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Admissions

Eligibility

Current BASW seniors at UW-Seattle with at least a 3.5 departmental GPA applying to the MSW Advanced Standing Program are eligible for this streamlined application.

The streamlined application has fewer components than our traditional application – you do not need to complete an eligibility form, and are only required to have two abbreviated recommendations that we’ll collect on your behalf. 

Please note that this is not a guarantee of admission, but rather a shortened application. All applicants will be held to the same high standard of admission.

If you do not meet this eligibility requirement (or graduated from the UW Seattle BASW program in previous years) you can still apply to Advanced Standing using the full application – Click here to return to the main MSW Application Page.

Please note: All UW Seattle BASW seniors are eligible for an application fee waiver, instructions on how to apply were sent to students by email.

Apply Here

Be sure to select the correct program, quarter and year. Selecting the wrong program, quarter, or year may require you to begin a new application and repay the application fee: Social Work – Seattle (MSW – Advanced Standing – Current Seattle BASW Students). Please only submit one application.

Application Fee

All current UW-Seattle BASW Seniors are eligible for a fee waiver but must apply by the listed deadline. Instructions on how to apply for a fee waiver were sent via email. Otherwise, an $90.00 application fee is required and must be paid by credit card through the online application system.

You must submit unofficial transcripts from every accredited college or university where you earned academic credit, including your current UW transcript. Please review the Eligibility Criteria and Special Applicant Groups regarding minimum degree and GPA requirements.

  • Please make sure your first and last names, degree conferred date, and the name of the institution are clearly included on all transcripts.

  • Since you have not yet graduated from UW, please upload an unofficial transcript including the most recently completed quarter/semester.

  • If you transferred credits from a previous institution and they are listed in detail on your degree-granting transcript with a GPA (and full course names), you do not need to list and upload them separately. If they are not listed in detail, or if there is no GPA, please list and upload the additional schools and transcripts.

  • Please submit PDF files only via the Graduate School application; we will not accept incomplete, blurry, or illegible documents or pictures from your phone. We will not accept e-mailed, faxed, mailed transcripts nor transcripts sent through electronic transmission services.

  • If you attended a school that does not use a traditional grade point system, please upload all narrative transcripts as one PDF package.
  • Transcript evaluations such as those from WES must be accompanied by the original transcript(s).

Applicants are admitted directly to a specialization. Applicants will note their ranking of the offered specializations in the application. Please review specializations choices before finalizing these selections and submitting the application. Advanced Standing applicants will also be asked to write a short rationale for their top choice selection in the essay portion of the application. Specializations are space-restricted and once offers are made, changes are not guaranteed and limited. Please contact us if you need additional information to select your specialization area.

Applicants interested in the Child Welfare Training and Advancement Program (CWTAP) or Behavioral Health Workforce Development Initiative (WDI) should note that in order to be considered, they must follow a Clinical Social Work specialization.

Need help choosing a specialization? Watch this webinar!

Applicants will be prompted to enter all relevant experience in the application, as well as the total hours of experience.

For additional guidance on identifying relevant experience we have developed a handout with information on social work and human services.

Please be sure to include any hours completed so far in your current practicum, as well as relevant practice at any level (micro/mezzo/macro) from direct practice to advocacy/activism.

GPA: We highly encourage applicants with a GPA below 3.0 to provide additional information for our Admissions Committee. Please see this document for suggested strategies to help strengthen your candidacy for admission.

We are seeking students who want to join us as we wrestle with complex social problems, and who understand that we must work together to end white supremacy and oppression in all its forms. As such, You are required to critically reflect and respond to two short answer questions.

  • How does oppression impact the communities you intend to serve? Please highlight examples of structural, institutional, or systemic-level oppression that are of particular concern to you. (300 words or less)

  • How have you developed self-awareness around racism or other areas of oppression? Identify areas where you’d like to grow in your anti-oppressive approach. (300 words or less)

The required personal statement portion is an important component of your application package.

Prompt: The MSW Program at the University of Washington School of Social Work is grounded in our commitment to racial, economic, gender, and social justice informed by and for those at the social margins of our local, national, and global communities. Reflecting on the UWSSW’s MSW Program Statement of Purpose, in 2 – 3 pages write a personal statement about why you have decided to pursue an MSW at UW. Include the following:

    • How has your unique background shaped your perspective and prepared you to work towards social justice? Highlight any skills, professional work, and/or lived experiences you see contributing to the diversity of the school’s learning community and the field of social work.

