30 Scholarships for Social Work Students to Apply For in 2024

Many professions can support and meet the needs of the local community. Social workers are part of this list. Often, unsung heroes, these professionals are always needed. 

Before these essential professionals can become the backbone of social and mental health care, undergraduate and graduate students are studying to earn a degree. The undergraduate and sometimes graduate education required to move into social work can be expensive. Still, financial assistance is open to only these students who can help. 

Best Social Work Scholarships to Apply to

To support aspiring social workers on their educational journey, we have compiled a list of 20 scholarships for which these students can apply. Applicants for these scholarships generally do not have to demonstrate financial need to qualify.

About Social Work Scholarships

Social work is one of the fastest-growing careers in the United States. Social workers provide 60% of mental health services, making it important that students pursuing this career path have the resources to get the necessary education. 

Scholarships that are designed specifically to meet the financial needs of students who want to pursue this career are a helpful way to support communities that will come to depend on them. 

What are Social Work Scholarships?

Social work scholarships are financial awards only open to applicants who intend to use what they have learned to become social workers. In an essay to apply, applicants will often be asked to describe their motivation for pursuing social work or how they are involved in their community. 

What Qualifies as a Social Work Scholarship?

Any scholarship that intends to support students pursuing social work as a career with a financial award to fund their education is a social work scholarship. These scholarships can have essay requirements where the applicant is encouraged to describe details related to why they want to become a social worker or some other related topic. 

Types of Social Work Scholarships Available

There are many different types of scholarships available for [students] to apply for. The type of scholarship can affect the required documents and related materials that have to be submitted to apply. 

Academic merit-based

These scholarships are based solely on your proven academic ability. These can be decided on the applicant’s grade-point average (GPA), standardized test scores (MCAT, LSAT, etc.), or other academic scores.

Colleges may have academic merit-based scholarships for students who are part of their incoming class, so they’ll receive these scores when you apply. But, other organizations have academic scholarships to which you will have to submit these scores. 

Identity-based

Scholarships with the qualification partially based on the applicant’s identity are open only to people within those groups. These scholarships exist from trying to help students from disadvantaged backgrounds and marginalized communities by giving awards to students who share the same characteristics as someone who has passed in their honor. 

Athletic

These scholarships are based on a student’s athletic ability, usually within a given sport. Often, coaches from interested schools will scout out students performing well during their sport’s season and decide whether or not to make an offer.  

How to Find Social Work Scholarships to Apply for?

Looking for scholarships can be difficult, especially if you don’t know where to look. But, many resources are available to help students look for scholarships. 

The internet is the best place to start if you need help looking for scholarships. Many websites are dedicated to collecting and showcasing scholarships to students in need. Using these websites is helpful because you can filter out scholarships you know you won’t qualify for. You can also bookmark scholarships you don’t qualify for now but may be a good applicant for in the coming semesters. 

If you are enrolled in college already, your advisor and other students are also great resources for finding scholarships. These people are likely familiar with scholarships that your school sponsors or may not be super popular, making your chances of winning better.

 Consulting with your advisor is always a good idea as their job is to help you succeed. If they can’t help you with applications or places to look for scholarships, they can definitely refer you to another administrator or school resource for help. 

Tips for Winning Social Work Scholarships

So now you know where to look for scholarships, but how do you make sure you get chosen? Well, there is no way to guarantee that you’ll win all the scholarships you apply for, but you can definitely increase your chances. 

For scholarships that require an essay, make sure that your essay answers all parts of the prompt. Look for any ramblings or extra information that doesn’t pertain to the subject of the prompt. Also, make sure that your writing is clear and engaging. Having an essay that is boring and hard to read is an easy way to lose the sponsor’s attention when they try to read your response. 

If you are writing about the research you’ve done, highlighting the exciting parts of your results or further applications of your findings could be helpful. 

Another way to increase your chances of winning is to go for scholarships with smaller award amounts. Many students go for the big ticket dollar amounts to ” win big ” and get the most money possible. But, many students will apply for these same scholarships for this reason. Making the pool of students you’re competing against less competitive gives you a better chance of winning. 

Winning many of these smaller award amounts will build up to a more considerable amount as you keep winning, so don’t be afraid to go after smaller fish.

Finally, another way to decrease the number of students you compete with is to apply for scholarships only open to a specific type of applicant. 

Frequently Asked Questions About Social Work Scholarships

Still have questions about scholarships for students who want to become social workers? Keep reading for more information.

Are Social Work scholarships legit?

Yes, scholarships for students who want to become social workers are legit. There are scams, so it is essential to be careful when applying for scholarships, especially if you do so online. 

An excellent way to avoid these scams is to use reputable sites that you or other students are familiar with. Also, be mindful of the information that you submit when you apply. Scholarships will not require your social security number, credit or debit card number, or bank information. If you are asked to submit any of this information, that scholarship is likely a scam. 

How can I improve my chances of winning Social Work scholarships?

You can do several things to improve your chances of winning college student scholarships. A couple of strategies you can use include:

• Make yourself stand out in your response 
• Apply earlier than the deadline  
• Look for awards that give awards to multiple winners 

How many Social Work scholarships can you get?

There is no limit to the number of scholarships you can get as a graduate student, so you don’t have to limit yourself when applying. 

Depending on the requirements for the scholarships you apply for, you may run into a situation where you have to turn down awards. For example, if you apply for multiple scholarships only open to students who intend to attend those colleges. You will have to turn down the awards from the colleges you don’t attend. 

Are Social Work scholarships taxable income?

Generally, no, scholarships are not considered taxable income. However, this is only true if you are enrolled at an eligible college, in a program, and are using the funds for school-related expenses. These expenses include but are not limited to tuition, textbooks, parking fees, and lab fees.

If it is found out that you have used scholarship funds for expenses unrelated to your degree or college expenses, then these funds may be considered taxable income. Check the description and other fine print of the scholarships you apply for to see if there is a requirement for how the awarded funds are used.

What’s the best way to apply for Social Work scholarships?

A key strategy that gives you the best chances when applying is to put more effort into a handful of scholarships that you feel confident about applying to rather than applying to a lot of scholarships that you only put minimal effort into. This is especially true for longer extended responses. If you feel like you have a story that could set you apart from other applicants, you may find it beneficial to spend more time on that application versus other shorter ones that aren’t specific to your experiences.