Admissions and aid
Be a changemaker.
Are you passionate about creating change in communities where it's needed most? Commit to an education from VCU’s School of Social Work and graduate prepared to make a difference. Through an innovative curriculum, diverse field experiences, and ambitious and proactive research priorities, our school informs the leaders of today and prepares the leaders of tomorrow.
Want to know more about what makes VCU a great choice for students interested in social work? Explore our Why VCU and UNcommon Strengths pages.
Our programs
Bachelor of Social Work
Master of Social Work
Ph.D. in Social Work
Minor in mental health practice
Develop foundational knowledge and skills through a strong preparatory framework for several career paths in the mental health field. Ideal for majors in biology, business, criminal justice, education, nursing, psychology and social work. Learn more
Minor in social welfare
Develop your social work and social justice perspectives while complementing your bachelor's degree in another discipline. Take two foundational classes and select four of eight electives. Learn more
Explore financial aid
If you want to make a difference in people’s lives through social work, financial barriers shouldn't stand in your way. Our school offers a broad range of scholarships, research assistantships and awards to current students – in addition to the opportunities prospective and current students can find through VCU's Student Financial Services.
Child Welfare Stipend Program
If you're a current B.S.W. or M.S.W. student interested in a career in public child welfare, you could receive a $10,000 stipend per academic year if accepted into the Child Welfare Stipend Program, or CWSP. This partnership between the Virginia Department of Social Services and VCU requires the stipend recipient to work at a local department of social services within the Commonwealth of Virginia in family preservation, foster care or adoption for one calendar year for each academic year the stipend was received.
Project PIRR
Project PIRR provides interdisciplinary training and funding for master's level students to prepare them as early intervention social workers. The program is available to M.S.W. students in both the on-campus and online formats regardless of full-time/part-time track, concentration or term start. Selected participants will receive a $10,000 stipend that will go toward their tuition each year they are in the project, with a service payback requirement for each year they receive the stipend.
I plan to work in a foster care worker role for a few years and work up to a family services specialist role, particularly working with youth involved in juvenile corrections. I see myself making the biggest impact in social work as a changemaker who disrupts the school-to-prison pipeline while working to reunify families.”
Accreditation
VCU’s B.S.W. and M.S.W. programs are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the Council on Social Work Education – the accrediting body for all schools of social work at both the baccalaureate and master’s levels. The VCU Bachelor of Social Work Program is accredited by CSWE through 2027.