Application Procedures

Applicants, please take care to upload your documents properly using the instructions listed below. For example, if your transcript is comprised of three pages you must save the document as one document with three pages not three separate pages. Only one link is provided for each document. Failure to follow these procedures may render your application incomplete. If you are unsure on how to proceed, please contact the Jane Addams College of Social Work Office of Admission before completing the upload at 312-996-3218. Once a document has been uploaded it cannot be changed!

Application Period

The application period for the Jane Addams College of Social Work is October 1st through January 31st for ALL applicants. To ensure that your application is complete by the deadline, please encourage your referees to submit their recommendations by 11:59 p.m. CST on January 31, 2013.

How to Apply?

Thank you for your interest in applying to Jane Addams for fall 2013. The application process has changed for the fall of 2013.

The application process for fall of 2013 requires applicants to submit all of their applications and supplemental documents via the web. No items should be mailed to the College of Social Work during the initial application process with the exception of the TAP-Test for Academic Proficiency (click here for instructions). Reapplicants - click here for instructions.

1. Submit the UIC On-Line application Domestic | International. Must Submit First.

2. Submit your Jane Addams College of Social Work-JACSW Supplemental Application. NOTE: The Supplemental application included in this link is a Pdf. You will need to save it on your computer(or other storage device), complete the form, then retrieve later to upload to your application checklist.

Upload Instructions

Applicants must submit a UIC web application and receive the confirmation page at the end of the application before being prompted to upload credentials directly to their application. Three to five days after submission of the application, you will receive an e-mail from us notifying you that your application has been received and that you can log back into your application to submit departmental/supplemental materials. These will be indicated under Additional Program Requirements in your checklist.

Each item can be verified as received by checking the "Received Date" in your application status and the "Status" field which will state "Verified - Correct". A missing received date and any status other than "Verified - Correct" may indicate that you must upload documents again or follow up with the UIC Office of Admissions or Jane Addams College of Social Work. Additional requests may be added after submitted items are reviewed by Admissions or program staff. Please be sure to check your status on a regular basis.

If you are seeing an error page when uploading a document, it may be due to the following:

You are trying to upload a .docx or .xlsx file. Please use a PDF.
If you are not able to create a PDF, please use a .doc or .xls. PDFs are preferred.
If you still experience an issue, please refer to the HELP link at the top right section of the page for additional information.

Resume

Click here for resume instructions. Once your resume is created follow the upload instructions above. An example of the upload form is shown below.

Financial Aid

The JACSW Financial Support Application must be completed and uploaded by all applicants. If students do not wish to be considered for aid they can indicate this by checking the appropriate box on the Financial Support Application found here http://www.uic.edu/jaddams/college/programs/msw/files/Financial_Support_Request.pdf. Please follow the upload instructions above to complete this task. An example of the upload form is shown below. For those applicants who wish to be considered for aid, please remember to also submit the FAFSA-Free Application for Federal Student Aid starting January 1, 2013 at www.fafsa.ed.gov.

Personal Statement questions

Prepare a typed, double-spaced statement of up to one page for each of the following sets of questions. Then follow the upload instructions above to submit your questions. A sample of the upload screen is shown below.

How did your interest in social work develop? Why are you now seeking an education in social work? What are your special interests? If you have trained or worked in another field, why are you considering changing your career goals?
What significant life experiences, family members, friends, or work experiences have influenced the development of your interest in social work?
What are your career goals? How are they in accordance with or disparate from the mission of the Jane Addams College of Social Work?
How do you intend to complete the program? How will you finance your graduate education? How will you balance your outside responsibilities with your academic responsibilities?

An example of the upload form is shown below. You must upload all 4 questions at one time. You will not have an opportunity to upload them separately.

Personal Statement Screen

Recommendation Forms

Once your UIC on-line application is processed, you will be prompted via an email link to update your supplemental materials such as your recommendation forms. When you click the link you will be led to a page that looks like the one below.

