No Social Work Degree or Non-Accredited Social Work Degree

If you have obtained:

  1. A social work degree from a social work program that is NOT accredited by the Canadian Association for Social Work Education (CASWE), the National Indigenous Accreditation Board (NIAB) or the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE); OR
  2. A social work degree from a country other than Canada or the United States that was evaluated by the Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW) as NOT being equivalent to the minimum of a bachelor of social work degree from a social work program accredited by the CASWE; OR
  3. A degree that is not in social work,

you may submit an application showing you have a combination of academic qualifications and experience performing the role of a social worker to be evaluated by the College. If it is determined that your combination of academic qualifications and experience is substantially equivalent to the qualifications required for a degree in social work from a social work program accredited by the CASWE, you may be able to register with the College.

The following criteria is used to determine whether you have the academic qualifications and experience required for a degree in social work from a CASWE accredited social work program:

Education

  • You must have a minimum of a university-level bachelor’s degree, based on the norm of a four-year first degree program (or a three-year bachelor’s degree from Quebec) with a minimum of 40 per cent course credits in liberal arts, humanities, and social sciences.
  • Included in this degree, or in some combination of acceptable education and training obtained outside of the degree, there must be content judged to be minimally equivalent to 10 undergraduate university level courses in 12 specific areas. (One full university level course is equal to approximately 75 hours. The College will also consider two single semester courses that cover the content area.)
  • For a detailed description of the criteria that the College will use to assess your application, please read the Registration Guide.

Experience

  • You must have performed the role of a social worker for at least one year, having had direct responsibility for providing social work services to individuals, groups and communities.

Supervision

  • Within this year, 700 hours of your practice must have been supervised by a social worker.

Currency Requirement

  • It is a requirement for registration that you engaged in the practice of social work within the five years immediately before the date of the application or otherwise satisfy to the College that you are competent to perform the role of a social worker.

How to Apply

  • Information for All Applicants
    Please ensure you read the important information found on the Information for All Applicants page. See also information for the Internationally Trained Applicants and the Toronto Metropolitan University Bridging Program.
  • Transcripts
    Arrange for your university to forward an official transcript directly to the College. Please note:
    • The transcript must contain your name as it appears on the application form and the name under which you were issued your academic qualifications. If the name used on the application form is different from the name on the academic verification, please explain.
    • The College accepts only original documents directly from the academic institution. Your own transcripts or photocopies of your academic qualifications are not accepted. We also accept transcripts that are shared directly with us through third party platforms (such as MyCreds™ or Parchment) to our registration@ocswssw.org email.
    • If you completed your degree(s) outside Canada and the U.S., you must arrange to have your transcripts sent to a third-party evaluation agency that is a provincially mandated or a recognized credential evaluation agency such as the World Education Services (WES) or the International Credential Assessment Service of Canada (ICAS). Visit their website(s) for details about their requirements including fees, translations and timelines.
  • Course Descriptions
    You must also provide a copy of the academic institutions’ official course descriptions, course outlines or syllabi for each program or individual course submitted for evaluation, which are confirmed on your transcript(s).
    • The course descriptions must be from the academic institution (for example, copies of previous academic calendars where the front cover is provided, copies downloaded from the academic institution’s website where the URL link is visible, or course syllabus). They must also confirm the name of the academic institution and year for which they are valid.
    • The course descriptions must be uploaded with your application in the Online Portal in PDF format. If you have multiple PDF files, they must be combined into one file. You can combine PDF files using Adobe Acrobat. If you are unable to combine the files, please email them to equivalency@ocswssw.org.  
  • Length of Practice and Supervision Confirmation Form(s)
    TO BE COMPLETED BY THE APPLICANT’S SUPERVISOR(S) AND/OR EMPLOYER(S) – Ensure you forward the Length of Practice and Supervision Confirmation Form(s) found in the online portal to the people who will provide information about your experience in performing the role of a social worker. The completed Length of Practice and Supervision Confirmation Form must be mailed by them directly to the College.
  • Fees
    The application fee must be paid when you submit your application. Click here for more information about the fees.

Complete your application through the College’s Online Portal, including uploading all required documents. The review process will only begin after the College has received all your documents and application fee. The College will contact you if more information is required. The application process can be delayed if the College has not received all of the required documents from you or from a third party on your behalf (i.e. academic institution, employer, etc.). The assessment of your application will take a minimum of eight months after all documentation is received. Currently the College is experiencing an exceedingly high volume of applications which may affect the timelines for evaluation. Documents submitted to the College become property of the College.

Before completing your application, please read the Registration Guide for further information.