General Application Requirements
Applicants for the MSW program must complete an application online. We encourage you to submit your application before the final deadline date for your pathway of choice. Our admissions committee consists of faculty and strives to evaluate complete applications within four to six weeks. Please note that the committee does not evaluate incomplete applications.
The application for all MSW degree pathways consists of:
The completed online application
A statement of purpose
Transcripts from all colleges and universities attended (we encourage these to be uploaded with your application; see details below)
Three letters of recommendation (see details below)
A résumé or curriculum vitae
There are additional requirements for some pathways, as listed on the Pathway-Specific Application Requirements page.
A $60 nonrefundable application fee must accompany the completed application and is not credited toward tuition. Please see our policy regarding application fee waivers on our FAQ page.
We require transcripts from all colleges or universities where you earned 12 or more credits (including the institution where you are in the process of earning your bachelor’s degree).
You will be asked to upload an unofficial electronic copy of your transcript into the online application system. This can be either a copy issued to you from your academic institution or a copy in your possession.
If you are unable to upload a transcript, official transcripts may be mailed to:
New York University
Silver School of Social Work
Admissions and Enrollment Services Office
1 Washington Square North
New York, NY 10003-6654
Additionally, your college or university can send official transcripts electronically to silver.admissions@nyu.edu.
We are unable to make admission decisions without your uploaded transcripts. While we do not need your official transcripts in order to apply to our MSW program, if you are admitted, you will be required to submit official transcripts showing all grades and degree conferrals.
All pathways require three letters of recommendation, except for the Non-Matriculated and ONRAMP options, which require one letter of recommendation.
Letters of recommendation should not be personal references. Recommenders should be able to speak to your abilities as a future social worker and should be able to evaluate your potential for graduate school education (e.g.: employers, supervisors, and college professors). If you have recently graduated or are about to graduate, reach out to professors. If you have worked, ask your supervisor. We want letters that can speak to your performance and why you would make a great addition to the field of social work. With this mind, we discourage letters from friends, relatives, neighbors, therapists, or doctors.
When you enter a recommender’s name into the online application system, they will automatically be notified of your recommendation request. The recommenders will receive an email prompting them to complete a questionnaire and upload a letter of recommendation online. Be sure to inform them of the submission deadline, as we are unable to review applications without the required number of recommendation letters. You should visit your online application regularly to monitor completion of this important part of your application. The system will accept letters after you submit your application; however, letters submitted after the application deadline will greatly delay the processing of your application. For this reason, it is a good idea to have backup recommenders.