Submit three recommendations. The recommendations should be from people qualified to evaluate your ability to complete the MSW program successfully. Undergraduate students or recent graduates should seek at least one reference from a College instructor. If you have been employed at least six months, you should seek a recommendation from a supervisor. Other recommendations may come from volunteer supervisors, college advisors, or agency consultants. Do not submit references from friends or family members.

Please follow the instructions of listing your referee's email address as well as cutting and pasting in the "Body" section the following questions:

Please answer these questions when writing the reference for this student.

1. Length of time and capacity in which you have known the applicant.
2. Your assessment
      --Applicant's scholarship, personality, character, and professional promise.
      --Applicant's strength and weaknesses
      --Comparison of applicants to others you know who have attended the college or
        other graduate social-work programs.
3. How do you believe the applicant has demonstrated initiative and leadership in his/her employment, volunteer service or other experience that reflects on his/her ability to do graduate level work?

Note to Referees: to ensure that the student's application is complete by the deadline, please submit your reference(s) by 11:59 p.m. CST on January 31, 2013.

An example of the upload form is shown below.

Transcripts

Approximately 3-5 days after you have submitted a web application, and following electronic delivery of both, a Confirmation and Acknowledgement Letter from our office, you will be notified by email that the document upload page is available.

PDF files are preferred. PNG's and TIFF's files are not acceptable. You may upload documents that are no more than 20 Mb in size.

Applicants should not send official paper academic credentials by mail. Official, sealed academic credentials will be required for applicants admitted to a degree-seeking program. If an applicant submitted official paper academic credentials in addition to uploading them before being admitted, the Office of Admissions will review them at the time of admission to determine if they satisfy our requirements. The request for official paper academic credentials will be noted on the official admission letter from the Office of Admissions.

Reapplicants

Students who have applied to Jane Addams College of Social Work in the previous two years do not need to resubmit the entire application packet. Generally, you need to submit only the UIC Online application and the Jane Addams Reapplication form and a one page personal statement addressing why you are reapplying.

You must submit your re-application by following these upload instructions. Re-applications should uploaded to the "Supplemental Application" link. Your one page personal statement should be uploaded separately using the "Personal Statement-Department" link in the checklist.

If you have attended classes since your first application, please follow the upload instructions for submitting unofficial transcripts listed above. Your references and previously submitted transcripts have been retained so they do not need to be resubmitted. A sample of the upload form is shown below.

If you applied or attended the College three or more years before, you must resubmit the entire application.

Test for Academic Proficiency-formerly known as the Basic Skills Exam for School Concentration students only

To practice as a school social worker in an elementary, middle, or secondary school in Illinois, MSW students must obtain the Type 73 certification from the Illinois State Board of Education. Consistent with that requirement, the college requires students who are interested in the career of school social worker to submit a copy of Test for Academic Proficiency results received from ICTS prior to being admitted to the School Social Work concentration. This policy applies to students in all four program options (Full-Time, PM-Extended Study, Advanced Standing, and Transfer). Information about the Test for Academic Proficiency can be obtained from the Illinois Certification Testing System at 800-239-8107 or www.icts.nesinc.com. Submission of these scores must be done by March 15, 2013. Students must request an official score report and then forward that report to Jane Addams. Do not request ICTS send the report electronically to the College. The College cannot receive electronic reports.

Click here to receive more information on the TAP exam.

Process for use of ACT/SAT in lieu of TAP

Step by Step Process:

Request one official ACT (http://www.actstudent.org/scores/send/) score report to be sent to ISBE using code 3001. If you're using your SAT score get two copies of the report sent to you – do not open!!!!
Get one official ACT/SAT score report sent to you - do not open!!!
Complete and submit ISBE form 73-60 (http://isbe.net/certification/pdf/73-60-act-sat-prep.pdf) along with one of the sealed ACT/SAT score reports to Jane Addams College of Social Work. If submitting by mail, include a self-addressed, stamped envelope for the return of the signed ISBE form 73-60 to you.
If you are walking the form into the College you must mail the form to ISBE once Jane Addams College of Social Work has returned the signed ISBE form 73-60 to you. It should be mailed to:

For more information on the ACT/TAP process please review this site http://www.isbe.net/certification/pdf/act-sat-grade-use-notice1112.pdf