Frequently Asked Questions - MSW Admissions

We seek students for the Social Welfare MSW program who have acquired a broad education with significant academic preparation in the liberal arts, humanities, and behavioral, social, or natural sciences. There is no minimum preparation requirement in any specific major or area of study (such as number of courses or units).

There is no time limit or expiration window for your undergraduate degree conferral to be considered eligible for admission to graduate study. 

We require that you include all grades for coursework undertaken after the first two years of study (typically the last 60 semester units, or last 90 quarter units), not just grades for subjects taken in the major or grades which seem relevant to your proposed program of graduate study.

If you hold more than one basic degree, calculate the GPA on the most recent degree program.

If your GPA is not on a 4.0 scale there is no need to convert it. Enter it as is, in the appropriate GPA box on your online application.

While post-baccalaureate coursework (including community college and extension programs) may be an indicator of your potential for academic success, it is not included in the advanced GPA calculation for admission eligibility.

You must have completed the introductory course in statistics, or be in the process of completing it (i.e., currently enrolled in one) by the time you submit your application for admission.

The course may be completed at an accredited college or university that results in credit on an official college transcript. Online courses that earn credit on an accredited college or university transcript meet this requirement. Receiving a score of 5 on an AP Statistics exam also satisfies the requirement, as long as it is documented on a transcript submitted with your application.

Applicants to the Social Welfare MSW program must have the equivalent of one full year (2,100 hours) of paid employment or volunteer experience related to social welfare or human services, or in a position requiring skills relevant to work with underserved or marginalized populations.

To satisfy the experience requirement for admission eligibility, all experience hours must be acquired by the application deadline.

To be counted toward satisfying the minimum experience requirement of 2,100 hours, the résumé upoloaded to your online application must include all of the following information: Organization name and location, position title, start date and end date, hours per week worked, and total hours worked to date.

Since successful experience in the human services field provides a good test of commitment and aptitude, we seek to admit students who have begun social work or related careers, and demonstrate both professional promise and leadership potential.

We are looking for experience working directly with and on behalf of people and communities in need, including those experiencing social and emotional distress, vulnerable or marginalized populations, and those who are historically under-served.

For more information on the experience requirement and examples of relevant experience, please see Experience and Résumé Guidelines for MSW Applicants.

In the interest of maintaining an equitable review process amid a very high volume of applicants each year, we are unable to provide subjective feedback to individual applicants regarding the experience requirement.

We recommend all applicants aim to provide as much information about the quality of all the experience included on the résumé submitted with the admission application. Reviewers are particularly interested in experience that includes direct interactions with vulnerable or underserved clients and communities.

Not having the required experience hours will not make you ineligible to apply. However, keep in mind that Berkeley is a highly competitive program, and it is true that the most competitive applicants are typically those who most fully meet all admission eligibility requirements by the time of application to the program.

There are no time limits on attaining the required eperience hours, other than acquiring the 2,100 hours by the time you submit your application. 

It doesn’t matter how recently you have satisfied this requirement; you can include experience completed at any time. 

You must submit an application fee when you apply. The application fee is not re­fundable. If you are a U.S. citizen or current permanent resident, the application fee is $135; for all others, the fee is $155. 

Payment must be submitted online with a major credit card at the time you submit your completed application.

United States citizens or current permanent residents may request an application fee waiver under certain eligibility criteria. International applicants must pay the application fee; they cannot be granted a fee waiver.

Application fee waivers are administered directly by the Berkeley Graduate Division. To learn more about eligibility criteria or to request a fee waiver, please visit Requesting an Application Fee Waiver.

Yes. After you submit your online application, you will still be able to log in and check the status of your recommendation letters.

We require three letters of recommendation, requesting that two be professional and one be academic. However, we will accept up to five letters, provided that they all are unique and different perspectives on your fit for our program. Our letter of recommendation deadline is strict; all letters must be received by the admissions application deadline. You may decide to request an extra letter from a fourth and fifth recommender in order to ensure that at least three are received by the deadline.

The most important thing regarding recommenders is that you choose those who can speak to your promise as a professional social worker, and attest to your potential to succeed in a rigorous graduate professional degree program.

We ask for two professional references, and one academic reference. However, not having this specific mix will not make you ineligible to apply. If you don’t have an academic reference, then additional professional references are absolutely acceptable.

All copies of transcripts must be uploaded as PDF files into the Academic History section of the online graduate application.

For your application to graduate study, transcripts do not have to be official copies and do not need to be sent to the School of Social Welfare. Transcripts DO need to be legible, and MUST show degrees conferred (if any), the institution’s name, and your full name.

If you are offered and accept admission, official transcripts will be required by the Graduate Division and they will provide you with instructions for submitting official copies to them directly.

Yes, you could apply to the Concurrent MSW/MPH Degree Program or the Concurrent MSW/MPP Degree Program in your first fall semester of graduate study.

Although you can only apply to one single degree program option at a time, there is a question on the Program Page of the online application that will allow you to indicate if you wish to be considered for EITHER the MSW or the other degree (e.g., MPH or MPP) if you are not offered admission to the Concurrent Degree Program.

First-year field placements are chosen through a collaborative and individualized process between entering students and their field consultants. After completing an extensive survey about previous experiences and future plans, new students meet on-on-one with their field consultant before being sent to an assigned interview at an appropriate field placement.

Second-year students select field placements more independently, yet still under the guidance of their field consultants. Students have access to a large database of possible placement sites that hold relationships with UC Berkeley, eventually selecting several at which to interview. To learn more please visit Field Education.

Students are permitted to be placed in an agency where they are or have been employed under certain circumstances usually related to the agency being able to provide substantial new learning related to identified competencies. For more information please see Guide to Field Education for MSW Students > Field Placement in an Employing Agency.

Most field placements are unpaid internships, although some agencies may offer a small stipend, or participate in the federal Work-Study Program.