Students in Social Work: Explore Scholarships

A degree in Social Work prepares you to dig into any one of a variety of careers and work situations—school counseling, in hospitals and medical centers, and even in private practice. When it comes to paying for your college education—undergraduate or graduate—subject-specific scholarships must be part of your financial aid strategy.

Besides general tuition scholarships for Social Work you can expand your options with awards for minority students and “disadvantaged” students. This field, particularly at the graduate level, remains under-represented by minorities.

Good scholarship sources for Social Work:

  • Federal and state government programs
  • Colleges and universities
  • Private and professional sources

Government Social Work Scholarships

Why do federal and state governments have free money to give away to Social Work students? Generally it’s not specifically for you, but aimed at a wider net of similar fields of study—such as healthcare and mental health. Cash incentives thrown at students often yield positive results when it comes to keeping a good stock of professionals working within the state. Better yet if scholarships can be exchanged for a few years of Social Work practice in a public facility.

The federally-funded Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students administered through the Department of Health and Human Services, is available to graduate Social Work students enrolled at a participating school. Eligible candidates must be financially disadvantaged to qualify for funds.

Scholarships from Colleges and Universities

Nearly all colleges and universities offer a diverse array of general and very specific scholarships. In fact some schools have well-publicized coffers of endowed scholarships worth many millions of dollars.

This step of your scholarship search should be a no-brainer. BUT, do you know all the various places to look in your school’s scholarship lists?

For specific Social Work awards you should dig into the available awards through the Department or College of Social Work. And you could find a tasty little variety, from academic awards for undergrads and grads, fellowships and assistantships for graduate and post-grad Social Work students, as well as smaller cash awards for student travel and research.

Private Organizations

You’ll also find some very good scholarships to help pay for your Social Work degree from various other sources. A solid source is the many professional associations and societies that are in the business of supporting both working SWs as well as students. Members often have access to a number of scholarships and fellowships. For example:

  • The National Association of Social Workers sponsors a handful of scholarships for students. Awards are aimed at Doctoral and Masters level scholars and also for those engaged in research projects.

Don’t limit yourself. If you focus your scholarship search to your very targeted goals you will have a bigger advantage in snagging real world scholarship money.