MSW Frequently Asked Questions
Considering WVU’s MSW program? The FAQ page walks you through what to expect, how the program works, who it's designed for, and what you’ll need to apply.
Considering WVU’s MSW program? The FAQ page walks you through what to expect, how the program works, who it's designed for, and what you’ll need to apply.
A. Yes, our specialization is advanced integrated practice. The advanced integrated practice curriculum offers an integrative approach to social work, preparing students for both direct practice and administrative roles. This curriculum prepares WVU MSW graduates to be well-rounded, advanced practitioners who can respond to the complex realities of practice in a variety of roles and settings. Additionally, students have opportunities to focus on a topic or population of interest to them through their field placements, electives, and class assignments.
A. While there are numerous research opportunities both within the school and the university, students are not required to have a research supervisor lined up while applying. If you have a research interest, once admitted, speak to your advisor, who can help you find a faculty research opportunity.
Q. What is the difference between advanced standing and regular standing?
A. An Advanced Standing student is someone who already has a bachelor's in social work from an accredited university within the last 8 years. They skip the foundational courses and their generalist placement and go straight into higher-level courses and their advanced field experience. Regular Standing students hold a bachelor’s degree in something other than a social work degree. They first take foundational social work courses and complete their generalist field placement and in their second year, move on to higher-level courses and the advanced field placement.
A. No. Social Work Field Instruction experience is based on specific Competencies and Practice Behaviors, which correlate with the many varied social work roles, interventions, and practice settings in compliance with the CSWE accreditation standards. Therefore, internships/practicum from non-social work degree programs may not be substituted for field instruction components.
A. To be considered for admission, students must have an undergraduate or graduate GPA of 2.75 or higher, 3.0 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. Applicants will need to complete an online application and submit the following documents: official transcripts, resume, three letters of recommendation, and their admissions essay. Those applying for Advanced Standing must also have a 3.25 GPA or higher in their social work classes. Full guidelines are on our website.
A. The Priority Deadline is January 15th. The Standard Deadline is March 1st. Students who apply by the January 15 deadline will be eligible for School of Social Work scholarships and graduate assistantships. Applicants applying for the full-time Advanced Standing Program must apply by January 15th to be considered. Details can be found on the MSW Admissions Requirements webpage
A. November 1st is the early decision deadline. 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. Details can be found on this page of our website.
A. Yes, applicants will need to pay a $60.00 application fee to apply to WVU before the application can be submitted.
A. West Virginia University provides application fee waivers to all WVU full-time employees, McNair Scholars, Active and Retired US Military members and members of AmeriCorps or Peace Corps. If you do not meet one of the qualifications, you are not eligible for an application fee waiver.
A. Yes. There are a number of financial resources for students. You will find more details on funding, including a list of scholarships, on our website.
A. Yes, students must apply by the priority deadline (January 15 for on campus, February 1 for online) to be eligible for scholarships for their first year of school. Although these awards are helpful, they will not cover full tuition costs.
A. The funding provides $25,000 in stipend support for advanced field placement to 15 MSW students per year to focus their studies on integrated behavioral health practice across the lifespan. Students apply for the RIBHT program in January prior to their start in advanced field placement which occurs during their last year of the MSW program. International students are not eligible to apply.
A. The grant provides in-state tuition/fees and monthly stipend support for students accepted into the program. In exchange, students must do their field practicum(s) at the WV Department of Human Resources (DoHS) while in the MSW program AND work for the DoHS in a child welfare job following graduation for the same amount of time as they received Title IV-E assistance. International students are not eligible to apply.
A. Students can apply for Financial Aid by completing their FAFSA application by the March 1st deadline. WVU's Federal Code is 003827.
A. After notification of acceptance, you will need to submit your official transcripts to Graduate Admissions at graduateadmissions@mail.wvu.edu through a service such as eScrip-Safe, the National Student Clearinghouse, or Parchment. Official copies can also be mailed directly to Graduate Admissions. Find more information on the Graduate Admissions website.
