Social Work (MSW)

University Requirements

Application and Application Fee

Prospective students are required to use our online system to create an account and submit an application. The application opens approximately one year in advance and is only good for the term and program in which it is submitted. Applicants who have submitted their application and wish to change their admission term or major/concentration may submit a new application and associated application fee. If you would like to cancel an open application, please contact us.

A $30 (USD) application fee is required regardless of previous enrollment. The application fee is non-refundable and cannot be waived. Undergraduate application fees cannot be used for a graduate application, and vise versa. The application fee must be submitted prior to the review of an application.

Current students who would like to add or change a major, concentration or certificate should submit the Change of Concentration or Major form.

College Transcripts

All applicants must provide transcripts from a U.S. institution accredited by an accepted institutional accreditor or its equivalent from a non-US institution that awarded the bachelor’s degree and master’s degree, if applicable, and transcripts from institutions where any post-baccalaureate and/or graduate credits were earned.

All admits must provide official transcripts.

All international transcripts will require a course-by-course evaluation by an approved third-party credential evaluation agency unless a graduate program has established an alternative credential evaluation procedure that is approved by the graduate school. To be accepted, the evaluation must be:

1. Translated to English and be the U.S. equivalent
2. Evaluated course-by-course
3. Include the overall academic GPA
4. Be from an approved third-party accredited evaluation service. Recommended evaluation agencies: 
   • SpanTran. They have created a custom application for UNF that will make sure you select the right kind of evaluation at a discounted rate. You can access their application through the SpanTran Application - UNF Graduate School portal.
   • Josef Silny & Associates, Inc.
   • World Education Services

Important Notes

• The UNF Graduate School cannot request transcripts on an applicants behalf.
• Unofficial transcript copies are accepted for admissions but must clearly state the institution name, student name, course information, terms, grades, and credits. Degree audits are not accepted. Admitted students will be prompted to provide official transcripts. 
• If currently enrolled in courses, an incomplete transcript must be submitted before the posted deadline. 
• Applicants who also have to apply through systems such as ATCAS or PTCAS, must submit separate transcripts to UNF. 
• Official transcripts must:
  • Must be less than one year old from the date of printing
  • Must be submitted in a sealed envelope from your institution, or emailed through official electronic means.
• When requesting college transcripts, please verify with your institution(s) whether or not they are able to submit electronic transcripts in the proper EDI format. Institutions can submit transcripts via e-mail to graduateschool@unf.edu from an approved vendor such as ScriptSafe, Credentials, or Parchment. 
• Former or current UNF students should not request UNF transcripts. After application submission, the UNF requirement will be updated to a "waived" status.

Where Do I Send Transcripts and Test Scores?

Mail

UNF Graduate School
1 UNF Drive
Jacksonville, FL 32224

Email

graduateschool@unf.edu

Test Score Institutional Codes

GRE: institutional code 5490
GMAT: institutional code CF3QB51

Program Requirements

Traditional Specific Requirements

• Resume
  • Maximum 2 pages
  • Include educational background, relevant volunteer, internship or employment experience, special skills, awards and honors, and/or professional affiliations
• Application essay (maximum 7 pages) 
  • Application essay content:
    • Preparation and Commitment: describe your preparation for advanced social work study and practice as evidenced by lived and/or professional experiences and academic achievements;
    • Social Work Values: describe and reflect on the compatibility of your personal values and beliefs with the core values of the National Association of Social Workers' (2021) Code of Ethics, as well as the strategies you would take to reconcile any conflicts between personal and professional values when working with diverse individuals and communities;
    • Topic of Focus: identify a social problem of particular concern or interest to you and the role of social work in addressing that problem; and
    • Readiness: indicate if you are interested in enrolling as a full-time or part-time MSW student. Share any strategies or plans that you have for balancing your existing commitments with the courses and internships required for completion of the MSW degree.
  • Must conform to APA Style (7th edition), including all formatting of essay
• Three recommendation letters
  • Professional and/or academic
  • Address applicant's academic and/or professional readiness for graduate study and advanced social work practice
• Official transcript of bachelor's degree
  • Must be from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or its equivalent from an international institution with a GPA of 3.0 or higher in the last 60 credit hours of undergraduate study
  • Successful completion (grade of C or better) of undergraduate courses in social and behavioral sciences (9 credit hours), statistics (3 credit hours), and biology with human content (3 credit hours)

Advanced Standing Specific Requirements

• Resume
  • Maximum 2 pages
  • Include educational background, relevant volunteer, internship or employment experience, special skills, awards and honors, and/or professional affiliations
• Application essay (maximum 7 pages)
  • Application essay content:
    • Preparation and Commitment: describe your preparation for advanced social work study and practice as evidenced by lived and/or professional experiences and academic achievements;
    • Social Work Values: describe and reflect on the compatibility of your personal values and beliefs with the core values of the National Association of Social Workers' (2021) Code of Ethics, as well as the strategies you would take to reconcile any conflicts between personal and professional values when working with diverse individuals and communities;
    • Topic of Focus: Identify a social problem of particular concern or interest to you and the role of social work in addressing that problem
    • Readiness: indicate if you are interested in enrolling as a full-time or part-time MSW student. Share any strategies or plans that you have for balancing your existing commitments with the courses and internship required for completion of the MSW degree.
  • Must conform to APA Style (7th edition), including all formatting of essay
• Three recommendation letters
  • One academic recommendation from a professor that describes the applicant's academic skills and readiness for graduate study in an accelerated program
  • One professional recommendation from a social work or human services professional who has direct knowledge of the applicant's generalist social work practice skills
  • One additional academic or professional recommendation that describes the applicant's readiness for and suitability to graduate study and advanced social work practice
• Official transcript of BSW degree
  • Must be from a BSW Program accredited by CSWE, recognized through CSWE's International Social Work Degree Recognition and Evaluation Services, or covered under a memorandum of understanding with international social work accreditors;
  • Must be from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or its equivalent from an international institution;
  • BSW degree earned within six years of the application deadline for the Advanced Standing MSW program
  • GPA of 3.25 or higher in the last 60 credit hours of undergraduate study
  • Successful completion (grade of C or better) of undergraduate courses in social and behavioral sciences (9 credit hours), statistics (3 credit hours), and biology with human content (3 credit hours)