La Salle University

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Growing Social Work Skills at La Salle

La Salle University appears in our ranking of the 35 Best Value Christian Colleges with CSWE-accredited Programs.

Since 1982, the School of Arts & Sciences has granted an accredited Bachelor of Social Work for La Salle University undergrads following God's call to restore human rights and dignity to the disenfranchised. Chaired by Janine Mariscotti, LCSW, the 120-credit curriculum integrates Catholic values into entry-level generalist training for agents of change. Courses like Human Relationships, Grief Counseling, Drug Intervention, and Research Methods meet in Olney Hall during the daytime or evenings with an 11:1 learner-faculty ratio. The 15-month Accelerated BSW also admits cohorts for weekly Plymouth Meeting sessions and online study. Fieldwork is the program's hallmark with 600 internship hours total at Brith Shalom House, Casa del Carmen, Albert Einstein Medical Center, Saint John's Hospice, The Healing Way, and more. Other opportunities include joining the SWSO, pledging Phi Alpha, adding the Autism Minor, venturing to Tokyo, attending the King's Dream Retreat, and serving with Pheed Philly.

About La Salle University

La Salle University was opened at St. Michael's Parish in March 1863 by Rev. James Wood, the first Archbishop of Philadelphia, to train Catholic males for ministry. Twenty-three years later, it moved Downtown to the estate of Michael Bouvier, First Lady Jackie Kennedy's ancestor. By 1931, La Salle found its current 130-acre Belfield home in North Philadelphia near Germantown. Coeducational starting in 1970, it received a Commonwealth charter for university status in 1984. Budgeting $132 million yearly, La Salle University now honors its namesake Saint Jean-Baptiste by training 3,652 undergrad Explorers, including Social Work majors, for 92 percent job placement. Linked to 47,299 LinkedIn alumni, the Atlantic 10 member has graduated Tom Curley, Michael Stack, Jessica Barth, Tom Gola, and others.

The U.S. News & World Report ranked La Salle the 34th best Northern university, 18th best for vets campus, and 27th top value. On Niche, LSU boasts America's 61st best Catholic education, 70th best standout academics, 316th most diversity, and 392nd top professors. Times Higher Education placed La Salle University 292nd nationally. Forbes picked La Salle 376th overall with the 299th happiest alums. PayScale positioned LSU 164th for its mid-career median salary of $108,100. College Factual noticed La Salle for the country's 71st best social work program and 198th best buy. The Social Mobility Index honored LSU with the 88th best opportunities. In Washington Monthly, La Salle University also holds the 177th best research funding and 214th most service participation.

La Salle University Accreditation Details

In 2016, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) culminated a comprehensive evaluation of La Salle University to reaffirm the Level V accreditation for another 10 years under its 29th president, Dr. Colleen Hanycz, who won the 2015 YMCA Women of Excellence Award. Located just eight miles south via Interstate 76 in West Powelton, this six-state Eastern Seaboard accreditor is powered by the U.S. Secretary of Education to evaluate the success of La Salle's 48 baccalaureate, 28 master's, and two doctoral majors. The School of Arts & Sciences had its BSW accreditation continued by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) through June 2021 too.

La Salle University Application Requirements

Getting into La Salle University is labeled "moderately difficult" on Peterson's because 4,359 of the 5,673 Fall 2016 applicants met selective criteria for 76.8 percent acceptance. First-year Explorers pointing their compasses toward the Bachelor of Social Work need a secondary diploma or GED first. In grades 9-12, admitted undergrads present a mean 3.35 GPA. On average, freshmen hold a 1090 SAT score or 21 ACT score. This clears the way for major prerequisites like Introduction to Social Work. Sophomores or juniors can officially declare BSW majors if their overall GPA breaches 2.3. Reflection of the NASW Code of Ethics and final course grades of "C" or better are required. Starting the Accelerated Program in Plymouth Meeting requires transferring the 19 general education courses from accredited colleges. Non-native English speakers need a minimum TOEFL pbT score of 540 or equivalent as well.

La Salle University has set an Early Explorer deadline of November 1st with rolling admission thereafter. The Bachelor of Social Work major specifically has an October 15th cutoff for undergrads during their SWK 340 semester. Candidates disclose their credentials online via the LSU or Common Application form. Extra materials are mailed to 1900 West Olney Avenue in Philadelphia, PA 19141. Please contact (215) 951-1500 or [email protected] for further instruction. Future social workers are evaluated with the following:

  • $35 application fee payment or waiver request
  • Former secondary and collegiate transcripts
  • Satisfactory SAT/ACT scores if less than 30 credits
  • One academic and one supervisor reference
  • Autobiographical statement of two to four pages
  • Copy of current criminal/child abuse clearances
  • Résumé of community service experiences
  • International visas and English evidence when applicable

Tuition and Financial Aid

For 2018-19, La Salle University will charge full-time BSW majors $29,810 annually or $14,905 each term. Studying part-time incurs $994 per credit. Adults in the Accelerated Bachelor of Social Work pay $605 per credit. Budgets must include the $100 activities fee, $275 university fee, $300 orientation fee, $75 wellness fee, and $150 technology fee. Living at the Philadelphia campus' 12 dorms like St. Neumann Hall adds $$3,995 for double room rent and $3,545 for unlimited meals. La Salle estimates that textbooks and miscellaneous expenses cost $1,000 apiece per year. Annual bachelor's attendance equals $45,476 on-site and $33,500 at home.

According to the NCES College Navigator, 89 percent of full-time La Salle Explorers conquer tuition with median financial aid packages worth $25,730 for $83.9 million total. University funds include the Sister Ruth Mahar Scholarship, Grace & Grit Award, Christian Brothers' Scholarship, Founder Scholarship, Community Service Scholarship, Major General William Burns Grant, Modern Handling Scholarship, and Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship. Transfers signing a Dual Admission Agreement qualify for $1,500 discounts. The Tuition Exchange (TE) covers half to full tuition for dependents of full-time staff at 400+ colleges. Federal Pell and Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants can be accessed with FAFSA forms coded 003287. Pennsylvanians often benefit from the PHEAA State Grant, Path Program, or Postsecondary Educational Gratuity Program. Undergrads can receive Federal Work-Study positions of eight to 20 hours weekly from the Art Museum to the Hispanic Institute. Money magazine also ranked La Salle 390th for an average debt of $20,500 from federal or alternative loans.

Read more about La Salle University at the Department of Social Work website.