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The School seeks to provide educational opportunities for students knowing that many of them will require financial assistance. The financial assistance of the School consists of grant and loan funds and is awarded based on need. Additional consideration in financial aid awards, beyond those in which need has already been established, will be given to individuals who have demonstrated significant experience with multiculturalism, work with communities of color and racial justice. Through the generous support of alumni and friends of the School, endowment funds have been established, which are explicitly used to support students through scholarships.
As the School’s resources are limited, students should expect to use personal, family and loan resources to help support their educational goals. Every effort will be made to assist and support students in obtaining educational loan funds.
To maintain maximum objectivity and
standardized criteria in analyzing each student's financial
circumstances, the School utilizes the FAFSA Form. Financial
aid forms are available in mid-December and will automatically
be mailed to applicants who have submitted an application for admission.
The School strongly urges that financial aid application
materials be filed as soon as possible due to limited funds. Students
are advised to file the FASFA as soon as possible after January 1
of the year of scheduled admission.
Financial aid awards cannot be
determined until the School receives the FAFSA analysis,
a photocopy of the student's income tax return from the year
prior to admission, and all other financial aid application materials;
this process can be lengthy.
Students, who will be relying on School financial aid, are encouraged to file as soon after January 1 as they are able. We advise students not to wait until they have received an Admission decision to begin the financial aid process. All financial aid materials must be received, not just begun, by the School no later than March 15.
Financial aid award notifications begin
going out in early February.
Financial aid awards from the
School are a completely separate process from other educational
loans. A student's financial aid award letter will only indicate
eligibility for School financial aid and will not indicate
other educational loan eligibility. A separate notification regarding
educational loans will be sent out.
Financial aid awards are made
for a 12-month period, and students must submit a second
application for assistance for their second year of graduate
study. Although every effort will be made to continue financial
assistance, the School can make no guarantee that this will be possible.
Because of limited financial aid resources, students generally
are expected to finance their final summer session through loans or
other personal resources.
The School regrets that students who are neither U.S. citizens nor permanent residents are not eligible for financial assistance. International students may be eligible for a United States Stafford loan if they have a co-signor who is a U.S. citizen.
Canadian students should contact the Canadian Student Loan office, in their province, to see if they may be eligible for a Canadian loan.
(Non-Need Based)
In addition to potentially qualifying for need-based financial aid, the School provides three sources of financial support that are not based on a student’s financial resources. These include: The Dean’s Merit Scholarship, the Scholarship for Military Personnel, and Field Stipends.
A total of six $8,500 Dean’s Merit Scholarships will be awarded to members of each entering class. Funds awarded will be made as a two-year commitment or a total of $17,000. The Dean’s Merit Scholarships will be considered and awarded separately from the need for financial assistance (which is need based).
All accepted students are automatically considered for the Dean’s Merit Scholarship (no separate application is required). Those awarded the Dean’s Merit Scholarship will have demonstrated a strong academic capacity; a commitment to clinical social work and to the populations served by social work; and a demonstrated experience with and commitment to issues of racial/ethnic diversity. Merit scholarship award letters will be included with the student’s letter of acceptance. (Due to limited resources, the Dean’s Merit Scholarship is only available to U.S. Citizens and to Permanent Residents.)
A full MSW scholarship will be awarded to one student annually who is a member the U.S. military (active, veteran or retired). The scholarship guarantees full tuition for the 27-month program, as well as on campus room and board during the summer months (approximately $47,000 in total).
To be considered for this award, applicants must:
- be on active duty, a veteran or retired. Applicants may be affiliated with any branch of the military, including the Coast Guard, National Guard and Reserves.
- have completed their Bachelor’s degree or be in the process of completing their Bachelor’s degree, which must be awarded prior to matriculation into the program.
- have a commitment to serving the mental health issues of military personnel and their dependents upon graduation.
Applicants to the Scholarship for Military Personnel must submit all materials no later than the Early Admission deadline date of January 5. To be considered for this award, applicants must submit all application materials, along with a separate letter outlining their long-term professional interests and appropriateness for this award, and a copy of their ID card and DD214. Notification of the Scholarship for Military Personnel will be included with the student’s letter of acceptance.
Occasionally, field stipends are made available to second-year students. These stipends range from $1,000 to $3,000, and are normally provided to students who will be serving particularly under-served communities or to students in placements in designated geographic locations. More information about field stipends will be made available to students as they begin to consider their second-year field placement.
Inquiries regarding
financial assistance should be directed to the School for
Social Work Financial Aid Department:
Gina
Zaikowski
Director of Fiscal Affairs & Financial Aid
(413) 585-7950
sswfa@email.smith.edu
- or -
Diana Wheeler , Financial Aid & Loan Coordinator
(413) 585-7950
sswfa@email.smith.edu
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