Admissions

Please meet our MSW Admissions Team

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 500 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.) It is recommended that you have over 1000 hours. Please see this handout for examples of 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. Complete the University Online Application via Cal State Apply - Must be completed by December 1st, 2025.

• All applicants must fill out the application on Cal State Apply and pay the required fee ($70 as of 2024).
• A SDSUid Number will then be assigned which allows tracking of application status online. Your SDSUid is an identifier to securely access many campus IT services, including SDSU, the official online portal for student admissions, student records, financial aid, tuition and fee payment, and more.

2. Send official test scores and transcripts Graduate Admissions – Must be received by December 15th, 2025.

• 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).
• Send official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended to SDSU Graduate Admissions:
  
  Graduate Admissions
  
  San Diego State University
  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).

3. Complete the MSW Program Online Application via Slate – Must be completed by December 15st, 2025.

• Within 72 hours of submitting your initial application to Cal State Apply, you will receive an email with a personalized link to Slate to submit your program application.

Questions? 

For MSW admissions questions not answered in the SDSU Prospective MSW Student handbook or the Imperial Valley Campus Prospective Student Handbook, please email [email protected] or call 619-594-1480.

MSW Application Help Desk ~ Available Monday, Wednesday & Friday from 10:00am - 12:00pm
Zoom Help Desk Link