Winter 2026 MSW Enrollment Guide

Tuition, Billing & Financial Aid

The next step in your GSSW educational journey is to accept the offer of admission and submit your tuition deposit, if you haven’t already. We know that finances play a big role in your MSW program decision. Please sign up for a GSSW 1:1 Financial Aid Session if you have have scholarship, loan, or work study questions.

• Tuition Deposit Instructions

  Submit your $300 deposit by August 1, 2025 to hold your spot in the Denver Campus MSW Program.

  The deposit is non-refundable, but the full amount will be credited to your first tuition payment. 

  1. Accept Offer of Admission: To accept our offer of admission, visit your application status page. There, scroll to the “Forms” section and click the “Reply to Admission Offer” link to select “I ACCEPT your admission offer.”
  2. Submit Your Tuition Deposit: Once you have accepted your offer, you will have the opportunity to pay your tuition deposit by clicking the “Enrollment Deposit—Submit Payment” link that appears on your application status page. This link will take you to a webpage where you can pay your deposit with a credit card.
• Tuition & Billing

  The cost of attendance for our Denver Campus MSW Program is listed on our Master of Social Work Financial Aid page. Tuition for each quarter is due the first day of that quarter.

  Visit the Graduate financial aid website for resources that are helpful for your financial planning:

  • Graduate Program Tuition Calculator
  • Estimated Billing Worksheets
  • Information about Direct vs. Indirect Costs
  • Enrollment Adjustment Form
  • FA Appointments
     
• Scholarships & Loans

  Merit Scholarships

  Merit scholarships range from $11,000 - $23,000 for Denver Campus Advanced-Standing MSW students and $22,000 - $46,000 for Denver Campus MSW students; the amount received is determined by the merit and strength of your application. GSSW does offer merit scholarship appeals to newly admitted and incoming GSSW students. To be considered for a merit appeal, please email gsswadmission@du.edu.

  Loans

  Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan

  To apply for state or federal financial assistance, you must complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form as soon as possible. This application is required to determine eligibility for grants, loans and student employment.

  The University of Denver school code is 001371. You are eligible to receive up to *$20,500 each year you are in the program. You must be registered for at least 4 or more credits each quarter for the funds to disburse at the beginning of each quarter. Your loan will evenly disburse based upon the number of quarters outlined in your curriculum plan for the academic year.

  As a 2026 winter start Denver Campus MSW student, you will need to submit a 25-26 FAFSA to receive aid for Winter, Spring, and Summer quarters. The interest rate for 25-26 is 7.94%. This interest rate is fixed for the life of the loan and you do not need to start paying off the loan until 6 months after you graduate.

  The interest rate for summer 2025 is 8.08%. This interest rate is fixed for the life of the loan and you do not need to start paying off the loan until 6 months after you graduate.

  Tuition bills are generated by the Bursar's Office a month before each quarter. About 2 weeks before the start of the quarter, your financial aid will disburse to your student account. Your merit scholarship and federal loan will automatically pay towards your tuition bill. For example, if you are registered for 14 credits for Winter 2026, 14 credits x $1,340 per credit is $18,760. In addition, you have to pay a mandatory $4 technology fee for each registered credit. The total of these two direct fees will be your estimated Winter tuition bill. Once your merit scholarship and Federal loan pay out, if you have a remaining balance, that is where the Grad PLUS loan can come into play.

  Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan

  The Grad PLUS loan is an additional loan offered to students to pay for their education up to the total cost of attendance (COA), which includes direct and indirect costs. Direct costs are tuition, fees and health insurance (if enrolled in the DU plan). Indirect costs are books, housing, meals and transportation costs. The COA takes into account all of the expenses a student might have for that year including basic living costs. The average COA for a Denver Campus MSW student for 25-26 is about $78,933. To apply, visit StudentAid.gov

  • Under the "Apply for Aid" drop-down, click "Apply for a Grad PLUS loan". The Grad PLUS loan application opens up May each year. After you apply, the Department of Education will send DU a confirmation of your loan approval and the details of the requested amount. The Central Financial Aid office will add the loan to your financial aid package and send you an updated award letter. Your Grad PLUS loan amount will evenly disburse just like the Federal Direct Unsubsidized loan timeline listed above. If you have a remaining tuition balance, your Grad PLUS will pay off the remaining amount.
  • If you accept a larger Grad PLUS loan for indirect costs, you will receive a refund to your bank account as a direct deposit. Refunds will be initiated by the Bursar's Office about a week before classes begin. After you receive a refund and realize you don't need that excess money, you can email finaid@du.edu and return a portion of it back to DU. You can also email finaid@du.edu to increase or decrease quarter amounts as the year progresses.
  • To figure out how much of a Grad PLUS loan to request for, you take the average cost of attendance for an MSW student, minus your merit scholarship, minus your Federal Loan amount, minus work-study, minus any other external scholarships you may have received. The remaining amount is what you potentially receive for that academic year. The Grad PLUS loan interest rate for Winter 2026 is 8.94%. This interest rate is fixed for the life of the loan and you do not need to start paying off the loan until 6 months after you graduate. It's better to apply for the Grad PLUS loan at the beginning of the year and utilize the loan later than to not apply and realize you need it later on.

