Graduate Aid and Funding

The School of Social Work offers financial support for social work MSW and PhD students through training grants, fellowships, scholarships, and graduate assistantships.

Social work scholarships are awarded to students on the basis of need and merit, and are made possible through donations to the School of Social Work. Some awards require that recipients have special career interests, complete designated course work, or commit to working in specific areas or with identified target populations upon completion of their degrees. In addition, some awards to MSW students require that students accept specific field placements.

Financial aid decisions are made beginning in the spring and continue into the start of the academic year, depending on fund availability.

grad student showing another student chart — *MSW student discusses research*

MSW training grants and fellowships

Training grants and fellowships are available for MSW students interested in preparing for work in a specific area of practice or with a targeted population. These fellowships often require specific coursework and field training, and some have post-graduation requirements.

Title IV-E Child Welfare Training Grant

This fellowship provides financial support and educational resources to MSW students who are committed to a post graduate career in public or tribal child welfare. New applicants to the MSW Program should make this career goal evident throughout their MSW Application.

This is an educational training grant award of $11,500 per semester or $23,000 per academic year.

Funding is available for fall and spring semesters; there are no awards for summer matriculation. Full program students (53 credits) are eligible to receive the funding for four semesters. Advanced standing students (34 credits) are eligible to receive the stipend for three semesters.

Students who receive the training grants become Child Welfare Fellows. They agree to seek and accept employment in public or tribal child welfare (i.e.: positions in child protection, adoption, or foster care) upon degree completion and must commit to working one month for each month that they receive support from the grant.

See the University of Minnesota’s Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare website for further information about this training fellowship.

Eligibility

Students must select the Families and Children concentration.
Full program students (53 credits) are eligible for up to 4 semesters of support (there are no awards for summer study).
Students with Advanced Standing entering the MSW program are eligible for up to 3 semesters of support (there are no awards for summer study).
This award is available to students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

Special requirements

Fellows must complete at least one field placement in a public or tribal child welfare setting.
All fellows are required to participate in special IV-E events and training that amount to an additional 2.5 hours (on average) per week as compared to other MSW students.

Unique Field Opportunity for Title IV-E Fellows

We collaborate with Ramsey County Children and Family Services to provide unique field placements for Title IV-E Child Welfare MSW Fellows, particularly IV-E Fellows who identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color).

Selected IV-E Fellows comprise a specialized group of field interns who participate in individual supervision and group seminars centered on child welfare practice, anti-racism, and authentic professional development. By equipping these Ramsey County Title IV-E Fellows with the wisdom and tools needed to navigate a career in child welfare courageously and safely, this program provides support and mentoring for interns who will become new professionals in a field struggling with significant racial disparities.

Only University of Minnesota Twin Cities Title IV-E Fellowship students are eligible to participate.

Application

Please watch the Realistic Job Preview of Minnesota. This video was designed to give people considering a career in child welfare an accurate depiction of the day to day work. Once you have reviewed the video, please respond to the following six questions (divided into two parts) in one two- to four-page essay (1000 words or less) response::

Part 1:

Based on your experience or what you observed in the Realistic Job Preview video, when you envision yourself doing the work of child protection or foster care, what aspects are most attractive to you?
Based on your experience or what you observed in the Realistic Job Preview video, when you envision yourself doing the work of child protection or foster care, what aspects do you think would be most difficult for you?

Part 2:

Discuss your interest in, and commitment to, working in public or tribal child welfare services. What brought you to believe that work in child protection and foster care is a good fit for you? Include examples of past experiences working with children and/or parents in, or at-risk of entering, the child welfare system. If you do not have such experience, please explain your motivation for working with these families.
Describe your commitment to culturally responsive social work, particularly with persons disproportionately represented in child welfare services. Illustrate this commitment with examples of your own experience.
Describe your short-term and long-term professional goals and how you see MSW-level training in child welfare assisting you in achieving these goals.
Title IV-E applicants, particularly those who identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), should note in their application if they are interested in participating in the Ramsey County Field Program (see "Unique Field Opportunity for Title IV-E Fellows" at right).
Upload your Realistic Job Preview Response Statement in the on-line application (under Title IV-E Fellowship).

