Admission Requirements

Requirements for admission to the MSW program are as follows:

• A baccalaureate or graduate degree from a college or university accredited by a regional accrediting body or the Association for Biblical Higher Education verified on original transcripts sent by the institution directly to IWU.
• Standard Track applicants must have a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.7 or higher from a baccalaureate degree granting institution at which at least a minimum of 30 hours was completed. Applicants who do not meet the minimum GPA requirement for the Standard Track may be accepted on a probationary basis.
• Advanced Standing Applicants must have completed an undergraduate degree of Social Work with a minimum 3.0 GPA from a Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) accredited institution within the last five years. Applicants who do not meet the minimum GPA requirement for the Standard Track may be accepted on a probationary basis.
• Two letters of recommendation
• Personal essay
• Final Social Work field evaluation for Advanced Standing applicants only

All application decisions will be made by the MSW Admissions Committee. The student is then notified of one of the following responses by letter sent by the MSW Program Director:

• Regular Admission - Students who satisfactorily meet all requirements will be granted standard admission with no restrictions.
• Probationary Admission – A student whose entering GPA falls below the minimum required by the MSW program may be accepted on probation. Probationary status will be removed after the student has completed the first three courses with a satisfactory GPA of 3.0. In the case of extended probation, the number of courses to be completed to change status will be determined by the Associate Dean of the School of Service and Leadership. Any student failing to remove the probationary status will be academically suspended from the program.
• Provisional Admission – MSW applicants whose files are incomplete may be accepted provisionally at the discretion of the Associate Vice President for Student Services if it appears from the available documentation that eligibility for the program has been met. The student must submit the required materials before the start of the first course. Failure to meet the required deadline will result in the student being dropped from the roster and not being allowed to continue.
• Denial of Admission – students who do not meet criteria for admission to the program.