You can transfer a maximum of 12 credits. The applicant will first need to be accepted into the program and then will need to submit a syllabus and course transcript for each class taken. The Curriculum Committee will review the documentation and decide
A. Graduates of the WVU MSW program are eligible to pursue social work licensure at their degree level in all states of the United States. Additionally, they are eligible to work towards a clinical license after graduation if desired. For information about state-specific licensing, please see the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) licensing and regulation website
A. Regular standing students complete 300 general field placement hours and 600 advanced placement hours. Advanced standing students complete 600 advanced placement hours. Students will be matched and supported by our Field Placement Director according to their interests. For more details, look through our MSW Student Handbook
Maybe. Requests for Employer-Based Placements are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and must meet specific criteria to ensure that the placement site will satisfy both the CSWE and SSW field requirements. Students submit a proposal and identify the specific activities that contribute to competency development, and must be supervised by an approved MSW Field Instructor. Employer-based placement applications are submitted as part of the field application process. Students approved for the employer-based placements will move through placement at the same pace as other students; they may not log more hours in a week than would be typically completed in a non-employer-based setting.
A. Currently, we do not offer any organized dual programs for the MSW.
A. Yes! You can contact the WVU Center for Veteran, Military and Family Program online or at this number: 304-293-8825. We really appreciate the knowledge and experience veterans bring to our program
A. An Advanced Standing student attending school full-time will complete the program in 12 months; they will complete the program in 2 years part-time. A Regular Standing student attending full time will complete the program in two years, including a summer semester in between years; they will complete the program in 3 years part-time.
A. Tuition varies depending on your residency. For the 2025-2026 school year, one credit hour costs $725 (fees included) for in-state students and $1,835 for out-of-state students. Detailed tuition costs can be found on the WVU Tuition website.
A. The School of Social Work offers several GA positions for full-time on-campus students. Students must apply by January 15th to be eligible. GA positions cover tuition and include a small stipend in exchange for 10-20 hours of work per week. Students may apply once admitted. Students may also search for GA positions outside of social work by contacting departments individually and using Handshake. Approval must be secured for MSW students to be eligible for a Graduate Service Assistant (GSA) position inside or outside of Eberly, Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA), and Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) outside of Eberly). The supervisor hiring the graduate student should fill out the Graduate Assistant Tuition Waiver Pre-approval form for the Eberly College before filling out the form on the Office of Graduate Student and Life website. NOTE: the approval process requires a job description, typically the one placed in Handshake.
A. Current students need a 4.0 GPA to apply for merit-based tuition waivers, and the earliest one can apply is during their second semester for the following semester. On average, 1-3 credit tuition waivers are awarded. Incoming MSW students who apply by the priority deadline of January 15 may also be invited to apply for merit waivers.
A.The online MSW is offered on a part-time basis only . Advanced standing students finish in the summer after two years of class and field work. Regular standing students finish in the summer after their third year of classes and field work. In 2026, we are piloting a small cohort of full-time advanced standing students for our online program. For more information, contact us at socialwork@mail.wvu.edu.
A. No. All courses are offered online and are asynchronous.
A. An “asynchronous” course refers to an online course that is conducted without any synchronous (or real-time) activities. No campus visits are required, and the instructor and students are not required to be logged into the course at the same time. Much like a face-to-face course or synchronous online course, an asynchronous online course includes significant structure, deadlines, and course learning outcomes that must be met in a set period as outlined on the course syllabus. These courses also include substantive instructor-initiated interaction with and among the students.
A. Correspondence courses are typically self-paced, have little to no student-to-student interaction, and have limited interactions between the student and instructor. Interaction with an instructor in correspondence courses is usually initiated by the student. An asynchronous online course, however, is not self-paced and includes substantive instructor-initiated interaction with and among the students. Courses in the Online MSW program are asynchronous. However, MSW Orientation, Advising Meetings, and Field Placements CANNOT be completed asynchronously.
