The University of Alabama School of Social Work
Financial Assistance for MSW Students
Scholarships
New and continuing MSW students can apply for three different types of scholarships. The School of Social Work and The University of Alabama award scholarships and scholarships are available externally.
The School of Social Work Endowed Scholarships
The School of Social Work Scholarships, endowed by benefactors, have a variety of application processes, deadlines, eligibility criteria, and award conditions. A list of scholarships, with brief descriptions, is provided following these explanatory paragraphs. To apply for any School of Social Work scholarship, MSW students must complete or update the financial aid part of the MSW Admissions Application. Some scholarships require additional application materials. Deadlines for specific scholarships vary, with most deadlines in August or September or in February. Approaching application
deadlines are announced in the Student News. All students who want to be considered for scholarships should submit or update the financial aid part of their Admissions
Application by the relevant scholarship deadline.
University of Alabama Graduate Student Scholarships and Fellowships
University of Alabama graduate student scholarships and fellowships are described on the Graduate School’s website www.graduate.ua.edu. Information about the specific eligibility criteria and the application processes is provided there. These scholarships and fellowships are highly competitive. Although in most cases the School of Social Work does not require standardized test scores for admission to the MSW program, we
encourage academically strong students to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). High GRE scores can help to make a candidate more competitive for scholarships and fellowships, even when the GRE score is not required. For most of these scholarships and fellowships, students must be nominated by their department. If you believe you are eligible for one of the UA scholarships, please read the information thoroughly and then email the assistant dean, Dr. Kathleen Bolland, mailto:kbolland@sw.ua.edu, to make an appointment to discuss your eligibility.
College of Continuing Studies Scholarships
Students in the Tuscaloosa Saturday MSW Program and the Mobile, Montgomery, and Gadsden MSW programs are eligible to apply for adult student scholarships through the College of Continuing Studies (CCS). Applications are available October 1 of each year for the following academic year and they must be submitted by December 1. For
scholarships requirements, deadlines, and more information contact (205) 348-0089 or visit continuingstudies.ua.edu/scholarships.html.
For information about external scholarships, please search the Internet and talk with a University financial aid counselor.
Stipends
School of Social Work Stipends
The legislature allocates a limited amount of money to the School of Social Work for MSW student stipends. The stipends are awarded for an academic year and are typically less than $2000/semester. There is no work obligation with these stipends. Stipend awards are based on financial need and/or academic excellence. To be considered for a stipend, students should complete or update the financial aid part of the MSW application (hot link - located http://sw.ua.edu/index.php/msw-program/downloads). The priority deadlines for consideration for new and renewed stipends are May 1 for summer terms, July 1 for fall terms, and December 1 for spring terms. Completion of the application does not guarantee the award of a stipend.
Field Education Stipends
These stipends are related to specific field education settings. Most are given during the semester that the student is in field placement and require that the student be in field placement at the agency. Some may require a work commitment after graduation. The number and type of field education stipends available varies. One exception is Title IV-E stipends, which we expect to available each year. Check with the Field Education
Coordinator regarding stipends related to field placement.
Title IV-E Stipends are available for students who want to work in the State of Alabama, specifically in Child Welfare with the Department of Human Resources (DHR) after graduation. The stipends are typically $1000/month for MSW students during the fall and spring semesters until the student graduates. The student must select the Social Work Practice with Children, Adolescents, and their Families concentration and do a field placement with DHR in the Child Welfare Division. The student must also agree to employment with DHR in Alabama after graduation. The stipend recipient must work for DHR two months per each month he or she received the stipend. Applications for these stipends must be submitted to Ms. Barbara Chandler, Coordinator of Field Education. For questions or concerns regarding applications for Title IV-E Stipends, contact Barbara Chandler at bachandl@sw.ua.edu or 205-348-3934.
