BSW Candidacy

The School of Social Work’s BSW Candidacy admission procedures are administered by the BSW Program Director and other assigned faculty. Students wishing to major in Social Work are encouraged to work with the CECI Advising Center to ensure that all academic requirements and pre-candidacy courses are in place for BSW Candidacy.

Students who wish to major in social work must apply for BSW Candidacy during their sophomore year or once they almost completed BSW Candidacy requirements.

To be eligible for BSW Candidacy students must have:

1. A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 (4.0 scale).
2. Earned a minimum grade of C (2.0) and not have repeated the following courses more than once: SW 150, BIO 104, PLS 102, PSY 101, SOC 101, SW 300, PSY 303/324, and course in social problems/social inequality.  Proficiency in MTH 110 is also needed, but does not require minimum grade of C (2.0).
3. Completed the BSW Program Application and all required components, including personal statement addressing all three prompt questions and resume, by the required deadline.

 
Application Process
The link to the application is below. Applicants use their GVSU login and password to access the application and can upload their resume and personal statement within the online application.  

 

There will be an information session regarding the application prior to the due date.  The information session will be held:
Tuesday, January 20, 2026 from 1-2pm via Zoom

Zoom link will be available approximately one week prior to the session. If interested in attending, please email Michelle Hodde ([email protected]) or Laura Kastler ([email protected]). 

Applications for current GVSU students are due Friday, February 6, 2026, by 5:00pm.  

Applications for incoming transfer student planning to attend GVSU starting Spring/Summer 2026 or Fall 2026, are due Friday, July 31, 2026, by 5:00pm.  Transfer students whose orientation is after June 27, have seven (7) calendar days after orientation to submit the application.  Please schedule your orientation prior to submitting your application.

BSW Candidacy Application Link

NASW Code of Ethics - reference to help answer required personal statement questions for the application.

Degree Requirements
The BSW degree requires successful completion of 120 semester hours of college credit. The degree is built on a foundation of liberal arts and 34 hours of required cognate courses and international courses. In addition, students must take 44 credit hours of coursework in the major, including the areas of human behavior and the social environment, social welfare policy and services, social work research, integrated methods in social work practice, and the field practicum in social work.

 

Students apply online for Candidacy for the BSW program. After applications have been received, the following process occurs:

1. Applications for BSW Candidacy are reviewed by the BSW Program Director and other faculty members with primary teaching responsibility in the BSW program.
2. Applicants for Candidacy are awarded four types of admission: 
3. 1. Full Admission: All the following conditions on admission applies:
      1. All pre-candidacy courses completed with C or better.
      2. Minimum GPA of 2.5.
      3. BSW Application personal statement essay is satisfactory meaning the essay is well-written, follows all guidelines/directions and address all question prompts.
4. 2. Conditional Admission: All of the following conditions on admission applies:
      1. All pre-candidacy courses are not completed at the time of application but are scheduled to be completed either during the Winter 2026 semester or Spring/Summer 2026 semester.
      2. Applicant does not need to re-take any candidacy courses to receive a C or better.
      3. Minimum GPA of 2.5.
      4. BSW Application personal statement essay is satisfactory meaning the essay is well-written, follows all guidelines/directions and address all question prompts.
5. 3. Waitlist: One or more of the following conditions on admission applies:
      1. Multiple pre-candidacy courses are not completed with C or better and the applicant has not provided information demonstrating the courses are scheduled for the Witner 2026 semester or Spring/Summer 2026 semester.
      2. At the time of application submission, the applicant needs to re-take any candidacy courses to receive a C or better.
      3. Minimum cumulative GPA is below 2.5, but with potential to be raised to above a 2.5 by the start of the Fall 2026 semester.
      4. Concerns with BSW Application personal statement essay, including the essay is poorly written, did not follow directions/guidelines and/or all question prompts where not addressed.
6. 4. Deferral: Student does not meet one or more of the following requirements or expectations necessary to start the BSW Program by the start of the Fall 2026 semester:
      1. Any pre-candidacy courses are not completed with C or better (including if a student needs to re-take a course) and student is unable complete all by the start of the Fall 2026 semester.
      2. Applicant does not receive the required C or better in any pre-candidacy course after taking the course the allowed two times.
      3. Minimum cumulative GPA is below a 2.5 by start of the Fall 2026 semester.
      4. Significant concerns with BSW Application personal statement essay, including the essay is poorly written, did not follow directions/guidelines and/or all question prompts where not addressed.

If an applicant is deferred, they may attempt to successfully complete the requirements and re-apply for the BSW Program the following academic year.

Applicants are notified in writing of their admission status following the application deadline. If an applicant is awarded conditional candidacy or waitlisted, their formal candidacy letter will indicate any incomplete or missing requirements that need to be fulfilled to receive full candidacy to start the BSW Program during the Fall 2026 semester. Conditional candidacy and waitlisted applicants are required to submit their updated transcripts to Michelle Hodde ([email protected]) to demonstrate they have met the BSW Program requirements. Records will be reviewed and candidacy statuses will be updated following grades being released for the Winter 2026, Spring 2026, and Summer 2026 semesters. Applicants will be notified in writing of their updated candidacy status as well as any remaining incomplete or missing requirements. If candidates provide the necessary documentation to demonstrate they completed all the requirements for full candidacy, their candidacy status will be upgraded to full candidacy and will be able to begin the BSW Program in the Fall 2026 semester.

Applicants who know they will be deferred may submit a formal appeal through the link below to the School of Social Work Director.

Accepted applicants are regarded as candidates for the BSW degree, while those who are not accepted are referred for advising to explore course schedule and major options.

BSW Candidates must maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA in social work courses.

 

 

Appeal Process (Coming in January 2026)

Applicants for the BSW Program who have been deferred or have missed the application deadlines may file a formal appeal for possible acceptance into the BSW Program. All appeal requests will be reviewed by the BSW Program Director and applicants will be notified in writing with explanation regarding whether their appeal was granted or not. If the appeal is not granted, the student will be referred to CECI advising to explore schedule and major options. Applicants will be asked to select the reason for their appeal and provide documentation as part of their rationale for the appeal. Possible explanations to appeal include:

1. Applicant changed declared major to social work after the application deadline and would like to be considered for admission into the program the upcoming academic year.
2. Applicant did not receive messaging about the BSW application process and deadline from CECI Advising.
3. Minimum overall GPA is below a 2.5 due to required courses for a prior declared major.
4. Extenuating circumstances that resulted in needing to re-take a class more than twice to receive a C or better.