Bachelor of Social Work
Admission Requirement
Admissions requirements vary depending upon the student’s route to admission into the School of Social Work. Students are admitted to the School in a number of ways. Admission requirements for each admission route are listed below
Directly from high school
Students who meet the following criteria can be admitted into the School as freshmen:
- Top 10% of high school class AND high school GPA of 2.7 or higher AND at least a 18 ACT or 860 SAT
- Top 60% of high school class AND high school GPA of 2.7 or higher AND at least a 21 ACT or 980 SAT
- If high school does not provide a class rank high school GPA of 2.7 or higher AND at least a 22 ACT or 1020 SAT
As a transfer student during the first two years of study
Students with a cumulative GPA of 2.5 can be admitted into the School at any time during the first two years of study as a transfer student from another UC program or another college or university. At the end of the sophomore year, student who have completed the required general education curriculum and who have a GPA of 2.5 can progress to the junior year.
As a transfer student at the beginning of the junior year
Students can transfer into the program at the beginning of the junior year from another UC program or another college or university if they have completed the following required general education curriculum (or equivalents) and have a cumulative GPA of 2.5.
- BIOL1021 Introductory Biology I: Building and Sustaining Life
- ECON1001 Micro or 1002 Macroeconomics
- ENG1001 English Composition
- ENGL2089 Intermediate Composition
- FINE ARTS elective
- Foreign language (basic sequence)
- HIST1002 U.S. History II
- HUManities elective
- MATH (college level math)
- PSYC1001 Introduction to Psychology
- POL1010 Introduction to American Politics
- SOC1001 Introduction to Sociology
- STAT1031 Statistics for the Health Sciences
- SW1050 Introduction to Social Work
- SW1051 Introduction to Social Welfare
- SW2050 Families in America
- SW2055 Poverty in America
As a matter of policy the MSW Program does not accept life or work expierence as a subsitute for field practium or any other required social work courses.
Before applying for admission into the social work program, we want you to know that most social service agencies which serve as field placement sites for our program now require background checks and fingerprinting as well as preliminary alcohol and drug testing, sometimes at the student's expense.
Some agencies may require students to comply with random drug screens during their field placement, and supervisors also may have the ability to request a drug screen during the placement if they suspect the student is impaired during placement hours. These are the policies of social service agencies, not the University of Cincinnati or the School of Social Work.
A criminal history may limit a student's ability to obtain a field placement as well as limit or prohibit students from obtaining a license in social work or employment in the social work field. Students are encouraged to contact the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage & Family Therapist Board directly with questions about licensing.