Home > Financial Aid > College Scholarships > Scholarships By Major > Social Work Scholarships

Social Work Scholarships

Want to make a difference in the world? Majoring in social work, counseling or human development and family studies is a huge step in the right direction – in your career and in the lives of the people that need your help.

Social workers typically specialize in four areas: 1. children, family and school; 2. mental health and substance abuse; 3. medical and public health; and 4. policy and planning. There are specific college class requirements for each – some majors will take more psychology and economics courses while others will focus on biology and speech – and these concentrations can be further customized with a second major like a foreign language. After college, there will be employment opportunities available to those with a bachelor’s degree but for most, a master’s or doctorate is required. What does that mean to you as a student? That’s right: Additional years of education to fund.

The good news is that there are countless social work scholarships and grants out there for social workers to-be. These are available at the university level (NYU’s Silver School of Social Work awards social work scholarships to 95 percent of its full-time students) and at the professional level (the Council on Social Work Education and the National Association of Social Workers offer financial aid and support to their members), as well as from a number of local organizations. Scroll down to view some of the social work scholarships listed in the Scholarships.com database or conduct your own free scholarship search to find even more opportunities to help you pay for school.

AWMF & Loreen Arbus Foundation Focus on Disability Scholarship

  • Application Deadline: 5/1/2018
  • Amount: $2,500
  • The AWM Foundation's partnership with the Loreen Arbus Foundation focuses on the achievements and contributions of citizens with disabilities. This journalist scholarship program consists of one $2,500 scholarship, made payable directly to the winning student's educational institute. The winning applicant must also be able to attend AWMF's Gracies Awards Luncheon in June in New York City to [...] More

Bethesda Lutheran Communities Lutheran Student Scholastic & Service Scholarship

  • Application Deadline: 5/1/2018
  • Amount: $3,000
  • Bethesda Lutheran Communities offers two scholarships to Lutheran students pursuing undergraduate degrees in any area of service to people with developmental disabilities.

    Eligibility/Requirements:
    -Be an active, communicant member of a Lutheran congregation
    -Be a freshmen, sophomore, or junior at an accredited college/university
    -Have a minimum 3.0 GPA
    -Have a career objective in the [...] More

Dr. Alma S. Adams Scholarship for Outreach and Health Communications

  • Application Deadline: 4/30/2018
  • Amount: $5,000
  • Wouldn't a scholarship help you breathe a little easier? Truth Initiative is offering college and graduate students a chance to earn the "Dr. Alma S. Adams Scholarship for Outreach and Health Communications to Reduce Tobacco Use Among Priority Populations." The annual scholarship competition empowers and supports students eager to help Truth Initiative achieve a generation for whom tobacco use is [...] More

Elizabeth J. Davis Scholarship

  • Application Deadline: 2/15/2018
  • Amount: $3,000
  • The Elizabeth J. Davis Scholarship was established to assist home care professionals with obtaining advanced degrees, as well as students seeking a bachelor's or associate's degrees in a health profession.

    Eligibility
    - Attends an accredited college/university, or community college (does not have to be in Vermont)
    - Studying nursing (RN or LPN), physical therapy, speech therapy, [...] More

GRCF Jackie Klinesteker Minority Scholarship

  • Application Deadline: Varies
  • Amount: Varies
  • Grand Rapids Community Foundation awards hundreds of scholarships annually primarily to Kent County students bound for or in college, or those pursuing a technical career.

    The Jackie Klinesteker Minority Scholarship is awarded to students of color (African-American, Asian, Hispanic, Native American, Pacific Islander) residing in West Michigan with a declared major in a mental health-related [...] More

James F. Reville Scholarship

  • Application Deadline: 1/6/2018
  • Amount: $3,000
  • The James F. Reville Scholarship is awarded to students enrolled full-time in any year of their college, training in a field related to intellectual and other developmental disabilities in New York State.

