Admission to the Kent School of Social Work and Family Science

Persons interested in admission to the Kent School should contact the BSW Program. We encourage potential applicants to consult the BSW page on the Kent School website. If you wish to discuss the application process, you may contact the BSW Program to make an appointment.

Kent School seeks mature students with a demonstrated ability to work with people, emotional stability, good interpersonal skills, and the ability to perform well academically. To ensure that entering students meet these standards, the faculty has established the following guidelines.

Once students are accepted by University of Louisville’s Admission Office and declare a major as Social Work, they are admitted to the University as lower division students. However, admission to lower division does not guarantee admission to the upper division Social Work Program.

Criteria for Admission to the Lower Division Social Work Program

Admission in Good Standing

To be admitted to the lower division, beginning freshmen must meet the following requirements:

High School Students – automatic admission with ACT/SAT scores:

• Graduation from an accredited high school, have a GED or equivalent by petition (for example, home school educations)
• Composite ACT score of not less than 20 or SAT not less than 1030

High School Students – minimum requirements without  ACT/SAT scores:

• Grade Point Average of 2.5 or higher
• Comprehensive review of high school transcript, including grades and courses particularly college preparatory courses

Transfer Students

Transfer applicants with 24 hours or more must have a college grade point average of 2.5 or higher to be admitted in good standing. Transfer students without these may apply for conditional admissions.

Change of Major (Intra-University Transfer) Students

Students who have completed at least one semester in another school of the university with a cumulative grade point average of 2.5 may apply for an intra-university transfer (change major) to the Lower Division Bachelor of Social Work Program. They must complete an online Change Major form that can be found on Ulink.   Students admitted through this process must be advised before registering for courses in their first semester in the lower division curriculum.

After completion of 45 hours of college credit, students may be considered for admission to the Social Work Program.  Admission to the upper division Social Work Program is conducted without discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender, age, creed, ethnic or national origin, disability, or sexual orientation.  If the students have no para-professional work history, they are encouraged to pursue extensive volunteer experience prior to application.

Criteria for Admission to the Upper Division Social Work Program

Prior to application for admission to the Social Work Program, students must have:

• Earned 45 semester hours of college credit;
• A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 on a four-point scale.

Current UofL Students

Current university students must:

• BSW Upper Division Application Checklist
• Submit a Pre-Admissions Sonia Form: This notifies the BSW Program that you are applying for our Upper Division.  Please note: once you submit the Pre-Admissions Sonia Form a link to apply to the Upper Division will be sent to you to apply via Sonia Software. 
• Supply two letters of reference supporting the student's application and providing information about character, maturity, stability, achievements, interactional skills and special qualities. An academic reference should be from a professor or someone in an academic setting who knows your work in the classroom environment. Other non-academic recommendations could come from a supervisor, volunteer coordinator, but not from relatives or friends of the student. It is preferable that at least one letter be from someone in an academic field.
• Current work experience that includes the following information: any places of employment and volunteer experiences that you have had in the last 2 years, dates of employment or volunteer experience, job title or position held, description of job responsibilities.
• Supply a statement of purpose – Please select and answer one question in approximately 1000- 1200 words
• Secondary Application Form Release waiver -statement of authenticity and ethical standards of behavior form should be completed and can be found at: http://www.louisville.edu/kent under BSW Admissions. If you have been convicted of a misdemeanor or a felony, please include a description of the circumstances and outcomes of the conviction as separate addendum to your personal statement. (Please note: Prior convictions for criminal offenses may preclude one’s ability to be licensed as a social worker in many states. In addition, many practicum sites require background checks and periodic drug screenings. Any negative findings that affect agency placement may also prevent successful completion of the requirements for the degree. Applicants should consider these barriers in their educational planning. The applicant may contact the Kentucky Board of Social Work at (502) 564-2350 to inquire about whether his or her circumstances warrant concern regarding future licensing.) *If you have been dismissed from another college/school please address this issue in an addendum to your personal statement. Please note: If there are gaps or deficiencies in your academic record, please address these in an addendum to your statement or purpose.
• If you have been convicted of a felony, please include a description of the circumstances and outcomes of the conviction. Please note that prior convictions for criminal offenses may preclude one’s ability to be licensed as a social worker in many states. In addition, many practicum sites require background checks and periodic drug screenings. Any negative findings that affect agency placement may also prevent successful completion of the requirements for the degree. Applicants and students should consider these barriers in their educational planning

Applications to the upper division are accepted based on the posted deadlines: Bachelor of Social Work Admissions — Raymond A. Kent School of Social Work and Family Science (louisville.edu)

Transfer Students

Transfer students must:

• Complete the application process for admissions to the University of Louisville. Applications for transfer student can be found at admissions.louisville.edu. This is a page of quick links for transfer students and also contains the link to the application.  Make certain that you indicate Social Work as your major on this form.

Transfer admissions website: louisville.edu/admissions/apply/transfer.  

How do I know if my coursework will transfer?  Click here for information on transfer coursework.

Qualified transfer students new to UofL may be accepted to the upper-division after the posted deadline on a case-by-case basis, please contact the BSW Department for approval to apply late: BSWKent@louisville.edu