Live your passion
for social change
The School of Social Work seeks individuals who are interested in tackling complex social problems, building skills to help individuals, families and communities, and who are committed to becoming social change agents.
The application will open in January of 2026 for Fall 2026 admission. See all required prerequisites, application materials, and application timeline information on our BASW Applications Instruction page.
Social work is a broad and diverse profession that is dedicated to enhancing the well-being and quality of life of individuals, families, groups and communities.
Our curriculum challenges students to think critically and evaluate social challenges through classroom learning, community service, and field experience.
Have a question that’s not answered on this page? Email our admissions team!
$56.8
million
in funding for research & training
$5.8
million
in student support awarded annually
600+
field sites
for off-campus experiential student learning
14
fellows
american academy of social work & social welfare
Our Mission & Goals
We commit ourselves to promoting social, economic, and racial justice for oppressed populations and enhancing the quality of life for all and strive to prepare our students to do the same.
Funding Your Education
We encourage prospective and current students to explore a wide range of funding opportunities to help pay for your social work education.
Transfer Student Resources
The UW Transfer Application opens in mid-December. Students should prioritize the UW Transfer Application but your BASW Application can be filled out simultaneously.
Program Format & Schedule
Our cohort model gives you the opportunity to get to know your classmates. For two years, you will take classes with the same 50 or so peers. This facilitates networking, friendships, and the chance to engage in classroom discussions with vulnerability because you are comfortable with your classmates.
Your class schedule each quarter will vary. In Junior year, you will typically have classes three to five days a week, typically within the range of Monday-Friday 8:30-5:20 p.m. You will take courses such as Human Behavior & Social Environments, Cultural Diversity & Justice, Social Welfare Policy, and a series of Social Welfare Practice courses that span from individual (micro) practice, to families and groups (mezo), to systems (macro) practice. At each level you will engage how to use evidence-based practices to engage in socially just ways.
During senior year, you typically will be on campus two or three days a week and serve at your practicum site in the community two full days a week. At your practicum site, you will build your professional skills and receive ongoing feedback and support from a field instructor. As well as being a chance to hone essential social work skills, these networking opportunities can lead directly to employment after graduation.
During most quarters, there is room in your schedule that you can add a course from another department if you choose to. This makes it possible for you to complete general education courses or interdisciplinary courses towards a minor or double major if you choose.
Connect with an Advisor
Current Student Advising
Current students can drop in to connect with the Student Services staff in-person in room 023 on the ground floor of the SSW building or reach out directly to BASW Assistant Director, Nicole Guenther, for further assistance.
Prospective Students
Those who are interested in pursuing a graduate degree but have not yet been enrolled should consult our admissions specialists for guidance.
View Upcoming Events
We’re always adding new events! Visit our Admissions Calendar regularly, or sign up for email updates so you don’t miss anything.
Child Welfare Training Program (CWTAP)
CWTAP promotes training excellence for Washington state’s child welfare workforce through the financial support of social work students and professionals. This state-funded partnership links the resources of UW School of Social Work, Alliance for Child Welfare Excellence, and the state’s Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF).
For over 30 years, CWTAP provides qualified participants with specialized field education focused on casework in select DCYF offices. The field experience centers on topics such as abuse-and-neglect prevention, protective services, permanency planning, solution-based casework, and competency in working with diverse populations.
Once students complete their BASW studies, they commit to either a) seeking employment with DCYF and working for DCYF for a time period equal to the time they received financial assistance or b) applying for the UW Advanced Standing MSW program and obtaining their MSW through the CWTAP MSW program before completing their DCYF payback time through employment.
Example of how DCYF employment payback works for students who complete their studies with a BASW: a typical student who earns their BASW through CWTAP receives financial assistance over three quarters, equivalent to 9 months. This means upon graduation, the student needs to obtain and maintain employment with DCYF in a qualifying position for 9 months before satisfying their DCYF payback time.
Example of how DCYF employment payback works for students who complete their studies with a MSW through the Advanced Standing Program: a typical student who earns their MSW through the Advanced Standing CWTAP MSW program receives financial assistance over six quarters, equivalent to 18 months. This means upon graduation, the student needs to obtain and maintain employment with DCYF in a qualifying position for 18 months before satisfying their DCYF payback time.
CSWE Program Evaluations
Fully Accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
Many of our BASW students choose to continue and earn their Masters or PhDs in Social Work, including our accelerated MSW program exclusively for those with BASW degrees from accredited programs. Graduates then have the ability to become licensed clinical social workers and serve in a wide range of roles in the mental health field and beyond. Students may also go on to pursue graduate degrees in related fields such as Public Health, Psychology, Education, or Law.
All Council on Social Work Education programs measure and report student learning outcomes. Students are assessed on their mastery of the competencies which comprise the accreditation standards of the Council on Social Work Education.
These competencies are dimensions of social work practice which all social workers are expected to master during their professional training. A measurement benchmark is set by the social work programs for each competency. An assessment score at or above that benchmark is considered by the program to represent mastery of that particular competency.
The form below is used to assist the COA in the evaluation of the program’s compliance with Accreditation Standards stated below.
- 4.0.2 The program provides evidence of ongoing data collection and analysis and discusses how it uses assessment data to affirm and /or make changes in the explicit and implicit curriculum to enhance student performance.
- 4.0.5 The program appends the summary data for each measure used to assess the attainment of each competency for at least one academic year prior to the submission of the self-study.
BASW Program Evaluation Competency Benchmarks
Meet our new basw program director:
We are thrilled to announce that Dr. William Vesneski will serve as the new director of the BASW program. A familiar face within the School of Social Work, Dr. Vesneski has taught across the BASW, MSW and Ph.D. programs and is widely respected for his work as a clinical social worker, public defender and child welfare scholar. Dr. Vesneski brings a wealth of experience to the role, including time as a public defender in juvenile court, a consultant to the National Court Appointed Special Advocate Association, and a senior manager at the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. In recent years, his clinical work has focused on supporting clients recovering from trauma and violence, and his research continues to shape the field of child welfare law and policy.
