Congratulations on your admission to the Berkeley Social Welfare MSW Program!
Berkeley is an incomparable place to pursue a graduate professional degree. We are delighted to welcome you to our active and vibrant intellectual community!
This welcome page contains important information and links to essential resources for getting started as a new graduate student at Berkeley. Please review these details carefully and take all required actions promptly to help ensure a smooth transition to your new graduate career.
Information for Students Entering Fall 2020
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information
- Berkeley Campus Coronavirus Information Hub
- COVID-19 Information for Graduate Students
- Coronavirus (COVID-19) Frequently Asked Questions
Important Dates and Deadlines
| When | What |
|---|---|
| March 2, 2020 | Deadline to submit completed FAFSA |
| April 15, 2020 | Deadline to accept offer of admission |
| June 1, 2020 | Deadline to submit required Statement of Legal Residence |
| July 15, 2020 | Deadline to submit SHIP Waiver |
| July 20, 2020 | Enrollment begins for new graduate students |
| August 18-21, 2020 | New MSW Student Orientation Activities |
| August 21, 2020 | Fee Payment Deadline |
| August 26, 2020 | Fall 2020 instruction begins |
| October 1, 2020 | Deadline to submit final official transcripts to Graduate Division Admissions Office |
Newly Admitted MSW Student FAQ
Admissions
Accepting Your Admission Offer
How do I accept my offer of admission?
Log into the status page of your UC Berkeley Graduate Admissions Application account and follow the instructions to “Reply to Offer of Admission.”
You say the deadline to accept my offer is April 1, but my notice from the Graduate Admissions Office says April 15. Which is it?
We are eager to learn of your decision and hope to soon welcome you to Berkeley! We hope you will let us know as soon as possible. Our departmental priority deadline has been adjusted to APRIL 15.
What if I need more time?
If you need an extension of the April 15 deadline to accept your offer, please let us know by sending an email to swadm@berkeley.edu.
Admission Deferral
May I defer my admission offer to Fall 2021?
Berkeley Social Welfare does not offer deferred admission. Applicants who accept an offer of admission and then must later decline or withdraw must reapply in a future admissions cycle. We do not anticipate any change to this policy for Fall 2020 admits.
Wait List
I am on the wait list for Fall 2020 admission; when will I hear from you about my admission status?
We will begin contacting all applicants on the wait list starting the week of May 4, 2020.
Classes and Field Placement
Where can I find information about the fall class schedule and courses?
You can view the official Schedule of Classes and Berkeley Course Catalog by visiting the Berkeley Academic Guide.
What are Berkeley's plans for Fall 2020 instruction?
For current information regarding Berkeley's plans for resuming instruction this fall, we encourage you to monitor the campus COVID-19 FAQ page (see questions under the "Instruction" heading); and the Division of Student Affairs Fall 2020 FAQ page. Any new information specific to Social Welfare students will be communicated to everyone, and also posted here, as soon as it becomes available.
When will I be contacted by my field adviser about my field placement?
Field Consultants will begin reaching out to incoming MSW students in early May.
Fees, Fellowships and Financial Aid
I didn’t receive a fellowship or stipend award with my admission offer. How do I apply for financial support from the department?
Offers of financial support from the department for new (incoming) students are made at the time of admission. Upon accepting your admission offer, regardless of whether you received a financial award or not, you will be eligible to apply for other departmental support opportunities as they arise. We always notify all students when new opportunities become available, and how to apply for them; you don’t need to submit any additional applications at this time. You can learn more by reviewing our guide to Financing Your Graduate Degree.
All U.S. citizens and Permanent Residents should also submit a completed Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as quickly as possible, even if you don’t intend to take out student loans. You can decide later whether to accept aid for which you are eligible. A FAFSA is required for certain campus-based funds (e.g., Parent Grant, Work-Study).
What if I’m not eligible to submit a FAFSA?
If you aren’t eligible to submit a FAFSA, visit the following links for information about other possible alternatives:
Can you say more about what “other departmental support opportunities” might “become available?”
Departmental Fellowships are awarded throughout the academic year. For example:
- those fellowships that were offered to a newly admitted student who declines our admission offer will be awarded to an incoming student who has accepted admission to Berkeley. These awards will be made after the April 15th deadline to reply to admissions offers.
- In August, applications will become available for Field Support Fellowships. These awards are intended to help defray some of the costs associated with traveling to and from your field placement internship site. All students enrolled in field placement are eligible.
- Applications for Continuing Student Fellowships are announced each spring semester for awards for the following academic year.
When will I be notified if I am subsequently selected for a new student departmental fellowship?
Incoming students will be notified of any new departmental awards starting in early June.
If I receive a stipend (such as Child Welfare Scholars) am I still eligible for federal student loans?
