Admissions

Please meet our new Student Development and Accreditation Support Specialist, Shelly Paule, MSW, LCSW

MSW Admission Requirements

• Hold a Bachelor’s degree with a liberal arts foundation from an accredited college or university. Advanced Standing Applicants need to possess an undergraduate degree in Social Work earned within five years of admission.

• Undergraduate GPA of 3.0 in the last 60 units (90 quarter), but not less than a minimum of a 2.85 GPA.

• The GRE will no longer be required to apply for MSW applicants. If applicable, TOEFL Examination must be submitted prior to the application deadline in order for your application to be considered.

• Complete SDSU School of Social Work Application (Interfolio) which includes: Supplemental information, Liberal Arts Perspective Form; Personal/Professional Statement; Letters of Recommendation (Advanced Standing Program applicants need a letter from their field instructor and a social work faculty member) Application Information Certification, Resume, and Employment/Volunteer/Experience form.

• Have a minimum of 1000 hours of any paid or unpaid (volunteering or internship) work with a diverse, vulnerable population. (Example: hospitals, mental health centers, advocacy programs, universities, training departments, treatment centers, churches, care facilities, social service agencies, non-profit organizations, etc.)
  Relevant Experience (PDF)

• Complete an undergraduate statistics course.
  • Note: Completion of a statistics course is required with a grade of a C or better. Examples would include Stats 119, Stats 250, Soc 201, Psy 280. The course may be taken in the summer but must be completed prior to beginning the MSW program.

• All MSW students will be required to pass a background check for program participation.

Fall 2026 MSW Application Deadlines

* MSW/JD admissions will not be offered for Fall 2026

* MSW/MPH dual degree program and the MSW Imperial Valley 3-year cohort program will be accepting applications during the next admissions cycle opening on Oct 1, 2025

1. Submit the Cal State Apply Online Application (available after October 1st, 2025)

• There is a $70 application fee
• Within two weeks of submitting your Cal State Apply application, you will receive an email from San Diego State University that includes your SDSUid. Your SDSUid is an identifier to securely access many campus IT services, including my.SDSU, the official online portal for student admissions, student records, financial aid, tuition and fee payment, and more. Please follow the instructions provided in the email to activate your SDSUid account.

2. Submit Supplemental Materials to School of Social Work (available after October 1st 2025).

3. Submit Official Test Scores and Official Transcripts to SDSU Graduate Admission (all applicants)

• The GRE will not be required for MSW applicants. If applicable, TOEFL Examination scores or proof of English proficiency should be sent by ETS directly to SDSU (institution code 4682).
• Mail or electronically send official transcripts from all colleges attended to SDSU Graduate Admissions (Students who attended SDSU need only submit transcripts for work completed since last attendance):

SDSU Graduate Admissions
5500 Campanile Drive
San Diego, CA 92182-7416

Electronic transcripts may be emailed to [email protected]

• If you have international coursework, you must have your school send SDSU Graduate Admissions one official original-language copy of all records of academic coursework and proof of degree. For each document you must also send a certified literal English translation, which can come directly from the school itself or from a professional, certified translator. The translation must contain all information shown on the original-language documents. (For details on which documents are required, check the Admissions International Webpage).

Questions?

Find MSW Frequesntly Asked Questions in the Prospective MSW Student Handbook or email [email protected].