Application Items

Our admissions committee evaluates applications holistically. Below, we list the requirements for all applicants, advanced standing applicants, and international applicants.

Requirements for All Applicants

  • Online application

  • Essay: Address all of the following statements in one cohesive narrative:

    • Thoroughly discuss a current social issue that is relevant to social work practice and fostered or confirmed your interest in the social work profession. You may mention additional reasons for deciding to pursue graduate social work study at this time.
    • Discuss your career interests and/or objectives and how you will use the resources at Fordham University’s Graduate School of Social Service to support your goals.
    • Include the reason(s) you are applying for distance education.

    Specifications:

    • three to five double-spaced pages
    • Times New Roman, 12-point font
    • American Psychological Association (APA) style

    We encourage you to proofread your essay for spelling and punctuation before submitting.

  • Transcripts: When you apply, you must provide an unofficial transcript from the undergraduate institution where you earned your bachelor’s degree. You must also submit unofficial transcripts for any graduate courses you have completed.

    Transcripts can be sent electronically to appsvcs@onlinemsw.fordham.edu or by mail to the following address:

    Application Processing Services
    OnlineMSW@Fordham
    7900 Harkins Road, Suite 501
    Lanham, MD 20706

    If you are accepted into the program, you will need to submit a final official transcript from the undergraduate institution where you earned your bachelor’s degree prior to registering for classes. If you plan to submit a credit transfer request for graduate-level social work courses, you must provide the official transcript for those courses before you can register. If you completed all foundation year courses and field placement through another MSW program, you will be required to submit a final official transcript from that program.

    Should you be admitted, the registration process will quickly follow, so we encourage you to request official transcripts as soon as possible.

  • Letter of recommendation: You must include one letter of recommendation. Approved recommenders are past and present employers, professors, and approved volunteer coordinators. You will request your letter of recommendation by entering your recommender’s contact information into the online application. After you submit your request, we will send your recommender specific instructions.

  • Current resume/C.V.

  • Application fee: $60

Requirements for Advanced Standing Applicants

  • If you earned or are in the process of earning a BSW, you must have your BSW program director or your faculty adviser provide us with your final or mid-year field evaluation. If those evaluations cannot be provided, your program director or adviser may complete our alternative advanced standing field evaluation form.

  • If you completed a first-year field education assignment as part of another MSW program, you must have your MSW program director or faculty adviser fill out the transfer student field evaluation form and submit it with your application.

Requirements for International Applicants

If you are an international applicant, you must reside in the United States for the duration of your enrollment in the online MSW program. To apply, you must submit the following items in addition to your online application, essay, letter of recommendation, resume, and application fee:

  • Transcripts: If your transcripts are in languages other than English, certified English translations should also be submitted with your application. To provide the translations, including an equivalent U.S. degree and grading scale, you must have your transcripts evaluated by a service accredited by the National Association of Credential Evaluating Services.

  • English Language Proficiency Assessment: All international students for whom English is not their native (first) language are required to submit scores for either the TOEFL or IELTS. Our institutional code for the TOEFL is 4894. Scores can be no more than two years old from the time you submit your application. The only applicants excepted from this policy are those who

    • are U.S. citizens

    or

    • have undergraduate or graduate degrees earned at a regionally accredited college or university in the United States.

    Applications will not be processed until the required TOEFL or IELTS score is received. Scanned copies of the score report are acceptable for admission consideration; however, an official score report received directly from the testing agency is required upon acceptance of an offer of admission.

    The following scores are the recommended minimum, current test scores for English Language Proficiency for admission to the Graduate School of Social Service:

    • TOEFL: 600 for paper test; 100 for internet-based (IBT) test
    • IELTS: 7 for General Test Score; no subtest can be lower than 6