Social Work Program Admission Requirements

Applicants seeking admission to our Social Work, Social Policy, and Social Administration program should review the following considerations: 

• Holistic Review: The Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice reviews applications holistically, meaning we consider all the pieces of your application as a collective representation of you academically and professionally.
• GRE Scores: Applicants are not required to submit GRE scores to complete their application.
• Interviews: Applicants are not required to sit for an interview as part of the application process.
• Financial Aid: To be considered for Crown Family School scholarships, please complete the Financial Data Section of the online application. Many applicants, if eligible, also apply for federal student loans or federal work-study to bridge the gap between their scholarship and the cost of tuition. Please see Tuition, Fees, and Financial Aid for a complete description of federal financial aid procedures.
• Enrollment Deposit: Applicants who are admitted must confirm their acceptance by submitting a $250 non-refundable deposit to reserve their place in the School. The $250 deposit will be credited towards their tuition. 

The following apply to specific programs:

• Advanced Standing Program: Applicants seeking admission to the Advanced Standing Program must submit with their application a transcript showing conferral of an undergraduate Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree from a college or university accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). 
• A.B./A.M. Program: Qualified University of Chicago students in The College who wish to pursue a joint A.B./A.M. degree with the Social Work, Social Policy, and Social Administration program should consult with their A.B./A.M. adviser in The College and with the Crown Family School Director of Admissions as soon as their first year, but no later than early in their third year.

* = International applicants who require an F-1 or J-1 visa are strongly encouraged to apply by the Early Action Deadline (December 1) to allow ample time for application review, admission decisions, and the visa application process.

Transcripts are required from every post-secondary academic institution where an applicant has taken three or more courses--unless the courses with grades appear on the home institution transcript; this includes courses taken Pass/Fail.

Applicants who have completed post-secondary education outside of the United States are required to submit a course-by-course credential evaluation as part of their application. This evaluation ensures that academic records are accurately interpreted and aligned with U.S. educational standards.

The Crown Family School accepts credential evaluations from the following recognized agencies:

• Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE)
• Educational Perspectives (EP)

Unofficial Transcripts

Applicants may submit unofficial transcripts for the application review process. Transcripts should be accompanied by the institutional grading and credit system information, which is most commonly found on the reverse side of paper transcripts. If your institution does not provide digitized transcripts, applicants may upload scanned paper transcripts to the online application. Please make sure to include the reverse side with the grading and credit system information.

Official Transcripts

Alternatively, applicants may submit official e-transcripts to admissions@crownschool.uchicago.edu or mail official paper transcripts to:

Office of Admissions

Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice

969 E. 60th Street

Chicago, IL 60637

If your degree is in progress at the time of application, a final transcript must be sent when final grades and degree conferral have been recorded.   

A.M. in Social Work, Social Policy, and Social Administration

Please write a three to four page statement addressing the following two prompts:

1. Students graduating from the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice pursue careers and assume leadership roles in diverse areas across a range of social sectors (e.g., child and family welfare, health, mental health, education, housing, violence prevention, criminal justice, etc.) that cross individual, family, community, management, and policy levels, both domestically and globally. Please tell us what inspires your decision to pursue a degree at the Crown Family School, the type of work you hope to pursue, and how an education at the Crown Family School will help you pursue your passions and achieve your career goals. [2 double spaced pages]




2. Please discuss how your core values and the sense of purpose motivating your career plans aligns with the Crown Family School’s mission, values, and guiding principles as you understand them. In your answer, describe how your personal and/or professional experiences have shaped your commitment to the broader field of social work and might inform your work as a student, professional, and future leader in your chosen field.  [2 double-spaced pages]

A.M. in Social Work, Social Policy, and Social Administration

A minimum of three recommendations are required, two of which should address your academic ability. References should be qualified to discuss your aptitude for both graduate study and social work. No more than four letters of recommendation may be submitted.

• Current undergraduates or recent graduates must include at least two academic references.

• Transfer students and Advanced Standing Program applicants must include two academic references and a reference from a current or recent practice professor or field instructor who can evaluate your performance in field placement or submit a final field evaluation. 

• Applicants who are or recently have been employed must include one reference from an employment supervisor. Ask your professional references to speak to your analytic and critical thinking skills. 


A current resume outlining experience.

Applicants to the graduate schools and divisions of the University of Chicago who do not meet the criteria below must submit proof of English language proficiency. This policy applies to all graduate programs; the score level required for admission varies by program. Only the TOEFL iBT or IELTS Academic tests are accepted as proof of proficiency.

Waiver Criteria:

• English has been a primary language of communication and schooling for you since childhood; or
• You were enrolled for at least one academic year in full-time status in a course of study at an accredited English-medium post-secondary institution in one of the following countries or territories within the past ten years: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Canada, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Hong Kong, Ireland, Jamaica, New Zealand, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Singapore, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Kingdom, the United States.
• Education in English-medium institutions in other countries or territories does not qualify for the exemption.
• Only full-time coursework in a degree program at a college or university in one of these countries or territories qualifies. Remote study, lab or research work, non-degree programs, intensive English language courses, or high school/secondary school do not qualify. The qualifying academic year must be completed – i.e., if you are now in a program and are planning to have completed a year by the time you enroll, it will not meet the requirement.

The minimum required score for the TOEFL is 104 overall (IBT) with a sub-score of 26 in each category. The minimum required score for the IELTS is 7 overall, with sub-scores of 7 in each category. Check the TOEFL and IELTS sites for more information about the test. The results of the test will be sent to the University by the Testing Service. Official reports of any required scores must be received in order for a decision to be issued. Committees will use unofficial scores for review purposes if an official score report is not available, but you should provide official reports of any required scores as soon as they are available. Applications will not be given final consideration until the results of the test have been received. The University of Chicago Institutional Code for TOEFL is 1832; the department code for Crown Family School is 95.

The University of Chicago's English Language Proficiency test score waiver policy can be viewed at https://grad.uchicago.edu/admissions/apply/english-language-requirements/.

A strong candidate statement will address why one wants to pursue their respective program at the Crown Family School, draw connections between your past academic and professional experiences and your future career goals, and demonstrate your aptitude for effective written communication.

When writing your candidate statement, be careful to respond directly to all the statement prompts regarding your professional goals, your strengths, and your learning objectives in the context of a career in social work and social welfare.

Be sure to elaborate on why you want to be at Crown Family School. What is it that we do here that you want to be a part of? Are there any specific faculty members whose research interests align with yours?

Consider how your paid or unpaid experiences might contribute to the classroom and a career in social work and social welfare. If your prior experience is not in social work or social/human services, briefly highlight how that experience might be related to supporting a career in social work or social welfare.

Lastly, keep in mind that the essay is about both content and comprehension, so read and re-read your statement for content and flow, and to catch any grammatical errors you might have missed during your first readthrough. 

Your references should be individuals who know you well and can evaluate your potential for success in the field of social work. Recommendation letters that can speak to your academic performance or professional experiences and how those experiences might enrich our campus community are preferred. Consider requesting recommendation letters from employers or supervisors, a staff member from a volunteer experiences, or college professors. 

Be sure to inform them of the deadline for submission, so that their letters arrive on time. 

All required materials must be submitted in order for your application to be considered complete. Make sure you request your transcripts and your letters of recommendation with enough time to meet the deadline you're applying for.