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Transfer Students

transfer 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. 

View Undergraduate Admissions Transfer Student Information

 

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 August 2021 (start of Upper Division) 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 to July of each year to begin Upper Division in the fall. 

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 1, 2021 - July 1, 2021 (closes at 11:45 pm). Applicants may only apply once in 2021 to Upper Division. Applicants will be notified of admission decisions no later than August 1st.  However, this is a rolling admission process.  Applicants may be notified of a decision much earlier than August 1st if they submit their application prior to the deadline. 
 
 
Applicants can be enrolled in summer courses at the time of application.  However, admission offers are conditioned upon verification of the satisfactory completion of the courses outlined above and a GPA of 2.5 prior to the start of Upper Division.
 
Occasionally, in an effort to help students stay on track for a timely graduation, a student may be admitted who does not quite meet the established criteria such as in the case where a student is just short of 60 credits or is missing a non SOWK pre-requisite (all Upper Division applicants must have completed SOWK 1101, 2182 and 2183 by the start of Upper Division in fall 2021).  In such a case, the student must be able to outline a plan for graduating within 2 academic years as students admitted in fall 2021 have an anticipated graduation date of May 2023.
 
This is a competitive process with limited seating capacity, so not all applicants who meet the minimum criteria may be offered admission (we encourage applying early).  However, we have a very high admittance rate (97% in 2020) and strongly encourage students who meet the criteria to apply. 
 
 

Transferring from Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC)?

The following courses are available for students transferring from Central Piedmont Community College to UNC Charlotte's BSW Program.  The following three UNC Charlotte social work prerequisite courses are only equivalent with CPCC's courses right now.  This transfer credit process for these three courses begins in the 2020-2021 academic year. 

  • 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)