Transfer Student Resources

  • The UW Transfer Application: 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 opens in mid-December and is typically due in mid-February each year. 

 UW Transfer Application 

  • Transferring credits: If you are transferring to the UW from a Washington state community college, be sure to check out our Transfer Equivalency Guide to confirm which credits will transfer from your current institution to the UW and how. Please note: Human Service credits (HS) or Social Human Service credits (SHS) often do not transfer well to the University, as they are considered vocational credits instead of academic credits. If you have social human service credits and are looking to transfer to the University of Washington, please book an appointment with a BASW admissions adviser to discuss your options.

UW Transfer Equivalency Guide 

BASW FAQs

Have a question that's not answered on this page? Email your question our admissions team!

 

   

 

 

Take a look at our page, What is Social Work?

You can explore different careers and pathways to becoming a social worker, what social workers do, the differences and similarities between Social Work and Psychology, as well as information about our Master of Social Work and PhD in Social Welfare programs.  

  • Pre-application: While not required, we recommend attending one of our BASW information sessions before applying to ensure you have all of the application and program information you'll need before applying. Events are typically hosted virtually and will be posted to our Admissions Events calendar.
  • *Transfer Applicants Only: Transfer applicants must also submit a required UW transfer application (see website for deadlines). Typically this application is available towards the end of Fall quarter and due in mid-February.
  • January 15th: UW FAFSA priority deadline: January 15th (annually) | HB 1079 Students: WASFA
  • January 30th: BASW applications are available beginning at the end of January each year.
  • April 15th: BASW applications are due by April 15th each year, although applicants are encouraged to submit applications before this date. 
  • May/June: BASW decisions are sent between the end of May and mid-June. There are occasional cases, typically impacting transfer students, where decisions may be released later. If you are a current BASW applicant and have not received your decision by mid-June, please contact our admissions team.

September: Admitted BASW students will begin courses the Fall quarter after they apply. Please note that our department only admits cohorts for Fall quarter of each year. 

Yes, this is possible. If admitted, the BASW program director can evaluate your syllabi to assess if your credits can satisfy any of our specific course requirements. However, given the structure of our program and that there are required courses each quarter, we would still expect your time in our BASW program to take about two academic years. Your course load may be lighter however, as having these transfer credits may free up space in your schedule for general education requirements or completing credits towards a minor, if you choose.

The application process is the same for transfer students with no additional requirements. If you are interested in transferring from another BASW/BSW program, we recommend reaching out to us in admissions via email or by booking a virtual advising appointment to explore your options before applying. 

  • Minimum 2.00 cumulative GPA.
  • Earned 2.00 or higher in each prerequisite.
  • Earned a minimum of 65 college credits by the start of the program in Fall (ok if applicant has less than 65 credits at the time of application).
  • If you do not meet these academic requirements, please contact our admissions team to explore your options. 

Yes - applicants who are offered admission to the School of Social Work will receive instructions to complete a background check through Castlebranch as well as complete a Request for Criminal History Information Form as a condition for enrollment. Prospective applicants with questions or concerns about this requirement should review our webpage for additional information.

Over half of UW undergraduates receive financial aid. Applying for financial aid is separate from your application(s) for admission. The UW uses the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and for undocumented students living in Washington, the Washington Application for State Financial Aid (WASFA). For priority aid consideration, be sure that you have submitted your FAFSA/WASFA by January 15 for the upcoming school year, even if you don’t know whether you will be offered admission. For more details, visit our BASW Tuition & Funding page. 

The BASW program is a capacity-constrained major accepting about 52 applicants each year. Our average acceptance rate varies, but in the last 5 years has averaged between 60% and 75%. Please note that acceptance rates fluctuate year to year depending on space availability in the program and the number of applications we receive. 

We welcome and encourage prospective undocumented students to apply to our BASW program!

  • WAFSA is a great resource for undocumented students seeking financial aid opportunities. 
  • Leadership Without Borders (LWB) is the UW's center devoted to offering resources, support and guidance to undocumented students at the UW, providing services such as the Husky Dream Lending Library, leadership workshops and resources, community building events, and more!
  • See the UW's undocumented student resources page for a full list of on-campus resources. 

If you are a veteran, or the spouse or dependent of a veteran, check out the Veterans Education Benefits website for resources regarding financial aid, tuition assistance, residency, and more. 

Some of our students do work while in the program. Please keep in mind that the BASW is a full-time program and includes 16 hours per week at your practicum site during your second year of the program. Given this, we recommend only working up to about 20 hours per week while enrolled in the program if possible. We recognize that every student has their own level of capacity for juggling the work/student/life balance.

We welcome prospective students to meet with us! If you'd like to meet with an admissions advisor, we encourage you to schedule an online appointment. The School of Social Work is open to the public daily from 7:30 a.m.– 6 p.m. Our address is 4101 15th Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98105. The Admissions Office is on the ground floor, suite 23 and we are open from 9:00am - 4:00pm Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Please note that we do not offer building tours, but you are welcome to explore on your own. You are also welcome to check out our calendar for additional opportunities to connect with us.

Yes! While having social service experience may help your application, it's not required to have any to apply or be admitted to the program. If you're unsure if you have relevant experience, use this guide to determine what types of experiences may count as relevant experience. If you do not have relevant experience to include, you can still ensure your application is competitive by: 

  • Carefully and fully answering the essay prompt
  • Detailing any learning experiences or growth you've experience related to social justice in your short-answer response
  • Having taken and passed (with a 2.0 or higher) other social science courses throughout your college career (i.e. Psychology, Sociology, Gender, Woman & Sexuality studies, etc.)

Yes! Please see our admissions event calendar to register for an upcoming BASW information session, or online webinar. Recordings of recent webinars are also available on our YouTube channel. 

Unfortunately, we do not offer rolling admissions and only offer admission to Fall quarter of each year.