BASW Application
The UW School of Social Work seeks to enroll well-qualified students with a commitment to working with diverse populations. The BASW program is a capacity-constrained major, admitting about 50 students each Fall. Students are admitted based on academic performance and potential, clarity of career objectives, understanding of social issues, and knowledge of diverse populations. Our commitment to diversity is elaborated in our Essential Skills, Values and Standards of Professional Conduct page.
Eligibility
The Admissions Committee strives to give all applications prompt and thoughtful consideration. Please carefully review these guidelines before beginning your application to ensure you are eligible for admission.
Student Status
All applicants must either be a current UW Seattle student or gain admission to UW as a transfer student prior to the start of the program.
If you are applying to our program as a transfer student, you must submit a UW Transfer Application in addition to our departmental application. The UW Transfer Application for Fall quarter admission typically opens in December and closes in February.
Prerequisites
Ensure you will satisfy all BASW prerequisites before beginning the program in Fall. BASW prerequisites include:
- Completion of one introductory course in Psychology and one introductory course in Sociology. Any 100 or 200-level course can satisfy this requirement, and a 2.0 minimum grade (“C” grade) must be earned in each course to satisfy this requirement. Completion of these courses is required before beginning the BASW program in Fall, but completion is not required by time of application. Note that transfer courses listed as 1XX or 2XX do not necessarily satisfy the BASW prerequisites, though they are accepted as general transfer credit. If you have questions about how credits will transfer from a four-year or out-of-state college or university, contact admissions.
- A 2.0 cumulative minimum GPA or higher.
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A minimum of 65 college level credits (equivalent to 44 semester credits) by start of program. Note that the University of Washington does not accept any kind of vocational credits, including Human Service credits (SHS, HS, etc.), as transferable credits. Any credits earned in these courses will not count towards the minimum 65 transferable quarter credits (44 semester credits) required to transfer into the program.
Additional Planning Resources
The following are also helpful for planning your pathway:
- Statistics: Though not a requirement for BASW admission, an approved introductory Statistics class is a required prerequisite of senior year BASW courses and is recommended prior to admission. Approved UW courses include STAT 220/221, STAT 311, and EDPSY 490. If you are considering taking any other statistics courses, please contact admissions.
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Foreign Language Requirement: Though not a requirement for BASW admission, BASW students must fulfill the Foreign Language Graduation Requirement (third year of high school foreign language or third college quarter of a foreign language, or equivalent) in order to graduate. This graduation requirement is different from the UW foreign language admission requirement. It is helpful but not required to complete your language requirement before starting the BASW program.
- Service Experience: If you’re interested in gaining (paid!) social service experience, UW CELE Center’s Undergraduate Community-Based Internships (UCBI) are a great option.
BASW Application Instructions
The next application will open in January of 2026 for Fall 2026 admission.
*Please note: this is not the correct application if you’re applying for the UW Tacoma BASW program.
BASW 2025 Application Timeline
- December 15, 2025: UW Transfer Application opens (this application is required for all transfer applicants).
- January 30, 2026: BASW application opens for Fall 2026 admission.
- February 15, 2026: UW Transfer Application Deadline. UW rarely accepts late transfer applications.
- February 28, 2026: UW Priority Deadline to apply to FAFSA or WASFA (optional). Applicants can still apply to FAFSA or WASFA after this date, but may not receive priority funding consideration.
- April 15, 2026 at 11:59pm PST: BASW Application Deadline for Fall 2026 admission.
- Late May – June: Applicants will be notified of an admission decision by email. Please monitor your spam and other inbox folders if you feel you have have missed any communication from us. Transfer applicants will receive a separate admission decision from the UW Transfer Admissions Office. Admission to the UW Seattle BASW program requires acceptance to both the UW Seattle campus as a transfer student and the BASW program.
- September 2026: Fall quarter begins. See the UW 2025-26 Academic Calendar.
Accessing the Application:
The application is currently closed.
- We strongly recommend preparing all required materials ahead of time. Once the application is submitted, you cannot make changes.
- Your progress in the application will be saved and you may complete the application in more than one session.
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Name all uploaded documents using the format “Last Name_First Name_document.pdf.” Before proceeding to the next step, make sure to check that all documents uploaded correctly and that forms are not blank, blurry, or incomplete. All uploaded materials should be in PDF format.