    • How do your professional goals align with the Program’s Statement of Purpose?

Part 2: Advanced Standing Specialization Rationale: Please restate your first-choice specialization and provide reasoning for your selection. How might specializing in this area help you to achieve your social work career goals? If you identified a second choice option, please briefly describe why you might also consider specializing in this area. This section should be less than 1 page.​

Format: Statements should be double-spaced with 1-inch margins, using 12-point font (either Times New Roman or Calibri). Citations are not required or expected unless you have cited specific evidence in your writing. Feel free to tell your “story” in a reflective, creative, and expressive style. If you are including Part 2, please use the header: “Advanced Standing Specialization Rationale”. Please submit all parts as one PDF document and upload to the “Personal Statement” section in the online application.

Provide a resume (no more than 2 pages) that includes:

  • Educational background

  • Paid work experience: dates, employer name and address, job title, brief overview of job responsibilities

  • Unpaid, relevant social work experience including practicums/internships

  • Other paid/unpaid experience involving community work, leadership/capacity building, and/or advocacy/activism

  • Awards, honors, and special achievements you have earned (academic, work, volunteer)

  • Languages spoken and written and level of fluency, if bilingual (including ASL)

  • Research experiences: any research you have conducted or been a part of

  • International experiences (length of time, work/volunteer experience)

Please address gaps in your work history as appropriate and/or explain these in your Personal Statement.

Please do not include a photo of yourself, your home address, or phone number.

Streamlined applicants do not have to request recommendations in the typical manner and are only required to submit two, rather than three. You will select one UW instructor and one recommender from your practicum site (or Field Faculty) and we will collect an abbreviated recommendation form on your behalf.

Your recommender selection must be submitted through the form emailed to all eligible BASW students, no later than one week before the application deadline.

Applicants cannot review recommendations. However, under the provisions of Public Law 93-380, the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, and under University guidelines pursuant to that Act, students (defined as persons who have been officially admitted and registered at the University of Washington) have the right to review recommendations made on their behalf if the students retain this right at the time the recommendations are solicited.

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.
  • 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, and/or revoking funding/scholarship.
  • I acknowledge that I have read, understand, and, if admitted, 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.
  • I understand the School of Social Work reserves the right, on the basis of an educational judgment, to recommend to the Graduate School that an applicant be denied admission or to recommend dismissal to the Graduate School of an admitted student whose academic record or performance in field instruction does not meet minimal expectations, or whose performance is not consistent with the accepted standards for professional behavior.
  • I assert that I am prepared to fulfill the expectations of the Master of Social Work program. I will work with advisers and/or Disability Resources for Students to arrange reasonable accommodations as needed.

  • Applications must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. PST on January 15th, 2026; the portal will close exactly at midnight.

  • Fee waiver requests should be submitted through the Interest Form that was emailed to all BASW seniors, no later than January 8th, 2026.

  • You can login into the application portal to check your admission status.
  • After submission, applicants can still submit/update unofficial transcripts.
  • Questions regarding the application portal/platform: uwgrad@uw.edu

This form is separate from the application and does not impact admissions decisions. We encourage applicants who would like to be considered for School of Social Work fellowships/scholarships to submit this form. The deadline for submission is the same as the general admission deadline (January 15th). Please be aware that this is the only opportunity for departmental funding consideration for incoming students.

  • In order to be considered, the applicant must also file a FAFSA (or WASFA, if eligible) for the 2026-2027 academic year, however, the departmental funding consideration form is not a replacement for the general need-based financial aid application (FAFSA). UW’s priority FAFSA/WASFA deadline is January 15th and we strongly recommend submitting by that date to ensure full consideration for School of Social Work funding. Please note that international students are exempt from completing the FAFSA/WASFA.

  • Please explore the School’s website for additional options for funding your education (e.g. graduate assistantships, traineeships, scholarships for continuing students, resources for undocumented students)

The Funding Consideration Form will appear in your online application checklist upon submitting the app. It is titled “Post-Application Questions”.