    Two awards are presented annually. The award is in the amount of $3,000 per recipient which is paid in installments of $750 per semester for any two (2) years the student is enrolled in [...] More

Marcus Raper Zimmerman Fund

  • Application Deadline: 8/15/2018
  • Amount: Varies
  • The purpose of the fund is to provide post-secondary scholarship assistance to handicapped individuals, or to those persons preparing themselves to work with the handicapped. The scholarship may provide a non-renewable award for students who will pursue a first-time, two- or four-year degree, certificate, or diploma from accredited post-secondary
    institutions. Scholarships will be applied to the [...] More

Maryland Graduate and Professional School Scholarship Program

  • Application Deadline: Varies
  • Amount: $5,000
  • To apply for this program, you must be a Maryland resident and demonstrate financial need. You must be enrolled as a degree-seeking student, either part-time or full-time, and attend one of the following schools: University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) Schools of Medicine, Dentistry, Law, Pharmacy, or Social Work; University of Baltimore School of Law; The Johns Hopkins University School of [...] More

Study & Internship Program (SIP) in Germany - UAS7

  • Application Deadline: 2/15/2018
  • Amount: Varies
  • Internships typically last 5-6 months, but UAS7 research internships may run from 2-6 months, depending on the specifications of the project description. Recipients will receive a full tuition waiver for both semesters (enrollment is also required during the internship to maintain residency in Germany) and the benefits provided to exchange students at the host UAS. Successful SIP applicants are [...] More

The Jackie Spellman Scholarship

  • Application Deadline: 4/15/2018
  • Amount: $5,000
  • The Jackie Spellman Scholarship is open to U.S. citizens who have been impacted in some way by leukemia or lymphoma, either as survivors, individuals diagnosed with leukemia or lymphoma, or individuals who have a member of his or her immediate family who have or had leukemia or lymphoma while living in the same household. Eligible students include high school seniors or those attending community [...] More

The Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago Academic Scholarship

  • Application Deadline: 2/1/2018
  • Amount: $8,000
  • Educational scholarship funds from grants administered by the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago are available for Jewish college and graduate students. Approximately $500,000 is available each year for full-time students, predominantly those legally domiciled in the metropolitan Chicago area, who are identified as having promise for significant contributions in their chosen careers. [...] More

The Melanie Foundation Scholarship

  • Application Deadline: 3/6/2018
  • Amount: $2,500
  • The Melanie Foundation Scholarship is awarded to a candidate pursuing a doctoral or master's degree in the mental health field.

    Eligibility:
    -Currently enrolled or accepted into a graduate program majoring in the mental health field in the United States
    -Programs must be accredited by the credentialing agency appropriate to the field of study
    -Provide evidence of past involvement in [...] More

The Senior Care Scholarship

  • Application Deadline: 4/15/2018
  • Amount: $3,000
  • A Place for Mom is proud to offer a scholarship to university students interested in the fields of aging and gerontology. As North America's largest senior living referral service, we know the importance of supporting the training and education of our future senior care leaders. This scholarship will be awarded to a citizen or a permanent resident of the United States or Canada (excluding Quebec) [...] More

Latest College & Financial Aid News

Yale to Ditch "Freshman", "Upperclassmen", Adopt Gender-Neutral Terms

September 19, 2017

by Susan Dutca

In an effort to modernize, Yale will no longer use the terms "freshman" and "underclassmen" and will instead adopt gender-neutral terminology, such as "first-year" and "upper-level students." University officials still anticipate students and faculty to use the old terminology, since they're "deeply ingrained in our everyday language and in Yale's history."

The new terminology can be found in the Undergraduate Regulations and the First-Year Handbook and is expected to appear in all Yale College's publications and communications by the start of the 2018-2019 academic year. The effort to phase out the older terminology is "a piece of a larger movement to reflect the diversity of college campuses" and also in part because the "two words in particular are gendered," according to Jennifer Keup, Director Of the National Resource for the First-Year-Experience and students in Transition. [...]

Senate Bill to Make College Affordable and Accessible for Homeless, Foster Care Youth

September 13, 2017

by Susan Dutca

A bipartisan group of U.S House of Representatives and U.S. Senate lawmakers recently introduced a bill that would help homeless students and foster youth get the financial support they need for college. The bill would also remove other barriers to higher education, such as providing housing options, improving outreach, and streamlining the FAFSA to homeless and foster care students. [...]

Harvest Fall Scholarships for College

September 7, 2017

by Susan Dutca

Enjoy a seasonal treat this season with fall scholarships from Scholarships.com to help pay your college tuition bill. Harvest some of the largest dollar scholarships, most prestigious scholarships, and brand name scholarships out there with our list of October scholarships. These autumn scholarships are so good you'll scream! So hurry and apply for these scholarships due in October and don't let them fall by the wayside. For a complete list of scholarships due in October, click here. [...]

Last Reviewed: September 2017

More