*Please note: applicants are expected to create and submit accurate and original application materials by the deadlines without the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI) content generators, such as ChatGPT. Issues of dishonesty may result in denial of admission, rescinding an offer of admission, and/or revoking funding/scholarship.
Unofficial Transcripts
You must submit an unofficial transcript(s) from EVERY college you’ve attended – upload to the “Academic History” section of the application in PDF format. Students who are currently attending the University of Washington are not exempt from this requirement, and must upload their UW transcript. Remember to title your document as follows: “Last Name_First Name_Institution Name Transcript.pdf.”
Transcripts must be legible and complete –they must clearly show your name, the name of your university/college, all course and grade information, cumulative GPA, etc. Blurry or incomplete documents will not be accepted.
Official transcripts are not required at time of application, however if you are offered UW admission as a transfer student you will be required to submit official/final transcripts at that time to the UW Office of Undergraduate Admissions. If offered admission to our BASW program, you will be required to email us a final updated unofficial transcript that includes your final quarter grades at your current institution, all prerequisite courses, credits and/or degrees earned.
*Please note: the University of Washington as an institution does not consider any kind of Human Service credits (SHS, HS, etc.) or other vocational credits as transferable. Any credits earned in these courses will not count towards the minimum 65 transferable credits required to transfer into the program. See UW Transfer Credit Policies for details.
Social Service Experience
Having social service experience is not required to apply. If you do not have social service experience to report, you may skip this form and confirm your total hours as “0” in the following application question.
Consider “social service experience” to mean experiences where you helped other humans in ways that align with the School of Social Work mission statement. Feel free to use this guide to assist you in identifying relevant experience.
Resume
You will enter each item on your resume into a form in the application. Please include, if applicable:
- Educational background
- Paid and unpaid work experience
- Other paid/unpaid experience involving community work, leadership/capacity building, and/or advocacy/activism
- Awards, honors, and special achievements you have earned
- Languages spoken and level of fluency
- Special skills
- International experience.
Short-Answer Questions
Answer the following short-answer question(s) to help the admissions committee contextualize your strengths and personal history.
- Tell us about a cause you’re passionate about or a community you’d like to serve. What do you find compelling about this work? (250 words max)
- What draws you to social work as a meaningful and effective way to support these communities or causes? (250 words max)
- How have your volunteer, work, academic and/or life experiences prepared you to work toward social justice? (400 words max)
- *Optional: Our goal is to admit students who are prepared to be successful academically, and we understand that people’s journeys are complex. If your cumulative GPA is below a 3.0, or if you have multiple instances of incomplete coursework (grades such as 0.0, NS, NC, W), we strongly encourage you to use this space to provide any information that might help us understand better how your situation or skills have changed since that time.
Social Work Policy Acknowledgement
Prior to submitting your application, you’ll need to review and agree to the following School of Social Work Admissions Policies in the online application:
- I acknowledge that failure to submit complete and accurate information by the deadline, including all required documents, may result in denial of admission.
- I acknowledge that I have been provided the following conduct expectations; I understand that, if admitted, I will be held accountable to the UW Student Conduct Code, the School of Social Work’s Essential Skills, Values, and Standards for Professional Conduct and the NASW Code of Ethics.
- Applicants are expected to create and submit original application materials without the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI) content generators, such as ChatGPT. Except for minor editorial assistance, I confirm I wrote all my own application materials and understand the importance of academic and professional honesty and integrity. Issues of dishonesty may result in denial of admission, rescinding an offer of admission, dismissal from the program and/or revoking funding/scholarship.
- I assert that I am prepared to fulfill the expectations of the Bachelor of Arts in Social Welfare program. I will work with advisers and/or Disability Resources for Students to arrange reasonable accommodations as needed.
Submitting your application
Once you’re ready to submit your application, click “Submit” at the end of the application. Upon clicking “submit”, you’ll be moved to a screen confirming the submission of your application. If you are experiencing technical difficulties, email our admissions office.
- Monitor your email for notifications of any missing or incomplete information in your application.
- Decisions will be sent between the end of May and mid-June. In some cases, typically pertaining to incoming transfer students, decisions may not be released until later. If you do not hear from our department regarding your decision by mid-June, please contact our admissions team.
- Notify us promptly via e-mail of any change of address or to withdraw your application from consideration.