A. Tuition is paid by the credit hour. All students are eligible for in-state tuition no matter their state of residency. The tuition rate for the online social work program for the 2025-2026 school year is $747 per credit hour. The total program cost depends on the number of credit hours required for completion (36 for advanced standing, 60 for regular standing. Students typically take 6 to 9 credit hours (2 to 3 courses) a semester. Detailed WVU tuition costs
A. Our online program is designed with full-time work in mind. All the classes are asynchronous and 100% online. The field placements, however, are completed in person, near your place of residence. We recommend sharing your graduate school plans with your employer as you will likely need some flexibility once you start your field placement hours. It’s always helpful to have their support.
A. Required: Desktop computer or a laptop (PC or MAC) with at least 8-16 GB of RAM; consistent access to high speed Internet/Wifi/Broadband; cell phone or other dual sign-in device (e.g. tablet); microphone/headphones; web camera; access to Scanner/Printer; and Google Chrome or Firefox Web Browser. **Additional technology information can be found at WVU Online: Student Resources, General Student Questions
A. International students are required to pass an English Proficiency Test before they will be admitted, unless the country you earned your bachelor’s degree in is exempted.
Exempted Countries: Australia, Canada, Ghana, India, Kenya, Liberia, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Republic of Ireland, South Africa, United Kingdom, United States and its territories, 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).
Tests: Academic IELTS: 6.5, TOEFL iBT: 79 (WVU accepts MyBest scores), PTE Academic: 53, or Duolingo English Test: 105
A. WVU accepts electronic score delivery from IELTS. WVU can accept valid emailed TRFs if the score can be verified. TOEFL and GRE scores must be sent through ETS. WVU’s institution code is 5904. Use the generic department code 00. PTE scores can be sent through Pearson’s secure portal. For other scores, ask your program about the procedure.
A: Please send your IELTS score to WVU electronically through the testing agency. If the English proficiency checklist item isn’t updated after you apply, you’ll get an email from the Office of Admissions with a link where you can provide your IELTS score information to WVU directly.
A. WVU considers Higher National Diplomas (HNDs) from Nigeria or Ghana to be comparable to US bachelor’s degrees under the following conditions: the HND is a 2-year program that followed a 2-year National Diploma (ND) or Ordinary National Diploma (OND) program, for a total of at least 4 years of post-secondary study.
Applicants with 3-year bachelor’s degrees may be reviewed for admission to graduate programs. We recommend asking your program contact if your coursework meets their expectations before you apply.
A: With a bachelor's degree in social work outside the United States, you will need to have it evaluated by the Council for Social Work Education (CSWE) for you to be considered an advanced-standing graduate social work student at WVU. This is the sole accrediting agency for social work education in the United States. CSWE degree evaluation services can be found on this website.
Regarding the CSWE review, this isn't mandatory. If you want to bypass this, you can apply to our program as a regular standing student. This would require you to spend another year in our program, but it makes the application process easier and less costly.
A. To request to speak to an international student advisor, please e-mail our ISS team at: isss-students@mail.wvu.edu
E-mail is monitored daily, and it is the best way to reach an experienced advisor to see if an appointment is needed. In your e-mail, please include:
An advisor will then review the e-mail, conduct the proper research and review of your record, include any individuals who also need to be aware, and follow up within 1-3 business days with a response. We do monitor and assess for urgency. Please note that response times may be longer if additional research or inquiries to other offices or government agencies are needed
A. There are a variety of campus resources available for international students to help make the transition to WVU easier. From English Language learning programs, VISA support, community building, and writing support, WVU has a little something for everyone.
And so much more: Other campus resources include an on-campus food pantry, Women’s Resource Center, LGBTQ+ Center, Student Legal Services, Office of Accessibility Services, TalkSpace online therapy, Carruth Counseling Center, WVU Student Health, Collegiate Recovery, Library Services, and WellWVU!