Admissions: How We Decide
M.S.W. Program - Portland
Each year the campus M.S.W. option has more applicants than available spaces in the program. Applications are accepted for the 2, 3, and 4 year options of the M.S.W. program until February 1. Advanced standing option applications are due by January 1.
Admission decisions are made by late April. Notification of admission is done through email or letter. A class of 150 students is admitted each year. A list of alternates is maintained throughout the summer, should openings become available in the class.
Members of the M.S.W. Admissions Committee review each application. The membership of the Admissions Committee includes faculty of the School of Social Work, social workers from the community, and two students in their final year of the program. Applications receive a second reading from a member of the School of Social Work faculty.
When reviewing an M.S.W. application, the reader looks for:
- Academic potential based on the upper division undergraduate GPA and, when applicable, graduate course work;
- Experience related to the field of social work;
- References that speak to the applicant’s likelihood of success in the classroom and the practice community;
- A personal statement which addresses the applicant’s personal values, interests in social work and commitment to social justice.
In the personal statement, the reviewer also looks for skills in critical thinking and the ability to write at the graduate level.
