Admissions

Admissions Advising and Info Sessions

The Berkeley Social Welfare Admissions Office guides prospective graduate applicants with online resources, individual admissions advising, group presentations, and recruitment events. Find out more about Berkeley Social Welfare’s admission requirements and application process!

Admissions Inquiries and Advising Appointments

For admissions information inquiries, please contact Berkeley Social Welfare Admissions by email to: swadm@berkeley.edu.

Due to the admission review process graduate admissions advising appointments...

MSW Admission Eligibility Requirements

Students entering the Berkeley Social Welfare master's program are expected to have acquired a broad education, consisting of significant academic preparation in and knowledge drawn from the behavioral, social, and natural sciences, and the humanities. Conceptual ability and the capacity to integrate knowledge from these varied fields should be demonstrated through competence in writing.

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...

Do you offer advanced standing status for applicants who have a BSW degree?

No. All students must complete the two-year, full-time MSW Program to earn the degree.

Students entering the MSW program with considerable coursework background in social work, either from BSW programs or other undergraduate majors, may request exemption from one or more generalist curriculum requirements. Such exemptions require evidence of mastery of essential content in basic social work curriculum areas. Students granted any course exemptions are still required to complete the minimum requirement of 54 units for the MSW degree.

Do you offer a part-time MSW program?

No. Berkeley only offers the full-time, two year MSW degree program.

Can someone review my résumé to see if my experience meets the admission eligibility requirements?

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.

What if I plan to acquire experience during this application year, but do not have it at the time of application?

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.

Is there a time limit on the required experience hours? Must they be completed in a year?

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.

How can I qualify for and/or apply for an application fee waiver?

United States citizens or permanent residents and California AB540 students 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.

Is there a required application fee? How do I pay it?

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.

Are interviews part of the application process?

No.

Eligible applicants who include a supplemental application for the Child Welfare Scholars (CWS) stipend-based training program in their online admissions application are invited to a panel interview with Berkeley MSW Program faculty and county child welfare agency representatives as part of the selection process for the CWS stipend program, but this is a separate process from admission.