  If you have questions regarding FAFSA, federal loans or the GradPLUS loan, please email finaid@du.edu. 

  Grants

  Colorado "Critical Career" Graduate Grant

  Funding for this grant—provided by the Colorado General Assembly—is extremely limited. If you're eligible to receive this grant, you'll be notified by the Central Financial Aid Office via email in October—no separate application is required. Award amounts vary from $1,000 to $7,000. To be eligible, you must:

  • Be a Colorado resident and submit the CO Residency Form to the Registrar's Office
  • Be enrolled in a critical career field, such as the MSW program, as determined by the Colorado Department of Higher Education 
  • Have an Expected Family Contribution (as determined by the FAFSA) of less than $7,000
  • Be enrolled in 4 or more credits each quarter

  Additional Financial Aid Resources

  • Loan Forgiveness Programs
  • Graduation & Loan Repayment

Research Assistantships, Work-Study and Campus Jobs

• Research Assistantships

  Research Assistantships may be available to MSW students. Opportunities are dependent on one of two circumstances:  

  1. Supported positions are available through a faculty member’s grant funded research project.  
  2. Faculty members may be able to employ students through a student’s work study award. In this case, a Research Assistantship title may not always be used, but students can be hired as interviewers, coordinators, etc.    

   

  If you are interested in pursuing a research assistantship or work-study employment under a GSSW faculty member, view our active research project page to identify a project that fits your interest. Then, reach out directly to a faculty member and ask if they will have any research assistant or hourly positions available on their projects.  

  Most faculty hire in the summer or early fall for the academic year. Faculty may post open research assistantship opportunities on the student career website or the DU jobs website.

  For general questions about research assistantships, please reach out to Associate Professor Ramona Beltran.

• Work-Study

  Work-study is a need-based financial aid award that allows you to work on campus or with an approved off-campus employer to earn money to help pay for educational expenses. Graduate students can be awarded up to $5,000 per year. You must fill out a FAFSA to be eligible. If you are not awarded work-study, please email workstudy@du.edu to be put on a waitlist or if you have questions.  

  Learn More & View Open Positions 

• Campus Jobs

  Campus jobs are also a great option because employers understand you’re a student first. You can grow your skillset, deepen and apply your thinking, reflect on your interests and goals, and gain new perspectives on work, education, and life. These jobs are different than work-study because they are not dependent on need-based financial aid.  

  Learn More & View Campus Jobs 

MSW Curriculum Plans & Academic Planning

Register for an Academic Q&A information session.

For any questions about the registration process, course options, and your academic path prior to your arrival at orientation, you can register for an Academic Q&A Info Session. 

• Oct 7 - 4:00-5:00 p.m.
• Nov 4 - 4:00-5:00 p.m.
• Dec 9 - 3:30-4:30 p.m.

MSW Degree Planning Packet

The Degree Planning Packet is a tool you’ll use throughout your MSW program to help guide your course selection and sequencing. It serves as a comprehensive roadmap, outlining degree requirements, credit breakdowns, and curriculum plans to ensure you stay on track for graduation.

Denver Campus Winter 2026 MSW Degree Planning Packet

 

Denver Campus MSW students pursue their degree within the Advanced Social Work Practice concentration. You can select from a wide variety of courses to create a specialization that suits your personal interests and career goals. The concentration gives you the flexibility to choose courses that span a variety of social work topics and find the right fit. If you know where your interests lie, we offer several customizable pathways that allow you to specialize in your area of interest.

Denver Campus MSW Program

Start Date	Full-Time Curriculum Plan
Winter 2026	7-Quarter Curriculum Plan

Registration

After you deposit, you will receive an email with registration instructions. Refer to the registration email for more information or read the information below for registration preparation and instructions.  

