Social work programs with the most ample funding?

[ediblestranger]

I am just wondering if anyone knows which schools of social work are reputed to have the most funding available in the way of scholarships, grants, field placements, or basically any means. As a first-generation college student with no social capital to draw on for a cosigner for the Graduate Plus loan, I am worried about my ability to pay for grad school. Stafford loans, which are the only federal loans available to graduate students with no credit or bad credit, are capped at about $20,000 a year, which doesn't even cover tuition in most cases. So, my question is, how do ya'll do it? Are there any schools that consistently award large scholarships or have other ways to help graduate students cover their cost of living?

[Baffledgenius]

I keep hearing that WashU gives out a lot. Ive learned that USC and U Michigan give pretty much nothing.

[Lifesaver]

University of Denver's website say that 95% of their MSW students receive funding. I'm inclined to believe that because they offered me $36,000 total and I didn't receive funding from any other school thus far. Of course, my deposit went to the most expensive school on my list, lol. Figures.

[ediblestranger]

That is definitely useful to know. Although I guess you never really know what kind of funding you might get, I know that certain schools, like WUSTL, offer huge financial aid packages to their admitted students, while others are known for having very little to give in the way of scholarships. As someone for whom funding is going to be a major concern, this information would be useful to have prior to shoveling out hundreds of dollars on graduate school applications to schools that it'll be impossible to attend. So thank you.

I would love for people to continue to post their insights on this issue...

[hj2012]

I'd also check your in-state schools. With in-state tuition, I imagine that you'd be able to find programs that cost less than 20K a year.

[ediblestranger]

Thanks hj. I'm not interested in too many schools in my state for a couple of reasons... one issue is that there are no highly ranked top 10 or even 25 public schools in Ohio, at which I could redeem that super cheap in-state tuition. Another factor is that some schools, often those which are private, offer enough funding in scholarships to compete with the overall costs of attending an in-state public school. For these reasons, I am interested in narrowing down the programs to which I apply by negotiating a compromise between interest, reputation, and funding potential.

[TheCrow]

Have you looked at Case Western?

[hj2012]

On 3/17/2014 at 1:48 AM, ediblestranger said:

Thanks hj. I'm not interested in too many schools in my state for a couple of reasons... one issue is that there are no highly ranked top 10 or even 25 public schools in Ohio, at which I could redeem that super cheap in-state tuition. Another factor is that some schools, often those which are private, offer enough funding in scholarships to compete with the overall costs of attending an in-state public school. For these reasons, I am interested in narrowing down the programs to which I apply by negotiating a compromise between interest, reputation, and funding potential.

 

Makes sense. Good luck to you!

[Lifesaver]

I was under the impression that Ohio State was ranked pretty high.

[Kristopher]

No ranked schools? Ohio State is ranked 26th in the country, and is also the oldest Social Work program in the US. I attend it and love the program. Also, ranking matters very little. Chances are you are going to practice in the area you go to school in since you will be licensed in that state and would hopefully have networked during your time at school. Cincinnati, Toledo, OSU, and Youngstown State are all public schools that offer an MSW in Ohio. The only people who care about rankings are schools and applicants. Do you think someone at HR with an organization really cares that Ohio State is ranked lower than let's say Fordham? They care about what skills you have developed while at internship. If prestige really matters to you, I would bet that Ohio State's name alone is more prestigious than Smith or Fordham simply because it's well known beyond just an academic level.

 

I think it's silly to choose a school based on ranking when you could end up paying over $40k a year in student loans for an education that may not even pay that much following graduation.

Edited March 17, 2014 by Kristopher

[ediblestranger]

Have you looked at Case Western?

Yes. Case Western is actually one of the schools that I am most interested in, I am just looking to compile somewhat of a list... lol.

[ediblestranger]

On 3/17/2014 at 12:26 PM, Kristopher said:

No ranked schools? Ohio State is ranked 26th in the country, and is also the oldest Social Work program in the US. I attend it and love the program. Also, ranking matters very little. Chances are you are going to practice in the area you go to school in since you will be licensed in that state and would hopefully have networked during your time at school. Cincinnati, Toledo, OSU, and Youngstown State are all public schools that offer an MSW in Ohio. The only people who care about rankings are schools and applicants. Do you think someone at HR with an organization really cares that Ohio State is ranked lower than let's say Fordham? They care about what skills you have developed while at internship. If prestige really matters to you, I would bet that Ohio State's name alone is more prestigious than Smith or Fordham simply because it's well known beyond just an academic level.

