SSW Wins Two-Year Grant to Fund Scholarships for MSW Students

The University of Minnesota School of Social Work has received more than $700,000 in grant funding from the State of Minnesota to provide scholarships for MSW students.

The School Social Workers Student Support Personnel Workforce Pathway Grant provides funding for the next two fiscal years, 2026 and 2027, and will support 10 students in each fiscal year with up to $31,000 in scholarships that provide tuition and practicum stipend assistance. 

"Students in the School Social Work Pathway Program will receive enhanced training in school social work practice, which will bolster their knowledge and skills and prepare them well to serve children and youth in Minnesota, as well as their families," said Suzanne Shatila, director of distributed learning at the School of Social Work.

In addition to supporting current students, the the funding will allow the school to offer free group supervision for alumni pursuing clinical licensure as school social workers, providing up to one year of group supervision for up to 12 alumni in 2025–2026 and up to 18 alumni in 2026–2027. 

Specific benefits for the 2026 academic year include: 

• Up to $22,000 in tuition assistance for each student in the 2025-2026 academic year, with the amount to be divided between the fall and spring semesters;
• Up to $9,000 in practicum stipend assistance for each student in the 2025-2026 academic year, with the amount to be divided between the fall and spring semesters;
• Financial assistance for students seeking school social work licensure in Minnesota in 2025-2026;
• Conference fees for the annual Minnesota School Social Work Association Virtual Spring Conference in April 2026;
• Professional development and networking opportunities;
• Participation in a specialized Growing Through Grief training, which is a certification program focused on supporting children and adolescents experiencing grief in school settings,
• Social work licensure preparation support for students taking the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Masters exam in 2025-2026, and
• Opportunity to have up to one year of free group supervision after graduation.

Social workers pursuing clinical licensure must have 200 hours of documented supervision provided by a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker. 

Providing scholarships and practicum stipends reduces financial strain and debt, putting graduates in a better position to seek careers in school social work. 

"While some students receive supervision as part of their jobs, others must pay out of pocket, from anywhere between $50 to $175 an hour," Shatila said. "Social workers usually have four hours of supervision each month, and 50 percent can be group supervision. Providing free group supervision decreases the financial burden on new social workers seeking licensure."

University of Minnesota MSW students will now have access to an emerging program that helps children and adolescents process grief in school settings. 

"Growing Through Grief is a specialized training program for school personnel that teaches them how to best serve students experiencing grief and loss," Shatila said. "The Growing Through Grief staff will provide a special series of training for our student trainees and social workers seeking respecialization. This is a novel component of our training."