Graduate aid and funding
The School of Social Work offers financial support for social work MSW and PhD students through training grants, fellowships, scholarships, and graduate assistantships.
Social work scholarships are awarded to students on the basis of need and merit, and are made possible through donations to the School of Social Work. Some awards require that recipients have special career interests, complete designated course work, or commit to working in specific areas or with identified target populations upon completion of their degrees. In addition, some awards to MSW students require that students accept specific field placements.
A link to the form for graduate social work students to apply for financial aid will be posted on this webpage in February 2020.
Financial aid decisions are made beginning in the spring and continue into the start of the academic year, depending on fund availability.
MSW training grants and fellowships
Training grants and fellowships are available for MSW students interested in preparing for work in a specific area of practice or with a targeted population. These fellowships often require specific coursework and field training, and some have post-graduation requirements.
Title IV-E Child Welfare Training Grant
For MSW students in the families and children concentration who are committed to a post-graduate career in public or tribal child welfare.
Eloise and Elliot Kaplan Fellowship for Traumatic Brain Injury
For MSW students in the health, disability, and aging concentration who are interested in providing services for people who have suffered from a traumatic brain injury and their families.
Diversity Social Work Advancement Program (DSWAP)
For MSW students in the clinical mental health concentration who come from racially, ethnically and/or culturally diverse communities. The goal of this program is to increase the number of mental health professionals who identify as people of color, immigrants, refugees, and/or LGBTQ, and to increase mental health services to individuals and families in these same communities.
John A. Wallace Fellowship
For MSW students with at least 5 years of post-baccalaureate experience working in corrections who seek to make a difference in the field of corrections administration or juvenile crime prevention and rehabilitation.
Weisdorf Oncology Social Work Fellowship
For MSW students in the Health, Disability and Aging or Clinical Mental Health specialization. Students must complete an approved oncology social work practicum during the fall and spring semesters of their specialization year. This funding opportunity is open to full program and advanced standing students.
Graduate assistantships
A limited number of graduate assistantships (GA), primarily research assistantships, are available through the School of Social Work and other University offices. A GA position requires a weekly work commitment and offers a tuition benefit in addition to an hourly wage.
We notify all active students about obtainable graduate assistantships in the school as positions become available. Some graduate assistantships are available outside of the school, and we encourage students to visit the University’s graduate assistant employment page to learn about those opportunities. Graduate assistantships have separate application procedures, with varying deadlines and requirements that will be listed in the job postings.
College and university funding and aid
The College of Education and Human Development has information about graduate tuition, aid, and funding, as well as college-specific aid and fellowships.
University-wide fellowships and grants are based on merit and, unlike teaching or research assistantships, grants generally do not require students to work.