Scholarships & Fellowships

The SSW awards a number of scholarships each year for foundation and incoming students. Scholarship awards range from $2,000-$10,000+. To be considered for a scholarship, students must apply after submitting a complete MSW application.

The following are eligible to apply:
* New incoming students (part-time, full-time, foundation, advanced standing)

* Continuing part-time students who will be in their first field placement in Fall 2025

Applications will only be considered if students have submitted a complete admissions application for the MSW program or are already enrolled in the MSW program.

If you have questions about these scholarships for incoming and foundation students, please contact Amanda Lehning, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, at alehning@ssw.umaryland.edu.

Social Work Community Outreach Services (SWCOS) Scholarships are available to full-time students planning to complete a field placement in Baltimore City through an approved community-university partnership within the Center for Restorative Change.

The Center for Restorative Change (CRC) is an outreach initiative housed in the University of Maryland School of Social Work.  CRC’s mission is to advance social justice through mutually transformative community-university partnerships.

SWCOS Scholarship awards range from $2,500-$5,000+. To be considered for scholarship, students must apply after submitting a complete application for the Baltimore campus.

The following are eligible to apply:

* New incoming full-time students in the 60-credit hybrid MSW program in Baltimore

* Continuing part-time students in the 60-credit hybrid MSW program in Baltimore who will be in their first field placement in Fall 2025

If you have any questions about the SWCOS scholarship award process, please contact Temeka Bailey (she/her). 

The Research Assistant (RA) Scholars Program is a competitive research fellowship award offered to select MSW students, who hold strong interests and potential for social work research and scholarship. Across the fellowship period, RA Scholars work to support an assigned UMSSW faculty mentor, who is engaged in active research initiatives. Applications are reviewed, and faculty mentor matches are made between students and faculty based on complementary interests. The exact award amount may vary slightly from one academic year to the next and will be confirmed at the time of your application for the respective academic year. For the 2024-2025 academic year, each RA Scholar received $6,000 to work 10 hours per week across 15 weeks each semester (payrate of $20/hour). Summer funding may also be available and is dependent on the availability of funds and the respective faculty mentor. Students at all levels of participation in the MSW program are encouraged to apply - i.e., foundation year, advanced year, part-time, etc.

For more information, please email Christabel Cheung.

The University of Maryland School of Social Work’s Center for Restorative Change has partnered with Coppin State University as well as the University of Maryland Baltimore County to lead the recruitment, training, and placement (e.g. internships and full-time employment) of 105 social workers from diverse backgrounds that reflect the communities, identities, ethnicities, abilities, and cultures of the students in Central Maryland’s high-need K-12 school districts over the next five years (2023-2027). 

The Center for Restorative Change’s new initiative, The School-Based Mental Health Fellowship, seeks to improve the mental health provider workforce shortage in high-need K-12 school districts through five key program areas: 1) mitigating financial barriers with over $25,000 of higher education dept elimination per student, including tuition remission and living allowances; 2) creating new pathways for students from the Bachelors program to Masters program to include mentorship and training; 3) immersive learning experiences for graduate students based in school-based mental health settings; 4) intensive support in building an anti-racist, anti-oppressive, and restorative analysis to school-based service delivery; 5) job coaching and placement in Central Maryland school districts building the workforce pipeline with highly qualified talent and readiness that reflect the communities diverse residents.

This fellowship opportunity provides Advanced Standing/2nd Year University of Maryland MSW participants with $15,000/year tuition scholarship in addition to an $8,000 stipend along with other benefits. Coppin State and UMBC BSW fellows receive an $8,000 stipend in addition to other incentives. 

Now accepting applications for the Fall 2025 semester. The application deadline is January 15, 2025. For more information, please visit Fellowship for School-based Mental Health website or email temeka.bailey@ssw.umaryland.edu.

Applications will open on February 1, 2025 and the deadline for all advanced year scholarships is April 1, 2025 by 11:59pm.

Alumni Association Scholarship  
Awarded from the Alumni Association’s Scholarship Fund, these scholarships are for continuing students (going into a second year or the advanced curriculum in the fall 2025 semester) who have completed at least 15 credits at the School. 

Brittani “Bri” Brunn Memorial Scholarship  
Given to an Advanced MSW student pursuing or furthering a career with a clinical concentration in Behavioral Health. The recipient will be selected by a staff and faculty committee based on merit and financial need, as well as an essay describing their future behavioral health plans. Preference will be given to students that have an interest in suicide prevention. 

Camille Baudot Wheeler Scholarship for Policy Studies  
Awarded to a student entering their advanced year with an abiding interest in policy studies.

Dr. Oliver C. Harris Scholarship for the Prevention of Intimate Partner Violence  
Awarded to a student entering their advanced year with an abiding interest in the prevention of intimate partner violence through the practice of social work.

Jean M. Dockhorn and Anne P. Hahn Scholarship  
Given to a student entering their advanced year who wishes to pursue further studies and gain experience in the following areas: hospital social work, a community health care organization, or social work/public health.

Julie and Erol Oktay Scholarship for Oncology Social Work  
Awarded to a student entering their advanced year with a commitment to the field of oncology social work. 

Richard W. Friedman Scholarship for Juvenile Justice or Criminal Justice  
Given to a student entering their advanced year who plans to pursue a career in juvenile justice or criminal justice. 

Sylvia Miller Nathanson Scholarship  
Given to a non-traditional student entering their advanced year. Non-traditional is defined in this case as meeting at least one of the following characteristics: delayed enrollment into postgraduate education; attending school part-time while working full time; having dependents other than a spouse, or being a single parent.

Terrie Alexander Memorial Scholarship  
Awarded to an Advanced MSW student pursuing a career in Substance Use Intervention or Prevention (preference is given to students in field placements at the Terrie Alexander Intensive Outpatient Clinic and/or Forensics Social Work {Defense Based}). 

Woodside Foundation Scholarship in Financial Social Work  
Awarded to a clinical or macro student interested in financial social work, including working with individuals, families and communities to build financial capability and assets; addressing poverty, economic inequality, and the racial wealth divide; and advancing economic justice.

If you have questions about these scholarships for students entering their advanced year, please contact Amanda Lehning, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, at alehning@ssw.umaryland.edu.

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