Most likely yes, although the total amount you are eligible to borrow may be reduced. To learn more, see the publication, Federal Student Loans: Basics for Students.
New Student Checklist
- Accept your admission offer by completing the “Reply to Offer of Admission” form in your UC Berkeley online admission application account.
- Submit a completed FAFSA as soon as possible upon accepting admission.
- Establish your CalNet ID and bConnected account.
- Set up your berkeley.edu email address.
- Submit Statement of Legal Residence in CalCentral.
Please take a moment to review the full text of the campus residency policy, what students should do once they arrive, and applicable deadlines, which can be found on the Office of the Registrar's website. Students with residency questions can also contact the Residence Affairs unit by email to orres@berkeley.edu or by calling 510-643-4222. - Complete tasks listed below under "Preparing for Orientation."
- Get your Cal 1 Card (campus student ID card).
Email Communications
Click on any link below for a PDF copy of emails sent from the Berkeley Social Welfare Admissions & Advising Offices:
First Next Step: Get Onboarded
Upon accepting your offer of admission, you will receive an email with your Student ID number and a temporary password you will use for creating a CalNet ID to access CalCentral, UC Berkeley’s student portal, where you will start the onboarding process. Please review the onboarding messages and checklist items under “Tasks” on My Dashboard that you will need to complete in order to prepare for your arrival and register for classes.
Establishing Required Electronic Communication
All University of California, Berkeley students must establish a berkeley.edu e-mail address. Students are responsible for keeping the address current and for regularly monitoring their e-mail for official communications from the University. You should establish your bConnected account and set up your berkeley.edu email address immediately upon activating your CalNet ID (see above).
Once your berkeley.edu email address is available in CalCentral, you will begin to receive official email communications from us, as well as other campus administrative and student support units. Emails are frequently the only means of official communications from the University, so please make sure you understand your responsibilities related to electronic communication.
New Student Orientation
Berkeley Graduate Division New Graduate Student Orientation
All incoming students are highly encouraged to attend new student orientation activities hosted by the Graduate Division. For information and a schedule of activities please visit the Graduate Division's New Graduate Student Orientation web site.
Berkeley Social Welfare New MSW Student Orientation
All incoming students, including Full-time MSW, Flex Advanced Standing, Flex Extended, and Concurrent Degree Program students, are required to attend New MSW Student Orientation. Please plan to be available the week of August 17-21, 2020 for new student welcoming and orientation activities. A schedule will be posted here when finalized later in July. Please check back frequently!
Preparing for Orientation
Please prepare for New MSW Student Orientation by completing the following tasks before August 19, 2020:
- Read the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics
You will be asked to sign a Pledge Card at Orientation affirming your commitment to upholding and abiding by our profession's code of ethics. - Read the Academic and Professional Standards for Master of Social Welfare Students
Academic and Professional Standards for the MSW Program set forth the responsibilities and expectations of all Berkeley MSW students. You will be asked to acknowledge your understanding of these requirements at Orientation. - Review the online MSW Student Handbook and the MSW Student Guide to Field Education.
Registration, Enrollment and Fee Payment
Enrollment begins for new graduate students on Monday, July 20. Students complete all enrollment, registration and fee payment actions through the CalCentral student portal. You will receive detailed instructions from the MSW Advising Office sent to your official Berkeley email address in early summer, prior to the start of the enrollment period.
Registration fees must be paid by Friday, August 21, either in full or with the 1st Installment on the Fee Payment Plan (FPP). You can activate the FPP through CalCentral once you have enrolled in units for Fall 2020.
Please be sure to monitor your CalCentral account for any upcoming tasks you need to complete. The "Tasks" section of your CalCentral dashboard will show any current or upcoming tasks you need to complete for other campus units (i.e. The Residence Affairs Unit, the Berkeley International Office, the Graduate Division, etc.). Please monitor this list regularly to ensure that you are completing tasks assigned to you in a timely manner.
About Your Field Placement
Once you have accepted your offer of admission, we will provide your contact information to the Field Education Office. You will be contacted by your assigned Field Consultant in early May to begin the engagement process for determining your first-year field placement. To learn more please visit Field Education.
Fees, Fellowships and Financial Aid
All U.S. citizens and Permanent Residents are required to submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The priority deadline is March 2, 2020. All students who accept our offer of admission and submit the FAFSA will receive information about financial aid from the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office in early summer.
Incoming students who received a fellowship or stipend offer included with their admission offer should establish a berkeley.edu email address as quickly as possible in order to begin receiving communications about accepting a departmental financial support offer.
All incoming students will automatically receive notifications about any new opportunities for financial support as they become known - please make sure you set up your berkeley.edu email right away, and monitor it regularly! All students should also review our guide to Financing Your Graduate Degree for more information about fees, fellowships and financial aid.