BSW Upper Division Admission for Transfer Students

transferring to the bsw program

It is possible for students enrolled in North Carolina’s community colleges to transfer to UNC Charlotte with most, if not all, of their General Education requirements met. In most cases, transfer students must attend the first and/or second summer session and take SOWK 1101, 2182 and 2183, which are required for admission to the Program. Please see the Undergraduate Student Catalog for the schedule of classes of when these courses are offered in summer.

Transfer students need to first apply to UNC Charlotte Undergraduate Admissions. Once admitted, transfer students may declare our social work Lower Division pre-major. Students must complete all lower division social work course requirements prior to being admitted to the Upper Division program which only begins each fall.

Undergraduate Admissions Transfer Student Information
BSW Frequently Asked Questions

Transfer Student Requirements

  • Minimum GPA: Declaring the Major (Lower Division): 2.0 GPA; Upper Division Admission: 2.5 GPA
  • Pre-Major/Prerequisite Courses: All incoming students begin as Pre-Social Work (Lower Division) and apply to Upper Division once eligible
  • Transferable Credit Hours: 24

If a student is hoping to transfer in and apply to start our BSW Upper Division program right away in the fall, they must have already completed or will have completed by the start of Upper Division (only begins each fall semester) and earned satisfactory grades (C or better) in BIO 1110, BIO 1110L, POLS 1110, PSYC 1101, STATS 1222, SOCY 1101, SOWK 1101, SOWK 2182 and SOWK 2183, 60 total credits and have a 2.5 GPA.

If a student is hoping to transfer in as a Lower Division student, they must look to complete at least 60 credits, including earning satisfactory grades (C or better) in BIO 1110, BIO 1110L, POLS 1110, PSYC 1101, STATS 1222, SOCY 1101, SOWK 1101, SOWK 2182 and SOWK 2183. Once students are close to this, they may apply for our Upper Division between February 1st to July 1st of each year to begin Upper Division which only starts each fall semester.

Transfer Student Advising

Lower Division Social Work majors receive academic advising through the Office of Student Services (OSS) in the College of Health and Human Services (CHHS). Transfer students are encouraged to reach out to CHHS advisors to assist with declaring the social work Lower Division pre-major. Here are some common reasons you may seek advising at the lower division level:

  • You need academic advising for majors or minors in the CHHS
  • You need help with university forms, policies and procedures
  • You need to learn about the various academic and student support resources of the campus
  • Or if you just have questions about being a student at UNC Charlotte and don’t know where else to go for assistance, come see us!
  • Additional information about the advising office is located at the link below
View CHHS Advising Information

Applying to Upper Division

Applications are accepted February 1st – July 1st annually. Applicants may only apply once per year to Upper Division. Applicants are notified of the decision of admission or denial on a rolling basis, but no later than August 1st, via an attached letter sent to their University email address. There is not a waitlist for Upper Division.

Upper Division Application Information

Overview of Application and Selection Process

The application process for Upper Division is competitive and not all applicants who meet the minimum criteria for admission will be accepted. Applications are submitted electronically between February 1st and July 1st of each year through a form located on an application page found on the School of Social Work website. Applications are reviewed by the BSW Admissions Committee which is composed of full-time social work faculty members who regularly teach in or administratively support the BSW program. Additional faculty members and staff may also review components of the application. The following materials are submitted: Application form, resume, essay, and transcripts from any colleges attended other than UNC Charlotte if the information is not in DegreeWorks. Application elements (academic preparation, experience, and essay prompts) are scored using a BSW Application Rating Rubric which is based on a point system. Competitive applicants (those with highest scores) are selected until all seats are filled. ​Applicants are notified of the decision of admission or denial on a rolling basis, but no later than August 1st, via an attached letter sent to their University email address. There is not a waitlist for Upper Division. Applicants who have been offered admission to the BSW Program and who wish to accept the offer will need to submit their electronic ​enrollment form by the deadline identified in the acceptance letter. If​ the​ form ​is ​not ​returned ​by the deadline, it will be assumed that the student has declined the offer. Students not accepted into Upper Division are encouraged to meet with their Lower Division CHHS academic advisor for further academic planning. Students not accepted into Upper Division may reapply the following year. However, this may delay time to graduation and is not typically recommended. Those who do not continue in the BSW major have the option of declaring another major at the University.

Transferring from another institution?

Transfer Credit Advisor Tool – check how your courses will transfer from any institution

If you are attending or plan to attend another college/university and then transfer to UNC Charlotte, please click to use the Transfer Credit Advisor Tool to check how your courses will transfer. Jus input the state of the institution you would be transferring from, select the institution, and then view the transfer course equivalencies. Keep in mind that there may not be transfer course equivalencies for all courses.

  • The Transfer Credit Advisor is an online database of courses that have transferred from other colleges and universities across the country.
  • Please keep in mind that this database is comprised of courses that have transferred previously.
  • If you are transferring from a NC community college, the list of courses is comprehensive. If you are transferring from a college or university outside of NC, this may not be a comprehensive list as new courses are continuously added.

Since we have many transfer students from Central Piedmont Community College, the following courses are available for students transferring from CPCC to UNC Charlotte’s BSW Program. The following three UNC Charlotte social work prerequisite courses are equivalent with these CPCC courses.

  • UNC Charlotte’s SOWK 1101 (The Field of Social Work) is equivalent to CPCC’s HSE 110 (Introduction to Human Services)
  • UNC Charlotte’s SOWK 2182 (Human Behavior in the Social Environment 1) is equivalent to CPCC’s PSY 241 (Developmental Psychology)
  • UNC Charlotte’s SOWK 2183 (Human Behavior in the Social Environment 2) is equivalent to CPCC’s SOC 220 (Social Problems)