Unofficial transcripts can be uploaded by applicants in their application for the purposes of review for admission. However, official transcripts are required before a formal acceptance to the MSW program is offered.
Resume
- Please submit a current resume that details your education, employment, and volunteer experience, including start and end dates for each item.
English Language Testing
International applicants whose first language is not English must take and submit official test results to demonstrate English language proficiency. WVU accepts the following minimum requirements for admission to the WVU MSW program:
- Academic IELTS: 6.5
- TOEFL iBT: 79 (WVU accepts MyBest scores)
- PTE Academic: 53
- Duolingo English Test: 105
If you completed your bachelor’s degree in one of the following countries, then you do not have to submit a test score for English proficiency: Australia, Canada, Republic of Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States and its territories, Liberia, Nigeria, Ghana, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Commonwealth Caribbean Countries (Anguilla, Antigua, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos).
Letters of Recommendation
We require two professional letters of recommendation from individuals who can address your ability to handle the rigors of graduate studies and your experience, skills, and abilities in the helping field. We recommend that you include letters from recent social service employers, social service volunteer work supervisors, and/or undergraduate or graduate instructors or mentors. If you are applying to the Advanced Standing program, it is preferred that you include at least one recommendation from an individual from your BSW program who can discuss your BSW performance (such as a faculty member, program director, field internship instructor, or field education program coordinator).
Family members, partners, personal therapists/service providers, clients and personal friends are not appropriate references.
The two required letters of recommendation are gathered electronically through WVU’s application portal. You should enter the names and email addresses directly into the application. Please do not send letters directly to the School of Social Work.
admissions essay Requirements
All applicants must submit an admissions essay. The essay is an essential part of the applicant's admission application and is your opportunity to communicate with the MSW Admission Committee your professional goals, why a master's degree in social work from WVU is the best pathway to achieve them, and your commitment to the values and ethics of social work practice.
Please be sure to address each of the sections below in about one or two paragraphs. The essay should have headers for each section, be double-spaced, written using 12 pt. Times New Roman font, and free of grammatical and spelling errors. A cover page is not necessary. Outside sources are not required, but if you use them, please cite them in APA format and include a reference page.
Applicants may not use generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools for any of their application materials, including conceptualizing, outlining, or writing the Admissions Essay.
Traditional (non-generative) AI tools may be used to provide editorial support for sentence or essay structure, grammar, and spelling. Applicants who use AI tools for grammar or structural assistance must disclose this usage in their application by including a brief statement, such as, “AI-assisted for grammar and structure.” Misrepresentation of AI use may affect admissions decisions.
Please upload the finished version of your Admissions Essay as a Word or PDF document to your online application under the “Personal Statement” section.
Required Essay Sections
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Section 1: Motivation for entering social work, human services experience, and professional goals
In one to two paragraphs, describe the personal, academic, volunteer, and/or professional experiences that have motivated you to become a social worker as well as the skills and strengths you bring to the profession. In your discussion, be sure to explain why you have chosen to apply to WVU's MSW program. Include any aspects of our curriculum, programs, faculty, or community partnerships that interest you.
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Section 2: Social Work Values & Ethics
The WVU School of Social Work is deeply committed to upholding the core values of social work: dignity and worth of the individual, service, social justice, the importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence. The NASW Code of Ethics provides more detail about these foundational professional principles and standards.
To demonstrate your understanding of and commitment to these values, please respond to both of the following questions in one to two paragraphs each:
Describe an experience where you engaged with someone whose life experience was unfamiliar to you. How did you honor the dignity and worth of that person to ensure that they felt respected? What challenges did you encounter, if any? What did you learn from the experience?
Identify a specific social problem that you are passionate about addressing as a social worker. Discuss the scope of the problem and why it is important to you. What types of social and systemic barriers and/or inequalities impact this problem? How do you think social workers should address these barriers/inequalities to engage in anti-oppressive practice?
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Section 3: Field Internship Requirements, Enrollment Modality, and Academic Preparation
In this section, we have several questions related to the required field internship component of the degree plan, your enrollment modality, and any additional information relevant to your academic history. The MSW program is rigorous and requires one to two field internship placements depending on your standing. The field internship will require anywhere from 12 – 20/hours per week of your time in addition to your other coursework. After reviewing our MSW Pre-Placement Field FAQs, answer each of the questions below in a few sentences.
Since the internship is a significant component of the program, please detail your plan for managing the rigorous demands of coursework and internship along with your other obligations.
Tell us about your choice of program modality (face-to-face or online), the reason you selected it, and how you plan to be fully engaged in all the requirements of the MSW program. Additionally, if you are applying to both the on-campus and online MSW programs, please rank your preferences here.
If you have any concerns about prior academic history, please provide additional information here. For transfer applicants, please also address the reason you are requesting to transfer to West Virginia University.