Admissions | Bachelor of Social Work

**Please note that notification emails regarding BSW 2025 application decisions will be sent by the end of May or early June at the latest.**

Portland State University Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program is accredited through the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) and prepares undergraduates to become generalist social workers in a wide variety of community-based, public and private sector human service organizations.

We seek applicants whose values align with the mission of the BSW Program, which combines theory with practical, hands-on experience and prepares undergraduate students for careers in social work and related fields and for future graduate studies. Students in our BSW Program gain knowledge, values, and skills to work with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Our program is  committed to centering critical self-reflection, racial equity, and social and economic justice, and we encourage our students to be active citizens and practitioners who embody these values.

We offer online and in-person undergraduate Social Work programs, which gives you the flexibility to pursue your degree on your schedule.

In addition to being admitted to PSU, students must also apply to the BSW program to enroll in upper division courses. The BSW program only admits students once per year for fall term. We encourage you to start planning your application to the program in your sophomore year.

How To Apply

New Students

New students who have not yet applied to PSU must first apply to PSU. Upon admission, PSU will notify eligible students via email to submit the Bachelor of Social Work application.

Admitted students may also log in to their application portal and navigate to their checklist to view outstanding tasks.

Current Students

If you are currently enrolled in classes at PSU, submit the Bachelor of Social Work program supplemental application. 

BSW Application Materials

Below is the list of the materials and information you will need to provide as part of your BSW application. We recommend preparing these materials in advance of submitting your application.

• Experience: Applicant evaluation for the BSW program includes a review of your experiences in social work or a related field. While we pay special attention to experience in social work or related fields, you should include all of your volunteer, paid work, and military experience.
• Essays: Essay submissions are used to evaluate your writing skills and readiness for admission to the BSW Online Program. Your answers to these questions demonstrate your interest in and commitment to social work, social justice, and social change. We suggest you write and edit your responses in a separate document and paste them into this application. You must answer all of the following questions: 
  • Outside of your personal desire to help people, why have you chosen social work as a profession over another profession or major?
  • How have your life experiences and identities shaped your understanding of power and privilege?
  • Why is a commitment to racial, social, and economic justice important to the field of Social Work? 
  • Reflect on a time when your actions negatively impacted a relationship with a coworker, a classmate, an instructor, or a colleague. What was your response? How did you or didn’t you take accountability for your actions? What did you learn about yourself from this experience?
• References: Submit contact information for at least two references. Portland State University will contact your references and provide them instructions for submitting recommendation forms. 
  • Recommendation forms must be received by PSU by April 15, 2024 at 11:59 pm Pacific time.
  • Do not list your family or friends as references.
• Criminal Conviction Statement: You are required to acknowledge that a criminal history may impact my ability to participate in and complete the BSW program at Portland State. The School of Social Work makes no presumptive judgments regarding the criminal history of a student. The School of Social Work practicum team will make a reasonable effort to identify a suitable practicum agency that will provide a placement for a student with a criminal record. However, certain types and calendar dates of criminal convictions may result in some agencies declining to offer a practicum placement. It may not be possible for the practicum team to find a placement willing to interview or accept a student with a criminal history. In such a case, it is likely that the student will be unable to complete the BSW program.

APPLICATION TIMELINE

• January 2: Application opens
• April 1: at 11:59pm Pacific time Application deadline
• Spring Term: BSW Admission notifications sent
• Week prior to Fall Term: BSW Orientation