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Top 15 Social Work Scholarships in February 2023
Social work is a rewarding and ever-growing field! According to the US Department of Labor, the need for social workers will increase by 13 percent by 2029, which is much greater than most other occupations. A social work major has a number of career paths, including working in city/state agencies, school settings, substance abuse counseling, and geriatric settings. If you earn a master’s degree in social work, you can also become a licensed counselor. No matter what path you take, social work scholarships will help fund your education.
Keep on reading to learn more about social work scholarships, as well as financial aid opportunities for students pursuing a degree in the subject!
Jump ahead to…
- Top social work scholarships
- How to win social work scholarships
- Resources for social work students
- Financial aid for social work students
- Frequently asked questions
- Explore these additional scholarship categories
Top 15 Social Work Scholarships in February 2023
The Scholarships360 Research Team reviews all scholarships individually and strives to exclude any scholarship where any of the below applies:
- The scholarship requires a fee to apply
- The scholarship provider’s privacy policy allows for the misuse of student data
- The scholarship requires paid membership in an organization (with certain exceptions for reputable trade organizations and others)
- Student are required to sign up for a site or service to apply*
- The scholarship seems primarily used for lead generation** or idea harvesting purposes***
- The scholarship website has many grammatical errors and/or advertisements
- The scholarship or scholarship providing organization seem untrustworthy
- There is no evidence the scholarship was previously awarded
- The scholarship has not been awarded in the past 12 months
- There is no available contact information
If you believe a scholarship has been published in error, please reach out to [email protected] and we’ll take a look!
* There are certain exceptions to this, for example if the sponsoring organization is a major corporation or nonprofit with its own scholarship application system.
** Lead generation scholarships will require students to sign up for an app or website and require minimal (if any) application requirements.
***Idea harvesting scholarships will require students to submit blog posts or other materials that companies may use for marketing purposes.
$10,000 “No Essay” Scholarship
Scholarships360 Exclusive
Easy scholarship open to all US-based high school, college, community college and graduate students.
$2,000 Nitro College Scholarship – No Essay
Sponsored
Easy scholarship open to all high school, college, community and graduate students.
$25,000 No Essay Scholarship
Sponsored
Open to high school and college students, as well as anyone looking to attend college or graduate school in the next year.
Pi Gamma Mu Scholarships
Offered by Pi Gamma Mu
Open to Pi Gammu Mu members who will be attending graduate school to study a social science, social work, or related fields.
Consuelo W. Gosnell Memorial Scholarship
Offered by NASW Foundation
Open to NASW members who have applied or been accepted to MSW programs and want to work with Hispanic and Native American communities.
George E. Meares Memorial Scholarship
Offered by Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.
Open to Omega Psi Phi fraternity members pursuing graduate studies in social work, the social sciences, or criminal justice.
Senior Planning Social Work & Eldercare Award
Offered by Senior Planning
Open to high school seniors or undergraduate students who plan to pursue a career in senior care.
“Follow Your Own Path” Essay Scholarship
Scholarships360 Exclusive
Open to all postsecondary students, regardless of the type of training/education they are pursuing.
This scholarship might not currently be accepting applications. Most scholarship programs only accept applications a few months ahead of their annual deadline. We’ve estimated this deadline based on last year’s deadline in order to help you plan out your scholarship applications.
Jan 31, 2024“Outstanding Undergraduate” Essay Scholarship
Scholarships360 Exclusive
Open to current undergraduates at four-year universities in the U.S.
This scholarship might not currently be accepting applications. Most scholarship programs only accept applications a few months ahead of their annual deadline. We’ve estimated this deadline based on last year’s deadline in order to help you plan out your scholarship applications.
Jan 31, 2024Blakemore Freeman Fellowship
Offered by Blakemore Foundation
Individuals pursuing a professional, business, or academic career that will require the regular use of an East or Southeast Asian language.
This scholarship might not currently be accepting applications. Most scholarship programs only accept applications a few months ahead of their annual deadline. We’ve estimated this deadline based on last year’s deadline in order to help you plan out your scholarship applications.
Dec 30, 2023$25k “Be Bold” No-Essay Scholarship
Sponsored
Easy scholarship open to high school students, college students, community college students, and graduate students.
$10,000 CollegeXpress Scholarship
Sponsored
Annual $10k scholarship from CollegeXpress open to all high school students.
Niche $2,000 “No Essay” College Scholarship
Sponsored
Easy scholarship from Niche open to all high school, college, and graduate students.
How to win scholarships for social work students
There are many social work scholarships out there, but there are even more applicants. That’s why it’s important to craft applications that stand out to the reader. One of the best ways to do that is by focusing on your essays.
Before you start writing, try sitting down and doing some reflection. Think about what has led you to pursue social work. What impact do you hope to make, and what have you done so far that indicates you’ll be successful? Try jotting down some ideas as you brainstorm, without concerning yourself with prompts or word limits or grammar. Then, once you’ve done your reflection, you can craft it into essays.
Essay writing tips
Once you’ve thought about your main points to address in the application, it’s time to get writing. We have a host of guides to help you through the process. These include how to start and end a scholarship essay, how to write about yourself, and how to write a winning scholarship essay. We can also help you tailor your writing to 250 or 500 word limits. Finally, check out our guide to writing a scholarship resume. Good luck!
Resources for social work students
Like students in any field, social work students stand to benefit from networking with professionals in their field. Being in touch with people who have progressed further in their career can help you gain perspective on what you want to do, figure out how to accomplish your professional goals, and more. Here are a few organizations that social work students may consider joining to network with social workers.
National Association of Social Workers
The NASW works to connect social workers and social work-adjacent professionals across the country. These connections help advance and refine the field of social work, and put its workers in communication with people in other fields. Student membership costs $60 per year and comes with a host of benefits, including literature, conferences, and networking tools.
Clinical Social Work Association
The Clinical Social Work Association works to advocate for social workers across the nation. It fights for equitable wages and offers an opportunity for professionals in the field to connect. They also offer job postings and other ways to get students involved. Membership is only $25 per year for students.
Council on Social Work Education
For those who are interested in educating a next generation of social workers, this organization will be of special interest. Here, you’ll find conversations on how social work is taught and initiatives to shape the policy surrounding the field.
Financial aid for social work students
If you are a social work student, the scholarships search is just one way to pay for your degree! Current and prospective social work students can also access need-based financial aid, which includes grants like the FSEOG Grant and Pell Grant, federal student loans, and work study.
To access any of these types of need-based financial aid, students will need to actually apply for need-based aid. There are two major applications that you should know about:
Every college’s financial aid process will vary and we always recommend that students consult with the college in question for details and deadlines.