Start Date	Registration Period
Winter 2026	Monday, October 20 to Wednesday, October 22

 

Registration Preparation

• 

  Check Your Student Profile for Registration Holds

  • Log into MyDU with your DU ID number (87#) and password
  • Select “My Student Profile” under the Academic Profile widget
  • Select the correct registration quarter from the "Term" drop-down menu above your profile photo
  • Click "Holds" on the top right
  • Review common registration holds or direct questions or concerns to the department that placed the hold.
• 

  Confirm Your Registration Day and Time

  • Log into MyDU with your DU ID (87#) and password
  • Select “My Student Profile” under the Academic Profile widget
  • Select the correct registration quarter from the "Term" drop-down menu above your profile photo
  • Click “Registration Notices” at top right of screen and review your registration day and time under "Time Tickets"
• 

  Plan Your Classes and Connect with an Advisor

  • Email GSSW.DenverCampus@du.edu if you have questions about what classes to take.
  • Tips for Viewing the Course Schedules:
    • Search by the subject "social work" and use attribute: "Social Work: Denver" to only see your program's classes.
    • All of your sections are in the 1s or 100s. If you see 200s, 300s or 500s, these sections belong to other MSW programs and you cannot register for them.

• Common Registration Holds

  Academic Standards Agreement Hold

  • This is a hold you can resolve via your MyDU. Once you sign, the hold is immediately removed.
  • Log into MyDU with your DU email and password
  • Using the search box function at the top of the screen, type "GSSW Academic Professional Standards Agreement"
  • Click on "GSSW Academic Professional Standards Agreement"
  • Read agreement and sign using your DU password

  Missing Billing Agreement Hold

  • This is a hold you can resolve via your MyDU. Once you sign, the hold is immediately removed.
  • Log into MyDU with your DU email and password
  • Using the search box function at the top of the screen, type "Billing Agreement"
  • Click on "Billing Agreement"
  • Read agreement and sign using your DU password

  Financial Hold

  Please call 303.871.4944 to clear this hold. You will need to work with them directly to clear your hold before you can register.

  Immunization Hold

  Reach out to Health and Counseling Center at 303.871.2205 or email them at info@hcc.du.edu. You will need to work with them directly to clear your hold before you can register.

  Missing Transcripts Hold

  The registration hold on your student profile will indicate which official transcripts are missing from your record. If you have not already done so, please have official transcripts sent directly from the school directly to registrar@du.edu to clear this hold. They must be sent directly from the school to be considered official.

  Office of Outreach and Support Hold

  Call 303.871.2400 to clear this hold. You will need to work with them directly to clear your hold before you can register.

  Parking Fines Hold

  Call 303.871.3210 to clear this hold. You will need to work with them directly to clear your hold before you can register.

Register For Classes

When registration opens, find your program and curriculum plan below and register for the corresponding courses.

• Winter 2026 Denver Campus MSW Program: Full-Time

  Curriculum Plan	Courses
  Winter Start: Denver Campus MSW Program: Full-Time	SOWK 4000: Professional Development Seminar (1) SOWK 4020: Integrated Practice for Social Justice (4) SOWK 4001: Clinical Social Work Skills (3) SOWK 4132: Power, Privilege, & Oppression (3) SOWK 4006: Human Behavior & the Social Environment (3)

  Register Now

Field Education

With field internships, you can begin practicing your social work skills right away. With more than 700+ GSSW field agencies in Denver—from hospitals and hospices to child welfare agencies, policy nonprofits and animal sanctuaries—you’ll find an internship that fits your specific needs and interests.

Please note that you will not be able to register for your field internship course until you complete the field internship process listed below. Email field@du.edu with any questions. 

• 

  Attend a Mandatory Field Information Session

  Sign-up instructions will be emailed after you submit your deposit.

• 

  Complete the Internship Search Form

  Information about the internship search form will be sent via email after the information session.

• 

  Schedule an Appointment with a Field Advisor

  After you complete the internship search form, you will set up a one-on-one meeting with a field advisor, who will work with you to identify GSSW-approved field agencies for your interview and selection process. 

• 

  Field Confirmation Form

  You may not register for a SOWK 4950 Foundation Field Internship, or begin your field placement, until you have submitted a Field Confirmation Form located in the internship database AND received specific registration instructions from the field office.

• 

  Field Internship Course Registration

  The field office will begin sending registration instructions in late fall. When you register for classes you will refer to the field registration instructions the field office provided you via email from field@du.edu after you submitted the Field Confirmation Form.

New Student Orientation

Required for all incoming Denver Campus MSW students, orientation will introduce community resources, expectations and opportunities as you begin your journey at GSSW. (Note: The date of the first day of classes may differ from DU's academic calendar.) All dates are subject to change. 

Start Date	Orientation	First Day of  Classes
Winter 2026	Jan 2026	Saturday, January 5, 2026

Academic Calendars

• Academic Year Calendar 2025-2026
• Academic Year Calendar 2026-2027