 

I think it's silly to choose a school based on ranking when you could end up paying over $40k a year in student loans for an education that may not even pay that much following graduation.

You have some valid points, and I am glad that you find the program at Ohio State up to snuff. I know that it's considered to be pretty decent, but I have very little interest in attending OSU. That's where I have done undergrad and I am just bored with the culture here. Nor am I interested in returning to Columbus to practice.

So you find it silly to take out $40,000 in student loans per year? Thanks for sharing. But, that's not what this thread is about. This thread is an inquiry into schools that offer significant scholarships, field placements, and other unique sources of funding because, as I stated previously, the Stafford loan cap is at $20,500 a year and other potential loans for students with no credit, such as the Perkins loan, are negligible. So thanks for giving your opinion, but I am not really asking for opinions or advice... I'm asking about funding.

Currently looking into: UChicago, Michigan, WUSTL, UPitt, UWashington, CWRU

[Lifesaver]

Don't forget about the Grad Plus loans. Apparently, that's where the bulk of grad students' loan money comes from. You can take out loans for tuition, books, living expenses, etc through Grad Plus. Also, there are private banks (USAA, Wells Fargo, etc) that do student loans with interest rates on a sliding scale. However, if you find yourself in a bind and out of a job in a few years, they're not willing to negotiate like federal loan banks are.

 

I, too, had zero interest in state schools. There's only one in my current state that offers an MSW and I had no interest in attending that school. So, I'm looking at A LOT of debt in order to attend the school of my dreams. To the tune of $150,000. I worried about it for a few weeks (okay, two months), but now I've chilled out and have put my faith in the income based repayment and the public service loan forgiveness plans.

[ediblestranger]

See, that is where I'm coming from too, Lifesaver. I have received a lot of negative feedback from people in general about my interest in attending an excellent program while putting worries about loan debt on the back burner for now. I am mainly concerned with being able to afford the program with any combination of funding sources, it really doesn't matter to me, as long as it's enough for me to attend, focus on my fieldwork, and not have to take on meaningless part-time jobs to sustain me. I think that if you are dedicated enough, you will find work... and if you are diligent enough, and don't mind a minimalistic lifestyle, then you will have no problem paying it back. I feel that it is somewhat of an imposition for people to give unsolicited advice about what you should or shouldn't do as far as your future is concerned. I personally feel that, for me, the benefits of attending one of the most highly ranked programs, especially those located in a big city, outweigh the costs... in terms of short-term benefits, such as location and greater opportunities, and potentially long-term benefits, such as greater opportunities, greater networking potential, and prestige. But I'm not going to impose that point of view on anyone because grad school isn't a one-size-fits-all scenario. It's a huge decision that only you can make. Anyway...

[ediblestranger]

Oh, and as far as the Graduate Plus loans go, I have some doubts about my eligibility due to having an adverse credit history from medical bills that date back to when I was a young teen. I plan to look into it some more, though.

[Lifesaver]

Oh, there's plenty of unsolicited advice when it comes to graduate school. The debt is just one small portion of the flack/advice I've gotten.

 

If it puts you at ease any, I just got back from talking with the professor I worked under for my graduate assistantship, and he went on for awhile about choosing Boston University over other less expensive schools when he was in my position. He said he took the risk and decided to pay for the BU name because he hoped it would one day pay off. When he got hired to teach at my previous university, the department head said that BU stood out to them and put him higher on their list, even before they met him. So for him, it got him his "dream job" and it all worked out, even if he's still paying on his loans.

 

I don't mean to pry, but why would you be responsible for medical bills you incurred as a minor? You were not the one being billed, so I'm not sure why it hit your credit, versus the legal guardian who was billed for the treatment.

[ediblestranger]

Thanks.  That does make me feel a little bit better.  As to why those medical bills have appeared on my credit report, that is a great question.  I have no idea!  It may have been because it was an emergency room procedure, so there was little information collected about my guardian... or because my neither my guardian nor I had health insurance at the time.  It is something that I plan on looking into though, because it doesn't sound right to me either.

[Lifesaver]

That shouldn't make a difference. I'd definitely look into fixing that if I were you.