Admissions Policies & Procedures
Full-time Study Only
Students applying to the MSW/PhD and PhD programs will be admitted on a full-time basis only.
Admission Requirements
Students should have:
- 1. a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, and a minimum undergraduate grade-point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
- 2. a composite GRE score of at least 1100 on the verbal and quantitative sections of the GRE or an average of 550 for each section. A minimum analytic writing score has not been established.
- 3. completed an introductory statistics course and received a grade of B or higher. Applicants who have not taken an introductory statistics course must complete one before beginning the MSW/PhD and PhD programs. Under unusual circumstances, a highly qualified applicant may be conditionally admitted into the a program without having taken a statistics course (e.g., has a high score on the quantitative section of the GRE or taken other mathematics courses). However, applicants still must successfully complete an introductory statistics course the spring or summer semester prior to beginning the MSW/PhD or PhD program. An introductory statistics course is offered at the University of Iowa during the summer.
- 4. For applicants with English as a second language and/or who are not US citizens, a minimum TOEFL score of 250 (computer-based) or 600 (written) is required. Automatic waivers of the TOEFL requirement are granted for person who have completed a bachelor’s degree (or higher) at an accredited university in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada (excluding French Quebec), Africa (English speaking), Australia, or New Zealand. For further information http://www.ets.org/toefl/ .
Admission and Selection Process
We begin accepting applications September 1 for the following academic year. All applications must be complete and received no later than February 1.
We accept up to five students each year. Admission decisions are made in March. Typically, all applications are evaluated on the same day. Applicants are notified of our decision on or before April 15 in writing. Some years we have had a waiting list of one or two applicants. If you have been placed on the waiting list, you will be notified of this decision on or before April 15. If your address, phone number, or email address changes, please notify the School immediately.
We evaluate applicants based on their potential to independently conduct and disseminate scholarship that contributes to policy or practice, and their potential to prepare students to educate future social workers.
Because we are only able to provide mentoring and support to a limited number of applicants, some qualified applicants unfortunately are declined admission. Occasionally, applicants who are declined are encouraged to reapply in a subsequent year.
Download PhD application packet
