• Transcripts showing either completion of a bachelor’s degree or current progress toward completion. Applicants still finishing a bachelor’s degree may apply, but if admitted, they may not register until they submit a completed transcript. Transcripts must also reflect a minimum GPA of 3.0 in the final two years of undergraduate study and in the courses associated with the major.
• The above transcript must show one of the majors listed in the first bullet below OR the applicant must complete an Undergraduate Coursework Form showing their undergraduate education included 12 300/3000-level or higher humanities or social science credits listed in programs such as:
  • Africana Studies, American Studies, Anthropology, Chicana/o Studies, Communications, Counseling, Family and Child Studies, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Healing Arts or expressive arts therapy, Health/Medicine/Human Values, Native American Studies, Political Science, Population Health or Public Health, Psychology or Educational Psychology, Public Administration, Religious Studies, or Sociology.
  • Courses in other fields on topics such as mental health, substance abuse, human rights, social or environmental justice can be used toward the 12-credit hour requirement. 
• A two-page, double-spaced personal statement addressing:
  • reasons for applying to an MSW program,
  • what the applicant hopes to gain, and
  • populations or topics of interest.
    including concentration interest (clinical or medical) if known.
• Three professional or academic letters of recommendation describing the applicant’s strengths and weaknesses related to graduate study and a career in social work.
• A current résumé or CV.
• For international applicants, TOEFL scores with a minimum score of 550.

Three credits in a 100-level Biology, Anatomy, or Physiology course are highly recommended, especially for students interested in the Medical Social Work concentration, though this is not required.

Similar to other UNM Health Sciences programs, the UNM Master of Social Work Program utilizes a holistic application review process. Overall qualities of all applicants will be reviewed and the highest consideration will be given to applicants who:

• Are residents of New Mexico or the Southwestern United States
• Express commitment to contributing to New Mexico’s social work workforce
• Have current or prior experience working and/or volunteering in social services
• Have demonstrated commitment to community through service work
• Write a personal statement demonstrating alignment with program mission and values
• Provide qualified and compelling personal references

The MSW Program’s Admissions committee will review applications using this lens.
The long-term admissions cycle and deadlines are: 

The MSW program is adopting the three admissions decision types used at UNM, as well as adopting a waitlist.

1. Full admission
2. Provisional admission, used only if the student is a current bachelor's student
3. Waitlist
4. Refusal

Full or Provisional Admission

Prospective students will receive notification of the decision via email from the MSW Program by March 15th or September 15th, depending on the application cycle; for Spring 2027 admissions only, students will be notified by September 30th. Prospective students who receive full admission or provisional admission notification for the upcoming semester are given one month to notify the MSW program of their decision; for Spring 2027 admissions only, students will have two weeks. Prospective students who receive full admission or provisional admission may request to defer admission for up to one cycle from the semester for which they were admitted and must communicate this with the MSW program in the same one-month response timeline. Prospective students who do not respond by this deadline may have their spot offered to prospective students on the wait list.

Waitlist

Each year, the number of qualified applicants may exceed the number of available seats in the entering cohort. When this occurs, selected applicants may be placed on a waitlist for admission to the MSW program. Applicants placed on the waitlist are notified by email of their status.

Applicants on our waitlist will be notified if an admission opportunity becomes available. If space becomes available, applicants on the waitlist may receive an offer of admission at any time before the academic term starts.

The MSW program does not disclose waitlist rankings. Placement on the waitlist does not guarantee admission. The waitlist will have no more than 20 applicants in any academic term.

Waitlist status applies only to the academic term for which the applicant applied. If an applicant is not admitted for that term, they must submit a new application to be considered for a future admission cycle. No special consideration is given to applicants who were previously placed on the waitlist. All admission offers remain subject to applicable University of New Mexico policies and requirements.

Refusal

Applicants who receive notification of a refusal may request reconsideration of their application with new or additional information. Updated or more recent transcripts, recommendations, written statements from the applicant or other considerations should be included with the applicant's request for reconsideration. Reconsideration does not guarantee admission, and admission may be for a later semester than the applicant originally applied.

Students who have completed Master of Social Work coursework from a CSWE-accredited program or a program in candidacy may transfer to UNM. As part of the application, transfer applicants will be asked to explain their reasons for seeking a transfer and how UNM’s MSW Program fits into their educational and professional goals.

Transfer credit is limited by clear program requirements: only courses completed in a CSWE-accredited or candidacy social work program may be considered; this includes field education, practice courses, and other required or elective social work courses. However, only generalist-level classes may be transferred. Because of institutional requirements, specialty courses cannot be transferred. Courses from graduate programs outside of social work, including other graduate programs at UNM, are not accepted for transfer into the MSW program.

To have prior coursework reviewed, transfer students must petition for a transcript- and syllabus-level content review of previous MSW coursework. Faculty on the admissions committee evaluate whether the prior course is sufficiently aligned with current CSWE EPAS expectations and the UNM curriculum. To be approved, the student must also have earned a minimum grade of B in the course. If those standards are met, one or more generalist courses may be accepted in transfer.

Since the program is still in development, the Advanced Standing option will not be available until Spring 2028. Please see this overview document on what to expect in order to qualify for the Advanced Standing program in the future.