Loans and Financial Aid
Our scholarships and stipends are not large enough to meet the cost of tuition, books, travel, and living expenses. Students may apply for federal financial aid (i.e., a student loan) through The University of Alabama's Student Financial Aid Office, Box 870162, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0162, 106 Student Services Center, http://financialaid.ua.edu, or at www.fafsa.edu.gov. To be eligible for a student loan, graduate students must be enrolled for a minimum of 4 credit hours
each semester. Our summer semester includes Interim courses and courses held each summer term. Students who want a loan for summer should be sure to list all their summer courses.
Emergency Loans
An emergency loan fund is administered by the School of Social Work for Social Work students in emergency situations. If you should find yourself in such a situation, contact the Assistant Dean for assistance in applying for an emergency loan. The loan must be repaid within 30 days and cannot be used to pay tuition. The University prohibits disbursement of loans to students during the last two weeks of class. The earliest a student may be granted a loan is the first day of enrollment in class.
Graduate Assistantships
Graduate assistantships are available in various divisions and departments on campus. Students typically work 10 or more hours/week on campus as part of the assistantship. Most assistantships are available only for students in the department that provides the assistantship, but some are not so restricted. Currently, the School of Social Work does not have departmental assistantships for MSW students, but from time-to-time a faculty member may have an assistantship available. Apply for assistantships at
http://www.jobs.ua.edu. For information about graduate assistantships available through the University's Division of Student Affairs, please contact Rosalind Moore at
mailto:rlmoore@sa.ua.edu or 348-6796.
School of Social Work Endowed Scholarships
Linda G. Ackerson Endowed Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to an outstanding student from the BSW, MSW, or PhD program. Priority is given to students who are part of an underrepresented demographic group.
Emma Jean and James P. Adams Sr. Endowed Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to an MSW student who graduated from high school in Mississippi.
Alabama Civil Justice Foundation Endowed Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to a student with a commitment to civil justice and who has financial need.
Charles Atherton Endowed Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to an outstanding student from the BSW, MSW, or PhD program.
Warren G. Augins Endowed Graduate Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to an outstanding full-time first year MSW student who has shown promise in his or her academic program(s) and who has demonstrated a commitment to the social work profession. The scholarship is renewable in the second year of MSW study.
James and Teresa Duggan and James and Elizabeth Ball Endowed Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to a full-time MSW student in the area of clinical practice who is over the age of thirty.
Lola Louise Bealle Endowed Scholarship. This scholarship is to promote the education of social work students. Priority of consideration is given to full-time students in the School of Social Work. The scholarship is renewable in the second year of study.
Russell and Barbara Beaulieu Endowed Scholarship. This scholarship supports selected MSW students enrolled in the School of Social Work who have financial need, although not necessarily as defined by federal guidelines, with priority to those enrolled in the Washington, DC Field Education Program and interested in Program and Agency Administration.
Doris Bender Memorial Endowed Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to an outstanding MSW student. The scholarship is renewable in the second year of study. Lucille Clark Bennett Endowed Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to a
concentration year MSW student with a career interest in geriatrics.
Bradley Arant Rose & White Annual Scholarship in Social Work. This scholarship supports students in the Washington, DC Field Education Program.
Julia B. Caddell Endowed Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to students enrolled full-time in the School of Social Work who demonstrate financial need, although not necessarily as defined by federal guidelines. Second priority of consideration shall go to adult students enrolled in the School of Social Work who are beginning or continuing their academic education after entering the work field or to any students in the School of Social Work who express an interest in health care and/or child care. The scholarship is renewable.
Ehney Addison Camp, Jr. and Mildred Fletcher Tillman Camp Endowed Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to an outstanding MSW student.
Daniel Foundation Endowed Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to the most outstanding graduate of each CSWE-accredited Bachelor’s of Social Work program in the state of Alabama. To be eligible, a student must be enrolled in the MSW advanced-standing program. Awards are based on the ratings by faculty of applicants’ materials submitted for admission. No additional application is requested.
