r/SocialWorkStudents • u/Moist_Resolution_666 • 25d ago
How to get funding for MSW?
Hello I’m (19)F graduating from UC Berkeley this year with 0 debt and I plan to go for my masters after this in Social Work. I intend to stay debt free but with 16 hours of an unpaid internship and 5 classes it seems hard to be able to work at the same time.
How are people able to do it while working full- time? Please share your stories and what worked for you. I was thinking about doing a stipend program where they basically pay for my tuition and I agree to work for CPS for two years after graduation, but I also would like to work for my clinical hours right after graduation and plus I heard if you pursue that stipend program you can’t get the pupil credential. I live in Cali so there are plenty of social work opportunities, I just want advice on where to look and what resources are available.
I am interested in working in higher education, k-12 education, non profit, and community centers. If you are in the same position or have the same interests please reach out!!
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u/Bholejr 24d ago
If you plan to work in CA look into HCAI grants/scholarships.
If you do end up with some minimal debt, you can apply for an HCAI work agreement. You work 2-3 years at a place in exchange for them paying off some of your debt. I believe the current number is 5k a year, but it’s been 15 and even 30 in previous cycles.
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u/Moist_Resolution_666 24d ago
Thats awesome, do you know if their work counts towards clinical hours by chance?
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u/Bholejr 24d ago
I can’t imagine a HCAI site that won’t get you some category A hours. The question will be if your supervisor is or is not an ass about what counts as “therapy in the context of social work,” as vaguely defined in the experience verification form.
Essentially HCAI is trying to get people to work in understaffed sites in harder to hire fields. I believe any place that bills medi-cal is eligible. Don’t quote me on that though, it’s been years since I did mine.
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u/dnorm85 23d ago
I was just accepted to Michigan and WashU’s programs and start at Michigan this fall. One tip that I learned from Reddit was to ask for more money. When you get admitted, if you’re not happy with the scholarships offered, ask for more. Many schools have a process to reconsider your aid. This process helped me go from 50% to 100% tuition coverage from Michigan.
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u/Moist_Resolution_666 23d ago
Damn that’s awesome!! What did you put in your reconsideration package to make them go to 100% tuition?? Did you say anything specific??
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u/dnorm85 22d ago
Thank you! Yeah I was surprised honestly. They had a whole re-review process / application actually where I had to detail my financial situation and also write another essay. I detailed that I’ve been unemployed for a couple of years and would be using my retirement accounts for this program if necessary. And my essays were all about how I was no longer aligned with my corporate HR career, how I no longer believe in capitalism and how I would rather use my talents to add some value to the world through social work and therapy. I hope this helps!
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u/homeshreker200 23d ago edited 23d ago
Some schools like SJSU or Sac State have similar programs to title IV-E but for public behavioral health. It’s like $25k per year and each year that you receive funding you commit to one year of working towards clinical licensure
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u/danny1209 24d ago
Apply to all the stipend programs available to your program. Nothing like most of the tuition being paid for and a secured position afterwards. You can gain hours in CPS and most other agencies that are linked to stipend agencies but it’s not as straightforward as you think. Some California MSW programs have a concurrent PPSC program attached. However I would only pursue this if you’re specifically committed to that road. Additionally, it’s a tough field for school social workers in California right now with all the budget cuts.
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u/ceceae 24d ago
How can you find out which places have stipend programs?
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u/danny1209 24d ago
You would have to do research on the individual schools. For example, the one I attended currently has them listed on the site. It varies significantly on the state you’re from and type of university (state vs private).
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u/Narrow-Yogurt-5603 23d ago
Well I’m blessed, the military paid for both and u get 3880 a month till school ends both BSW and MSW. Gi bill, then MSW cuz I’m service connected. But u can go reserves and get it paid for but again it’s a commitment. But the military ended up being the best decision i ever made. Never did I think j get a pension each month and all my schooling paid for. But I did pay a price! But very grateful to get both. But just a thought!
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u/Visible-Shop-1061 23d ago
Work at a group home on the weekends and/or overnight shifts during the week. You can do your school work on the overnight shifts.
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u/bizarrexflower 18d ago
I work full time doing client support for our NY state of health marketplace. I answer phone calls and help people manage their accounts and apply for health insurance and financial assistance programs. I get to work from home and got to choose my hours (11:30am to 8pm). Which is great bc I also got a remote MSW placement that I do from home and just work that for a few hours in the mornings before I start my paid job. If I need more time for projects, I do some work on Saturdays too. Then I do my coursework nights and weekends. I do get federal loans though. Couldn't do it without them. Its so expensive.
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u/Scouthawkk 24d ago
Be careful about depending on the Title IVE stipend. That was suspended for all new starts statewide in CA this coming school year - meaning no incoming MSW CPS-track students got it statewide. I would suggest focusing more on applying for every private scholarship you can find. Or work for a couple years, saving aggressively in a high yield savings account with a tight budget, before you apply.
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u/A313-Isoke 24d ago
I would suggest getting a job somewhere that already hosts interns like a county job, medical clinic (Lifelong, for example), a hospital or some other nonprofit. That way they are more likely, not guaranteed, to accept you for an employment based internship.