BA/MSW and BS/MSW Application Process
For current UB undergraduate students who wish to apply to the MSW program early, follow the process below. Our application process is completely electronic. All documents should be submitted through the application portal.
Students apply to the bachelor’s and MSW portions of the program separately.
If you are not a current UB undergraduate student, you will need to first apply to the University at Buffalo in one of the following majors through the Undergraduate Admissions Office:
- Health and Human Services BA
- Psychology BA
- Psychology BS
If you are a current UB undergraduate student, you must meet all of the following prerequisites before beginning the MSW part of the program:
- Major in the Health and Human Services BA, Psychology BA or Psychology BS in the UB College of Arts and Sciences
- Have completed a minimum of 90 undergraduate credits
- Have completed all health and human services or psychology major requirements
- Have completed the general education program
- Have an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or greater
- Have significant employment or volunteer experience in a human services setting
- Have completed 24 credits of liberal arts coursework:
- 6 credits must be in the social or behavioral sciences (e.g., psychology, sociology, anthropology, political science)
- 6 credits must be in the arts or humanities (e.g., history, English, foreign languages, philosophy, ethnic/gender studies)
- 12 credits may be made up with any combination of the above or with courses from the natural sciences or mathematics
- Human biology undergraduate course (3 credits) must be completed prior to the advanced year MSW curriculum, if not at the time of application
If you have completed all the prerequisites above and are ready to apply to the MSW portion of the program, follow the steps below.
All application components (including recommendations) must be received by the deadline to be considered.
You must first meet with your program director or another staff member from your department to make sure you meet all the requirements and complete the prerequisites checklist.
- For health and human services, contact the Social Sciences Interdisciplinary Program at sscidp@buffalo.edu or 716-645-2247 to set up a meeting.
- For psychology, contact Christa Greenberg at cmgreen@buffalo.edu to set up a meeting.
Apply to the University at Buffalo School of Social Work using our electronic graduate application system.
Be sure to select the “BA/MSW” or “BS/MSW” program option that matches your major from the drop-down menu, since this indicates to us that you are a UB undergraduate student who will not have a bachelor's degree when you start the MSW. If you do not see your program listed, that means it is not currently open for applications. Check our deadlines page to see when applications open and close.
On the application form, you will be asked to send electronic recommendation requests to three professional references who are best able to assess your potential for graduate-level academic work and for the profession of social work. This includes:
- Faculty
- Classroom instructors
- Academic advisors
- Current or past employers, supervisors or professional colleagues
Do not use personal friends, relatives, friends of the family or other personal relationship sources. In addition, do not use clients or individuals you provide services to, or therapists or other individuals you receive services from.
When you send the requests, your recommenders will receive an email with a link to complete the brief evaluation form and upload their letter of recommendation for you electronically. You will receive a notification email when a recommendation has been received.
Plan ahead to give your references enough time to submit their recommendations before the deadline.
Copies of transcripts should be uploaded to the application portal. Please note:
- You must provide a transcript from each and every previous school attended at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
- Transcripts must be from the original school you earned the credits from. Transfer credits listed on another school’s transcript are not sufficient.
- You must provide all transcripts regardless of the number of credits earned, how long ago you attended or whether you earned a degree.
- Transcripts must include your name, the institution name, all courses taken with semesters, grades received, overall GPA, degree conferral date (if applicable) and transcript key if available (often printed on the back).
- Do not upload advising reports or degree evaluations from your student portal.
If you prefer to send official transcripts instead of uploading copies, you may do so. Note that official transcripts will take longer to arrive, so be sure to request them well in advance of the deadline. All transcripts must be received by the School of Social Work Admissions Office by the application deadline.
If you are accepted to the program, you will be required to submit final official transcripts from all schools attended (except from the University at Buffalo) if you have not already.
Official transcripts must be mailed to:
University at Buffalo
School of Social Work Admissions
685 Baldy Hall
205 Founders Promenade
Buffalo, NY 14260-1050
or sent via secure and official electronic delivery to swinfo@buffalo.edu.
After you submit your application form, you will be redirected to your status portal, where you will be able to upload your application essay to your application checklist. This is a key component of your application. Your essay should reflect strong technical writing and critical thinking skills. Write a full essay answering ALL questions in the Application Essay Guidelines.
After you submit your application form, you will be redirected to your status portal, where you can find the secure payment link, allowing you to pay the nonrefundable application fee by credit card or e-check.
The BA/MSW and BS/MSW application fees are $75.
Questions?
Email us!
swinfo@buffalo.edu
New York Residency
To qualify for the in-state tuition rate, admitted students must provide proof of New York State residency. Visit the accepted student information page for details.
Felony Disclosure
If you have a previous felony or criminal conviction, please read our felony disclosure statement before applying.