Eloise and Elliot Kaplan Fellowship for Traumatic Brain Injury

This fellowship provides financial support for graduate social work students who are interested in developing a career that focuses on the provision of services for persons who have experienced a traumatic brain injury, as well as work with the families of such individuals.

This is a one-time grant of $12,000, which is awarded during the time the student is enrolled in an approved placement, whether the academic year or summer.

Preference is given to students who study on a full-time basis.

Eligibility

Students must be in the health, disability and aging (HDA) concentration.

Students must be placed at, and accept, a concentration internship (SW 8020 or SW 8030) at an agency that serves persons who have sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and/or families of those individuals. Full program students in the foundation field (SW 8010) are not eligible for this award.

Application

All students who are applying for this fellowship should also complete the 2020-2021 Social Work Student Financial Aid Form.

Special requirements

Students receiving this award must follow the health, disability and aging concentration, and must be placed in a concentration field placement (SW 8020 – Field Practicum II or SW 8030 – Advanced Standing Field Practicum) in an agency that serves persons who have sustained a traumatic brain injury and/or their families.

Examples of agencies that provide the learning experience necessary include:

Vinland Place
Courage Center
Bethesda Rehabilitation
Minnesota Brain Injury Alliance
Epilepsy Foundation
Children’s Hospital of Minneapolis

Because this award requires placement at an appropriate field agency, the application process does not occur until AFTER the field matching process in May or in February.

John A. Wallace Fellowship

Provides a one-time grant of $10,000 to a social work student who has post-baccalaureate experience working in corrections, and who seeks to make a difference in the field of corrections administration or juvenile crime prevention and rehabilitation.

Awards can be for fall, spring or summer matriculation.

The John A. Wallace Fellowship honors the work of John A. Wallace in providing services in correctional institutions.

Preference is given to students who study on a full-time basis.

Eligibility:

Eligible students must have at least five years of post-baccalaureate experience working in corrections.

Students can be full program or advanced standing, and may select any concentration. Current and newly admitted students are eligible to apply for this fellowship.

Application:

Students who are applying for this fellowship should indicate their interest in this award on the 2020-2021 Social Work Student Financial Aid Form, and should submit a resume demonstrating the requisite post-baccalaureate experience to mmorriss@umn.edu.

Weisdorf Oncology Social Work Fellowship

In 2023-2024, the Weisdorf Oncology Social Work Fellowship will provide financial support for up to two (2) Master of Social Work students who are committed to pursuing a career that focuses on oncology social work practice. This one-time fellowship provides an $8,000 award and a $1,000 stipend for travel expenses to attend the Association of Oncology Social Work annual conference.

Eligibility:

The student must be enrolled in a specialization year practicum during the fall and spring semesters (i.e., SW 8020 or SW 8030). Fellowships are not available for a student completing a summer block practicum. Also, the student must be enrolled in either the Health, Disability and Aging (HDA) or Clinical Mental Health (CMH) specialization. Both full program and advanced standing students are eligible for this fellowship.

Application:

The student should complete the School of Social Work Scholarship and Fellowship Application.

Special requirement:

To be considered for this fellowship, the student must be matched with and accept an approved specialization practicum. Therefore, the application process does not take place until after the practicum matching process.

Contact:

For questions about the fellowship, please send an email to Joseph Merighi: jmerighi@umn.edu

Graduate assistantships

A limited number of graduate assistantships (GA), primarily research assistantships, are available through the School of Social Work and other University offices. A GA position requires a weekly work commitment and offers a tuition benefit in addition to an hourly wage.

We notify all active students about obtainable graduate assistantships in the school as positions become available. Some graduate assistantships are available outside of the school, and we encourage students to visit the University’s graduate assistant employment page to learn about those opportunities. Graduate assistantships have separate application procedures, with varying deadlines and requirements that will be listed in the job postings.

College and university funding and aid

The College of Education and Human Development has information about graduate tuition, aid, and funding, as well as college-specific aid and fellowships.

University-wide fellowships and grants are based on merit and, unlike teaching or research assistantships, grants generally do not require students to work.