60-Credit Fall Online Accepted Students

ACCEPT AND CONFIRM YOUR ADMISSION

To secure your spot, pay the $300 non-refundable Confirmation Deposit by May 30th, 2026. 

• • PAY ONLINE: Use our secure online portal
  • PAY BY MAIL: Alternatively, mail a check/money order to UMB School of Social Work, Office of Admissions, 525 W. Redwood Street, Baltimore, MD 21201
  • Allow up to 3 business days for payment processing
  • This non-refundable deposit will be credited to your first tuition bill

Have questions or need assistance before making your decision? contact the Admissions Office at admissions@ssw.umaryland.edu

Once you've accepted admission, kindly complete the remaining steps below before starting the program.

DEFER START TERM

If you need to defer your enrollment until Fall 2027(we do not have a Spring start for the OMSW program), please complete the Deferral Form no later than July 25, 2026.  You must still submit a confirmation deposit following the step above to hold your position. 

DECLINE 

If you wish to decline our offer of admission, please complete this survey.  

GET CONNECTED BY SETTING UP A UMID Account

The UMID is your unique UMB user name, and grants access to many UMB systems, including your umaryland.edu email, which will be the primary source of all SSW and UMB communication.

• • It can take a few days after you have paid your confirmation deposit for your email account to be created.
  • Expect an email with the subject "Welcome to Office 365 - University of Maryland, Baltimore - Action Needed" to your personal email address Check spam/junk folders.  This will inform you of your new email address, and specific instructions to validate and activate your email.
  • Log into https://directory.umaryland.edu with your UMID and password to validate and activate your email
  • Once completed, you can log in https://portal.office.com to start sending and receiving emails using your UMaryland email

NOTE: While your UMID is being created, proceed with completing Steps 3 and 4. Please be aware that Step 5 cannot be completed until your UMID is created.

If you experience technical difficulties or questions related to these accounts and logins, please contact the UMB CITS Helpdesk: 410-706-HELP or help@umaryland.edu or on the 5th floor of the HSHSL. If you experience delays or lack of resolution above, please contact ideateam@ssw.umaryland.edu (only) and include the email with ticket number from the CITS Helpdesk above.

Current UMB Employees Please Note: If you are already employed by UMB and have a Umaryland Email address and UMID, you can ignore the above as you do not need to set up a UMID and will continue using only your existing UMID. Please see this page with more information for UMB Employee Students: https://idea.ssw.umaryland.edu/students/umb-employee-students

RESIDENCY

ALL NEW INCOMING STUDENTS DEFAULT TO AN OUT OF STATE STATUS. 

• • To qualify for "in-state" status, you must submit an Application for In-State Classification to the UMB Office of the Registrar prior to the first day of enrollment
  • DC Residents will download and complete a separate exemption form to qualify for in state rate exemption tuition. 
  • Please review the Residency FAQs for details.

TUITION

• • Learn more about the specific tuition and fees for the Online MSW Program
  • Information on due dates and payment options can be found here.  Tuition bills can be paid online in SURFS or via mail. 

     

    *Tuition rates do not include fees and are subject to change

FINANCIAL AID

• • Review the Student Financial Assistance webpage for information. 
  • We recommend you complete the FAFSA
    • Apply immediately; the priority deadline for the 2026-2027 application is March 1, 2026.
    • School code: 002104

IMMUNIZATION REQUIREMENTS

Every student is required to comply with the University of Maryland's mandatory immunization and TB testing requirements, even as an online student, since you will be in practicums within the community starting in your second year.  You should receive an email from EXXAT, our immunization tracking system, to your UMB email address. This email will contain detailed instructions on how to access and navigate EXXAT, accessed through your SURFS accounts, using your assigned UMID and password. For more information, see the Student Health page here.

STUDENT HEALTH INSURANCE PLAN (SHIP)

Since you are taking fewer than 9 credits, you will not be automatically billed for SHIP, but are eligible to enroll on a voluntary basis. Full information on Student Health Insurance Plan is available here

FALL 2026 COURSES

You will be automatically registered for the following Fall 2026 coursework and SOWK 690 pre-requisite in July:

• • SOWK 600: Social Welfare and Social Policy (Asynchronous, with a mandatory synchronous orientation on Thu Aug 27th from 6-8pm)
  • SOWK 610: Structural Oppression and Its Implications for Social Work Practice (Synchronous, Tues 6-9pm)

Find your textbooks on our UMB Bookstore. 

Fall courses will be available in Blackboard a week before the Fall semester begins

EXEMPTION EXAMS: are available for all newly admitted students and are encouraged for students with a strong background in policy, research and/or human development and behavior theory

Exemption Exams are available for:

• SOWK 600 Social Welfare and Social Policy
• SOWK 645 Human Behavior and the Social Environment
• SOWK 670 Social Work Research
• Exemption exams will be offered in person on the following dates and times: 
  • Monday, 5/18, 6-7:30pm, Baltimore campus
  • Tuesday, 5/19, 12:30-2pm, Baltimore campus
  • Friday, 5/22, 12:30-2pm, Universities at Shady Grove (USG) campus

To learn more about exemption exams and register, please contact Prism Shilling at prism.shilling@ssw.umaryland.edu The deadline to register for an exemption exam is Monday, May 11th, at 5pm.

The passing of Exemption Exams does not decrease the number of required credits for your degree

Passing Exemption Exams does increase the number of elective credits you can take

ACCOMMODATIONS

You can request academic accommodations for coursework & field education through the Office of Educational Support and Disability Services(ESDS). ESDS works with students with all types of disabilities including physical, learning, sensory, psychological, ADHD, and chronic and acute medical conditions. To ensure timely and appropriate accommodation, please submit your request as early as possible.

VETERANS AFFAIRS

The SSW Office of Records and Registration can assist eligible students with enrollment certification and navigating eligibility for benefits.  Additional information is available here.  Email sswveteransaffairs@ssw.umaryland.edu or call (410) 706-6102

UMB ONE CARD

After you have been registered for classes, you can submit your photo in order to receive an Online Student ID (UMB One Card), as you will need the barcode/one card number to access some online services.  

Before the first day of classes, you are required to complete SOWK 690.OM1 which contains three prerequisites.  The course will be available in Blackboard in July. 

Watch this video to learn how to log in to Blackboard for the very first time
If you cannot successfully log in, please call 410-706-HELP

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you do not see SOWK 690 in the Courses tab after logging into Blackboard, please reach out to sswregistration@ssw.umaryland.edu to ensure that all your required materials are complete and that you are registered for SOWK 690. 

Please note that it will take up to 35 hours to complete all THREE prerequisite modules.

1. Blackboard Orientation (2 hours)
2. Academic Integrity and Anti-Plagiarism (2 hours)
3. A Brief History of Oppression and Resistance (15-30 hours*)
   • This module provides important context and foundational knowledge for social work students who will be learning and practicing in Maryland.  It should be completed prior to beginning your semester and will help prepare you for your coursework here at the School of Social Work. 
   • Journal assignments that are integrated into the prerequisite will need to be submitted in your SOWK 610 (Structural Oppression and Its Implications for Social Work) class by the second week of class
   • *Recognizing that students have different styles of learning and engaging, most students report that it takes somewhere between 15 and 30 hours to complete A Brief History of Oppression and Resistance. Additionally, this course explores a great deal of material and may elicit a variety of strong emotions. Be sure to give yourself enough time and space to engage with the course and also to check in with yourself and prioritize self-care as you need it.

Orientation will be held virtually and is mandatory for all in-coming online MSW students.  Prior to Orientation, please ensure that you have completed all of the steps as listed above.