Explore Illinois
![classroom of students](https://socialwork.illinois.edu/app/uploads/2020/12/33230901668_d2c4dc1275_k-656x440-c-default.jpg)
Our school:
Small class sizes, a close-knit network, and faculty support set our school apart.
![Kids at community event](https://socialwork.illinois.edu/app/uploads/2020/10/40141327593_d8b967009b_k-656x440-c-default.jpg)
Beyond the classroom:
Leadership and volunteer opportunities abound on campus and in the community.
![social worker talking to patient and doctor in hospital](https://socialwork.illinois.edu/app/uploads/2020/11/46192398595_677ba20e64_o-scaled-656x440-c-default.jpg)
Career paths:
See where you can go with a degree from the Illinois School of Social Work.
Why Social Work?
Our society faces serious, interrelated, and large-scale challenges–violence, substance abuse, environmental degradation, injustice, isolation, and inequality. We need social workers’ unique blend of scientific knowledge and caring practice more than ever.
![image of man looking at signs at White House - Photo by Gayatri Malhotra on Unsplash](https://socialwork.illinois.edu/app/uploads/2020/12/gayatri-malhotra-DjKnrZLgb-w-unsplash-500x0-c-default.jpg)
“I realized you can study social work and you do not have to be a social worker. You can be a policymaker, you can work in HR, you can do on-the-ground mutual aid work or be a leader of a nonprofit. It’s really a [field] that provides a lot of flexibility.”
Getting started
![students in classroom](https://socialwork.illinois.edu/app/uploads/2020/11/49963391443_cf2804f40b_k-e1610127892872-656x440-c-default.jpg)
Admission Requirements
Find out what it takes to apply to our BSW, MSW, and PhD programs
![student using laptop](https://socialwork.illinois.edu/app/uploads/2020/12/Screen-Shot-2020-12-22-at-11.18.21-AM-656x440-c-default.jpg)
Paying for your education
See the scholarships, assistantships, and fellowships available to social work students.