Social Work How to apply

How to apply

Students join the university as “pre-social work students” and apply to the professional social work program upon completing prerequisites. Learn more about this process.

• Please note: Pre-social work majors are not guaranteed acceptance into the professional BSW program. You must submit an application for admission to the professional BSW program when you are eligible.

This program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education's (CSWE) Board of Accreditation (BOA) and intended for residents of Missouri and its neighboring states (AR, KS, OK, TN, KY, IA, IL, NE). Applicants from other states are welcome and are encouraged to contact us directly.

Fulfill the university admission requirements

If you have less than 24 hours of applicable college-level coursework, you may apply to the online pre-social work program as a freshman. If you have 24 or more credit hours of applicable college-level coursework, you may apply as a transfer student.

Requirements for freshmen:

• Earn the minimum test score on the ACT or SAT.
  • You also have the option of being reviewed with or without test scores. Please see the Freshman Admission Requirements for more information.
• Complete 17 specific high school courses with good grades.

For a list of test scores and high school courses, review the Freshman Admission Requirements.

Requirements for transfer students:

• Earn a minimum 2.5 GPA on all college work attempted.
• Complete at least 24 credit hours of college course work.

For additional information, please visit Transfer Admission Requirements.

Gather your papers

In the online application, you will need to supply:

• Your name and contact information.
• Citizenship, residency and visa information (if applicable).
• Names and locations of previous college or high school, and dates you attended.

If you are applying as a transfer student, you also will need to contact all your previous colleges or universities to request they send your official transcripts to:

Office of Admissions
University of Missouri
230 Jesse Hall
Columbia, MO 65211

After admission

Due to the program's requirements, you will need to apply to the BSW program separately once you're accepted to Mizzou. You will still select "social work" as your major on your application, but admission to the professional program, separate from Mizzou, is handled later and is competitive. Admission to Mizzou is not admission to the BSW program.

See all requirements and apply.