Requirements for Admission
Successful performance in graduate social work education requires emotional maturity and stability, interest in working with people, and readiness to assume professional responsibilities. Good undergraduate preparation along with experience in the profession through volunteer, internship, or paid experience are important elements for a successful application for admission. You may be required to participate in group discussions as part of the admissions process. Unfortunately, no academic credit can be given for life experience or previous work experience.
An applicant who has fulfilled all the requirements for admission is admitted to the graduate program as a matriculated student in social work without regard to citizenship or place of residence. However, tuition and field placement may be affected by your status.
I. General Requirements for Admission
- Applicants must complete an application online.
- Applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university. Undergraduate preparation should demonstrate an intellectual capacity for graduate study.
- Applicants must provide official transcripts from all previously attended colleges.
- Applicants must submit a Statement of Purpose that articulates knowledge of professional social work and discusses the applicant’s experience in a social work setting and answers the questions on the application.
- Applicants must provide two professional letters of reference. One of these must be from your Social Service employer, or an internship or volunteership that you have participated in. OYR applications require an Agency Executive Agreement Form with signature & an Agency Executive letter of recommendation from the Agency Executive, along with one other letter of reference which can be professional or academic. If the Agency Executive will not be writing a Recommendation Letter and instead a direct Supervisor will write the Agency Executive Reference Letter, we will need a note from the Agency Executive stating that they are allowing a direct supervisor to submit the letter. (Direct supervisor must be named in this communication).
- Advanced Standing applications require two Core Competency Forms, one to be filled out by Field Instructor and one to be filled out by the Faculty Advisor. These take the place of the general letters of reference, so no other letters are required once these forms are mailed in. However, please provide the information about recommenders in the Recommenders List. A Practice Example must also be submitted (from fieldwork experience- may illustrate practice with an individual, a family, a group, a community or an organization)
- Applicants must pay a non-refundable $125 application fee. If you are currently a non-matriculated student and plan to apply to the program the following semester, your application fee may be waived.
- GRE test scores are not required for admission into our program.
Please use the Admissions Checklist: Click Here for detailed requirements.
VII. Supporting Documentation
To expedite your application all supporting documentation should be mailed to:
Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College
Admission Office
2180 Third Avenue at 119th Street
New York, NY 10035