Founders & Friends/Marilyn Brewer Lauber Endowed Scholarship. This scholarship is to promote the education of graduate students in the School of Social Work.
Eulene Hawkins/Alabama Chapter-NASW Endowed Scholarship. This scholarship is to promote the education of deserving full-time MSW students in the Advanced Standing Program. Priority of consideration goes to the recipient of the Eulene Hawkins
Scholarship in Social Work at Troy State University who is admitted to the advanced-standing MSW program. Second priority of consideration goes to an NASW member who exhibits academic excellence who also graduated from a CSWE-accredited BSW program in the state of Alabama.
Lori Kaye Hebert Endowed Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to a full-time MSW student with a career interest in mental retardation and developmental disabilities.
Foundation and concentration year MSW students may apply. This scholarship is granted for the spring semester only.
Madeleine M. Hill Endowed Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to a full-time student pursuing an MSW degree with an interest in social work planning and management. A separate application is required.
Hill Crest Foundation Endowed Graduate Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to graduate students who have a strong career interest in working with mental health. Hill Crest Foundation Endowed Scholarship in Social Work. This scholarship is awarded to an outstanding student from the BSW, MSW, or PhD program.
Hugh Kaul Foundation Annual Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to four students annually from Jefferson, Clay or Coosa counties who intend to return to one of those areas following graduation. This scholarship is granted for the semester of field placement only.
Peggy Spain McDonald Endowed Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to an outstanding MSW student from the greater Birmingham area. The scholarship is renewable in the second year of study.
Arlene Mitchell Endowed Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to an outstanding MSW student.
Ada Kate Morgan Endowed Scholarship. This scholarship is to assist students pursuing an MSW degree.
John W. Nixon – Fiesta Bowl Endowed Scholarship. This renewable scholarship is awarded to a full-time minority graduate student pursuing an MSW degree.
Nell Hopkins Clarkson and Sue Clarkson Phifer Endowed Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to a graduate student pursuing an MSW degree.
Mary Edna Porter/Gateway Endowed Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to an MSW student in advanced standing or second year with an interest in children, adolescents and families.
Louise Pittman Endowed Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to an MSW student with an interest in child welfare. Priority of consideration is given to students who graduated from a high school in Alabama and who demonstrate financial need, although not necessarily as defined by federal guidelines.
Charles S. Prigmore Endowed Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to an outstanding MSW student with a career interest in planning and management, with priority of
consideration to minority students.
Jean and Raymond Rayfield Endowed Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to an outstanding student from the BSW, MSW, or PhD program. Preference given to women. Cartis T. and Rose N. Roff Endowed Scholarship. This scholarship was established to promote the education of graduate students in the School of Social Work. The scholarship is renewable in the second year of study.
Social Work Society - Dean Lucinda L. Roff Endowed Scholarship. This scholarship, established by donations to the Social Work Society annual fund, is awarded to full-time students enrolled in the concentration year of MSW study, who show evidence of
superior scholarship and evidence of professional citizenship, action or achievement which furthers the goals of the School and the profession of social work. This scholarship is granted for the spring semester only. A separate application is required.
Loraine Bedsole Tunstall Endowed Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to an outstanding MSW student with a career interest in child welfare. Preference is given to a student from the Mobile area or in the Mobile program.
Vulcan Materials Company Endowed Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to an outstanding student from the BSW, MSW, or PhD program.
Vulcan Materials Washington Program Endowed Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to outstanding students pursuing an MSW and participating in the Washington Field Education Program and who demonstrate financial need.
Cassie Wallace - Helen Brown Endowed Scholarship. This scholarship is to promote the education of students in the School who intend to pursue a career in the area of working with elderly or aging persons. The scholarship is renewable in the second year of study. Washington Program Endowed Scholarship. This scholarship is to support the best and brightest students in the Washington, DC Field Education Program who demonstrate financial need, although not necessarily as defined by federal guidelines. A separate application is required.
