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Admissions

Frequently Asked Questions

I need an application, where can I get it?

You can apply on-line. Just click here to open your on-line application. The online application is updated annually; if the April 1 deadline has passed, please wait until after September 1 to access the new online application. You can download an application from this website, but we strongly encourage you to use the online application, for your convenience. Please know we will not accept last year's application.

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What is the deadline and when will I hear the admissions decision?

Application deadlines for the A.M. program are:
December 1 to be reviewed by February 15.
January 15 to be reviewed by March 15.
April 1 to be reviewed by May 30.

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What is an A.M., and why isn't your degree program an M.S.W.?

A.M. is the Latin abbreviation for a Master of Arts degree. It is equivalent to an M.S.W. degree. It is considered equivalent by the National Association of Social Workers, and SSA has been continuously accredited by the Council on Social Work Education and its predecessors since 1919. You can become a licensed clinical social worker with an A.M. degree.

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I am finishing my undergraduate degree this year, so my transcript does not reflect final courses. Do I have to wait to apply?

Submit your application now, including your current transcript. An admission decision will be made contingent on the successful completion of your final courses. When you have completed your last courses, you must send another official transcript from the school that reflects the completion of coursework and the award of a degree.

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I took classes at another school one term, and the classes are listed on my undergraduate transcript. Can I send only the undergraduate transcript?

No, you must send official transcripts from each school you attended.

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My application is complete except for one letter of recommendation. I do not want to miss the deadline, what should I do?

If you will have the last letter in a couple of days, it is better to wait to submit a complete application packet. Contact the Office of Admissions and let us know that you are waiting for a final letter and when we can expect the application. Then send the application as soon as it is complete. If you are concerned about missing an application deadline, you should contact the admissions office to discuss your options.

No application will be reviewed until it is complete.

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I have been out of school for some time and the professors I had are not available to write letters of recommendation. What should I do?

Since SSA requires four letters of recommendation, you can submit a mix of academic and professional recommendations. The letters of recommendation are designed to allow us to assess your degree of academic preparedness for the SSA program; therefore letters that can attest to your academic skills are important. You may ask faculty from fields other than social work. If you began a graduate program in another field, or took a class or two since your undergraduate program, you might approach these instructors.

The letters are also intended to indicate your potential for social work. Professional recommendations should indicate your level of professionalism and specific skills that may be applicable to this field. Your professional recommendations may also comment on professional skills that are relevant to your academic abilities, i.e., writing skills, research and analytic skills, problem-solving skills. You should submit personal or family recommendations only when you have exhausted your academic or professional contacts.

If you have a general letter that was written for you at your undergraduate institution some time ago, make sure that this letter comes from the institution (i.e., in a sealed envelope).

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I have not yet submitted the FAFSA. Do I have to wait to submit my SSA application until the FAFSA is done?

No. Complete your application and send it to SSA for review. Indicate on the SSA application the anticipated date that you will submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Complete the FAFSA as soon as possible. You will find an application at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov.

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I took the GRE, but you do not require it. Should I send it in anyway?

If you would like to send us your Graduate Record Examination scores, you may, but they will not factor greatly into an admissions decision. The GRE is only recommended if your GPA is low.

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How do I send my GRE or TOEFL scores?

For the Graduate Record Examination the school code for SSA is 1832 and the department code is 5001.

For the Test of English as a Foreign Language the school code is 1832 and the department code is 95.

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What is the admissions committee looking for in the Supplementary Statement?

The admissions committee is expecting students to answer the following questions in their Supplementary Statement:

a. Discuss a social problem of importance to you, and how a direct practice or policy intervention might provide a way to engage it.

b. Describe your specific short and long term goals, and how a social work education at SSA provides a way for you to achieve them.

c. For EEP applicants only - Combining full-time employment and part-time graduate study presents unique challenges to working students. Briefly discuss how you intend to accommodate the additional demands of course and field responsibilities in this program.

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I live in the Chicago area; can I sit in on a class to see what it is like?

We highly recommend that prospective students come for a campus visit. Generally students visit on either Monday or Wednesday so they can visit first-year student's classes. You will go to class with your student host, have lunch with students, and then meet with the Director or the Assistant Director of Admissions. Please contact the Office of Admissions to set up a campus visit.

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I do not live in the Chicago area, but want to talk to someone in the program. What should I do?

Contact the Office of Admissions and we can put you in touch with a current student, a faculty member whose work is related to your area of interest, or an alum working in a field in which you are interested.

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I want to apply to SSA, but I am not sure whether I can begin school next year. Can I be accepted and defer admission a year?

Generally, you should apply for the year in which you plan to begin study. SSA does not offer deferred admission; if something occurs that prevents you from attending once admitted, please contact us.

If you were admitted within the last three years but did not matriculate and now wish to attend, you must reapply for admission by completing the supplemental application form. Contact the Office of Admissions to obtain this application. The supplemental application requires two additional letters of recommendation and transcripts of any academic work completed since your last application. You will not be charged another application fee.

If it has been more than three years since you were admitted, you must complete a new application.

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I am applying as a transfer student. Will I have to complete the whole two years?

Students who have recently completed one full year, including the foundation field placement, of a M.S.W. program at an accredited school should be able to complete the A.M. at SSA in one year by following the second-year curriculum. Transfer applicants should include with their application a catalog from their previous program to determine the comparability.

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I have never had a statistics course; will this hurt my chances for admission?

No. A statistics course is recommended but not required. All students are required to take 30200, "Social Intervention: Research and Evaluation" in the first year. Students with significant research or statistics background may place out of 30200 and take an advanced research course in its place.

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I have a question that you have not addressed here. Who do I contact?

You can contact either the Director or the Assistant Director of Admissions. Their contact information is:

Linda Clum
Director of Admissions
773.702.1492
lrclum@uchicago.edu

Quenette Walton
Assistant Director of Admissions
773.834.8104
qlwalton@uchicago.edu

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