Entry requirements

Our typical offer is

• GPA 3.0 or above from High School Diploma along with one of the following at the required grade - SAT I and SAT II, ACT or Advanced Placement

If your qualification is not listed above, please contact the Student Administration team at admissions@sunderland.ac.uk for further advice.

We also require three passes at GCSE grade C or above, which must include Mathematics and English Language, or an equivalent qualification, for example; a minimum of Level 2 Key Skills in Communication and Application of Number. If you have studied for a new GCSE for which you will be awarded a numerical grade then you will need to achieve a grade 4 or above.

If you were educated outside the UK, you should normally offer the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) at a score of 7.0 in all components

Additional requirements

It is essential that you have experience (voluntary or paid) in a social care type setting, usually beyond college placements. This could include volunteering at weekends, evenings, or school/college holidays. We also accept personal experience as a carer or involvement with social care or social work. You should clearly describe your experience in the personal statement section of your application. This will be discussed with you at interview. It is important that you can reflect on your experience and relate it to a career in social work.

Social work education is regulated by the Health Care Professions Council. We are required to ensure that candidates are 'fit to practice' as qualified social workers.

Applicants are required to complete a satisfactory enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check prior to the start of the course. The provisions of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act do not apply to this course , however the amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975 (2013) provide that certain spent convictions and cautions are 'protected' and are not subject to disclosure to employers and cannot be taken into account. Guidance and criteria on the filtering of these cautions and convictions can be found on the Disclosure and Barring Service website: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dbs-filtering-guidance

If you are made an offer of a place on the course, we will ask you to make a written statement about incidents and ask for permission to share this anonymised information with our partner placement agencies for a judgement on your 'fitness to practice'. We may need your permission to contact the agencies involved in any incidents that you declare. Any offer of a place on the course will be subject to a satisfactory outcome of this process. However, declaring something does not necessarily mean that you will be prevented from attending the course and we judge each case on its merits.

Please note

Before we can confirm any offer of a place to you, we require:

Two satisfactory references

A satisfactory health clearance

An Enhanced Disclosure Barring Service check

A completed declaration form about any previous criminal convictions, either spent or unspent, and any disciplinary hearing or investigation related to vulnerable adults or safeguarding young people. You will need to pass our Fitness to Practice checks on these declarations.

Fees and finance

The annual fee for this course is:

• £9,250 if you are from the UK or EU
• £11,500 if you are from outside the EU

If you are not sure whether you qualify as a UK, EU or international student, find out more in our Help and Advice article.

Take a look at the Your Finances section to find out about the scholarships and bursaries that may be available to you.

You may also be eligible for an NHS social work bursary. Find out more on the NHS website.

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This information was correct at the time of publication.