Undergraduate Bachelor of Social Work Admission Information
Our program conducts one admissions cycle per year for possible entry in the Fall term. Our next admissions cycle will be for possible entry in the Fall of 2025.
There are two main steps to applying to the Bachelor of Social Work program. For information on these components, please see the Application Deadline & Components below.
- Online Application Deadline: March 1, 2025
- Supplementary Application Components Deadline: March 3, 2025
All application materials must be submitted by these dates to be considered for admission to the program. Late applications are not accepted by the School of Social Work.
Please review the frequently asked questions page for BSW Admissions before contacting the School, as it contains very helpful information and many answers to your questions may be located on that page.
All questions concerning the application process or BSW program requirements must be referred to the School’s Undergraduate Administrator, Gabrielle Crete, at gabriellecrete@cunet.carleton.ca.
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BSW Applicant Evaluation Criteria
- All applicants must meet Carleton University’s minimum admission requirements. Please visit the Undergraduate Admissions website to review these requirements.
- All applicants should have a minimum average of 75% overall, whether applying from high school, college, or university (Carleton included).
- Amount and quality of human service/social change work or volunteer experience.
- Essay question response.
Please Note:
- Please review the Essential Requirements for the Bachelor of Social Work. Students are required to meet these requirements throughout their studies to remain in the BSW program.
- Please note that the Bachelor of Social Work program is an in-person program and some of the core required courses involve compulsory attendance requirements to pass.
- Students must complete two placements in order to meet degree requirements for the BSW (some students may receive transfer credit for the first of these placements, depending on completed education). Please be advised that social work placements are unpaid. For more detail on current practicum policies, please visit the BSW Practicum Hub;
- While a police records check is not requested as part of the application to the program, it may be required for current BSW students for the practicum components of the program. Check our policy for more information on the School’s police record check;
Application Components & Steps
Initial Step: Online Application
Current or previous Carleton University students (in any program) must apply online through the Internal Application for Admission in Carleton Central.
All other applicants must apply online through the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre (OUAC).
Please navigate to your specific educational background on the Social Work Admissions website to receive instructions on how to apply.
It is important to note that your online application may take a few business days to process before you receive your Carleton student ID number and are able to upload your supplementary documents. We recommend submitting your online application well in advance of the application deadline of March 1, 2025 to submit your Supplementary Application Components before the final deadline.
Additional Requirements: Supplementary Application
Once an applicant has submitted their completed online application (through OUAC or Internal Application for Admission on Carleton 360), they will receive an email with their Carleton student ID number and instructions for completing the Additional Admission Requirements. Please ensure to follow the included instructions for completing the Supplementary Application and Resume.
Please be advised that only one Supplementary Application submission per applicant will be accepted; if more than one Supplementary Application is uploaded, only the first upload will be considered by the Admissions Committee.
All applicants must complete both the online application by March 1, 2025 and the Supplementary Application by March 3, 2025 in order to be considered for admission. Please find the Supplementary Application documents on the Undergraduate Admissions website under Additional Admission Requirements section for Social Work.
All applicants must upload the following completed components on Carleton360 by no later than 11:59pm on March 3, 2025, however we strongly encourage applicant’s to submit their application in advance to this deadline in case any technical issues were to occur.
a. Supplementary Application
b. Resume
Please be advised that references are not a requirement of the BSW application.
Admission Decisions
You are able to track your application status in Carleton360. Questions about transcripts should be directed to the Undergraduate Admissions Office at admissions@carleton.ca.
Admission decisions typically begin to appear in late April, however timing may vary from year to year.
All admission decisions are final. The School of Social Work does not have an appeal process for unsuccessful applicants, however we do encourage all interested applicants to apply again the next year.
Year of Entry
Each year, we admit students into the first, second, and third year entry of our program, depending on what, if any, transfer credit(s) are awarded from applicants’ previous post-secondary studies. An applicant’s year of entry or transfer credit cannot be guaranteed or confirmed before this process occurs as transfer credit can vary depending on the availability of inforamtion about your completed courses (i.e. course syllabi), the existence of equivalents at Carleton, and other factors. Information on frequently asked questions about transfer credits can be found on our BSW FAQ page, please review this information prior to contacting the School of Social Work.
Information on suggested course sequencing by year of entry can be found on our Current Students page.