Admission Requirements

Requirements for admission to the MSW program are as follows:

• A baccalaureate or graduate degree from a college or university that is accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by both the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) verified on original transcripts sent by the institution directly to IWU.
• Two Letters of Recommendations are required for all applications. These should be completed by persons who have worked directly with you and can vouch for your work ethic, skills, competence, and character and/or by a university professor who can attest to your ability to perform basic social work skills and demonstrate professional identity as a social worker.
• 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 is awarded only to graduates holding degrees from baccalaureate social work programs accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), recognized through its International Social Work Degree Recognition and Evaluation Services, or covered under a memorandum of understanding with international social work accreditors.  Regular admission requirements for Advanced Standing are:
  • Must have a minimum GPA of 2.7.
  • Degree must be conferred within the last seven years.
  • Complete a Personal Statement.
• Applicants who do not have a 2.7 GPA but otherwise meet admission requirements for Advanced Standing can be accepted as a probationary admission as long as their GPA is greater than 2.5. Applicants who do not meet the requirement for when their degree was conferred but meet all other requirements for Advanced Standing can be accepted as a probationary admission.

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 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 Vice President for Student Experience 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.  Any baccalaureate graduate who applies to the IWU MSW Program, regardless of the degree, is not accepted to the MSW Program if their overall GPA is below 2.5. Candidates whose GPA is below the 2.5 cutoff may submit requests for exception based on personal circumstances. The admissions review committee will review all exception requests and may request additional evidence or documents to make a final determination regarding admission. Any student granted an exception for admission will be placed on probationary status.