Financial aid

Recent Federal reductions in support to human services and education programs have severely limited the resources for stipends. It is therefore, important that applicants have a sound financial plan for covering expense while attending school. Financial awards are made only when an applicant has been approved for admission. Types of Financial Aid available include the following:

• Pell Grants
• Supplemental Education Opportunity
• Grants
• College Work Study Employment
• National Direct Student Loans
• Guaranteed Student Loans
• Bureau of Indian Affairs Financial Aid
• State Student Incentive Grant
• Veterans Education Loan
• Emergency Loan
• Migrant Opportunity Program
• University Financial Aid
• Scholarship Universe

STUDENT FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE OFFICE
ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY, PO BOX 870412
TEMPE, ARIZONA 85287-0412
Telephone: (480) 965-3355

Please write directly to this office for an application. In order to be considered for assistance through the Student Financial Assistance Office, the applicant must be on file prior to March 1. 

• For Teaching (TA) and Research (RA) Assistantships and Management Internship Positions. These positions tend to be tied to grants, so are generally funded beginning July 1st or October 1st, depending upon the source of funding. You may find a position in social work or a different department. Follow this link for the application and open positions. NOTE: Keep an eye out for announcements on the MSW Resource Center because available assistantships are commonly shared internally first.
• Office of Human Resources. Click on the link at the bottom left for Student Positions. The link to Graduate Positions will take you back to the TA/RA site above. To do an online job search, go to: http://students.asu.edu/student-employment/search and scroll down to "Start Your Search".
• Scroll down to "Types of Financial Aid at ASU", including scholarships, grants, student employment, and educational loans. https://tuition.asu.edu/financial-aid
• University Scholarships. http://students.asu.edu/scholarships

GRADUATE COLLEGE
ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY PO BOX 871003
TEMPE ARIZONA 85287-1003
Telephone : (480) 965-3521

More information can be found at the Graduate College Website

Obtaining your PhD is a full time job. To assist you to focus and engage in meaningful academic experiences relative to your continued academic and professional success, every effort is made to provide some financial support through a combination of tuition waivers to cover the cost of tuition, a monthly stipend, and health insurance benefits.

New and continuing students are welcome to apply for assistance. More recently admitted students are given priority for available funding but the school welcomes continuing students to apply based on the availability of resources.

To receive financial assistance from the school, students must be full-time, take only advisor-approved courses, and meet all the criteria published by the Graduate College and the School of Social Work. In acceptance of some financial assistance students are required to act as research and teaching assistants and participate in seminars that provide essential learning material and experiences vital to educational and professional development. Please feel free to contact the PhD Program Coordinator for further details, as financial aid can vary year-to-year.

Where else can you find assistance to fund your education?
To supplement assistance received through the ASU School of Social Work, or to provide continued financial assistance the following resources are available to assist you: 
https://www.nih.gov/grants-funding

https://tuition.asu.edu/financial-aid

ASU Commitment Scholarship

Starting Fall 2026, ASU will no longer participate in the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) program. Instead, out-of-state undergraduate students applying for college immediately following high school are eligible for the ASU Commitment Scholarship, regardless of state of residency, campus choice, or major. This scholarship is automatically applied once the student is admitted to ASU. 

More information can be found here: https://tuition.asu.edu/asu-commitment-scholarship

Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP)

Once admitted to ASU's in-person MSW program on the Downtown, Tucson, and Yuma campuses, students who are from the following states are eligible to apply for a limited number of in-state (AZ resident) tuition rates through the Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP). Online and Doctoral programs are not eligible. Participating WRGP states include:  Alaska; California; Colorado; Hawaii; Idaho; Montana; Nevada; New Mexico; North Dakota; Oregon; South Dakota; Utah; Washington; Wyoming; and U.S. Pacific Territories and freely associated states.  If you are a current resident of one of those states, you are eligible to apply for the program.

To be considered for the resident tuition rates, you will need to complete the WRGP Application Form found on the Graduate College website.  This form with all supporting documentation must be submitted to Graduate Admissions by the following deadlines:

• Fall Semester - June 1
• Spring Semester - November 1
• Summer Term - April 1

WRGP applications received after these deadlines will be considered for the next term.

For more information, email [email protected].

• Health Insurance http://students.asu.edu/health
• Graduate College: Professional Development Resources  https://graduate.asu.edu/current-students/enrich-your-experience/professional-development
• Southwest Interdisciplinary Research Center Data Analysis Clinic (SIRC)  http://sirc.asu.edu/
• Child Welfare Education Program (CWEP) https://socialwork.asu.edu/childwelfare
• Disability Resource Center  https://eoss.asu.edu/accessibility
• Student Success Center https://success.asu.edu/