Free Tools
Free BSW Planning Tools
What Can These Tools Help You Decide?
Five decisions shape a BSW: which program fits your life, whether your credits transfer, whether the school leads into an MSW, whether your state licenses BSW graduates, and what it will cost. Each tool runs on the same verified records as the rest of the site: 631 programs at 565 schools, checked on official school pages, CSWE's directory, 52 state boards' licensing rules and federal tuition and loan figures.
- BSW-to-MSW Route FinderPick a state or a BSW school and see which BSW programs lead straight into an MSW with advanced standing at the same school, with the MSW credits each route saves.
- Transfer and Degree Completion FinderHave an associate degree or college credits? Find BSW programs with named transfer pathways, 2+2 agreements and online degree-completion options in your state, with each school's admission rule.
- Can I Be Licensed With a BSW? State CheckerPick a state to see whether it licenses BSW graduates, the license title, the ASWB exam it names and the board's link, with the CSWE BSW programs in that state.
- BSW Cost ComparisonCompare up to four schools: federal in-state and out-of-state tuition and fees, published per-credit rates for online programs, and what federal undergraduate loans cover.
- BSW Program MatcherAnswer a few questions about format, state, transfer credits, child welfare, the MSW route and budget, and get the verified BSW programs that fit, with the reasons each one matched.
Why These Tools Exist
Most BSW rankings list schools without answering the questions that decide the choice. Whether you can be licensed with a bachelor's degree depends on your state: 42 of 52 jurisdictions issue a bachelor's-level social work license and 10 don't. The BSW license checker gives your state's answer with the board's own rule.
Cost is the other deciding question. A dependent undergraduate can borrow $5,500, $6,500, $7,500, $7,500 in federal Direct Loans across four years, $27,000 in all within a $31,000 aggregate limit; independent students can borrow up to $57,500. The BSW cost comparison shows what's left at each school before grants.
Two routes save the most time: transferring in with an associate degree (204 programs offer degree completion or a named transfer pathway) and moving straight into an MSW with advanced standing (323 schools offer both degrees).