Funding Your MSW
Paying for your graduate education may seem stressful. We want you to be fully prepared and understand the costs associated with obtaining your MSW degree. UNI offers resources to help fund your MSW.
Graduate Tuition & Fees
Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships Graduate College Funding Opportunities
Funding Support Options
Financial Aid
Students who need financial assistance should contact the Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships. Their website offers a page on Financing Graduate School, which may be very useful in helping you determine your funding options/needs.
Graduate Tuition Scholarships
(On-campus Students only)
Graduate College offers a limited number of Tuition Scholarships to full-time UNI graduate students to partially fund their graduate degree.
Tuition Scholarships are only available to full-time students (minimum 9 graduate credit hours per semester), and therefore are only available to our on-campus MSW students.
Applications are due February 1 for the following academic year.
Graduate Assistantships
(On-campus Students only)
Graduate Assistantships (GAs) are generally available within the Department of Social Work or students can apply to positions across campus. A GA is an employment position that is awarded at two levels (dependent on the position): 20 hours per week (full-time) or 10 hours per week part-time). Most GA positions are 10 hours per week. GAs are paid stipend for their work as well as receive in-state tuition.
GA positions are only available to full-time students (minimum 9 graduate credit hours per semester), and therefore are only available to our on-campus MSW students. GAs must maintain a 3.0 GPA.
Applications are due February 1 for the following academic year.
UNI Scholarships
Merchant Scholarships
To be considered for this scholarship, a student must have received a bachelor's degree from the University of Northern Iowa. Eligibility extends to individuals who graduate within six months after the March 1 due date of this form. A student must also be enrolled (by the fall semester after the scholarship is awarded) full time in any accredited post-baccalaureate graduate or professional school of their choice, either domestic or foreign. Applicants can be in any year of graduate study.
The scholarships are awarded on the basis of ability, achievement, character, potential and service to society.
Legacy Scholars
Legacy Scholars targets historically underrepresented students who demonstrate a strong commitment to their education and are interested in pursuing post-baccalaureate opportunities within one year of graduating from UNI. Through a competitive application process, scholars will be selected to participate in this two-year cohort model designed to help them discover their fullest potential beyond a four-year degree.
Ideal candidates should be a UNI undergraduate student, preferably of junior-standing when applying, demonstrate strong academic potential, and be from an underrepresented ethnic/racial minority group, and/or be eligible for a federal Pell Grant, and/or be a 1st generation college student.