Scholarships

Thanks to the generous contributions of donors, the College of Social Work offers several scholarships to students who are enrolled full-time (9 or more credit hours) for both the fall and spring semesters. 

Departmental Scholarships

Selection is competitive, and applicants are considered for scholarships only if they meet individual scholarship requirements. Academic achievement and/or financial need are considered when selecting recipients, along with more specific criteria related to individual donor-specified criteria. Please note that funding is limited, and scholarship amounts vary. In most cases, they do not cover the full tuition and fees.

After being admitted to the program, you will be provided access to the scholarship application. The College scholarship application deadline is February 15th.


Akins Family Fellowship

  • Who is eligible: Knoxville on-campus MSSW students.
  • Must have significant financial need and demonstrate successful academic performance. Students must be in the Organizational Leadership concentration, graduate from a high school in East Tennessee, and be an active community volunteer who plans to remain active throughout their careers as professional social workers.

Bush Family Fellowship

  • Who is eligible: Knoxville on-campus MSSW students.
  • Provides tuition assistance to students who demonstrate academic merit and significant financial need.

Cornelius Bretz Scholarship

  • Who is eligible: MSSW students at Knoxville and Nashville campuses and online.
  • Must demonstrate successful academic performance
  • Financial need may be considered

Cornerstone of Recovery Fellowship

  • Who is eligible: Knoxville on-campus MSSW students.
  • Concentration year MSSW students who are interested in a career in addiction recovery. Must have previous experience in treating substance abuse in a mental health setting and have had personal experience with addiction within their own family or among friends. Recipients must be familiar with 12-step recovery programs and be committed to working within their philosophical framework.

John Erpenbach Endowed Scholarship

  • Who is eligible: MSSW students at both Knoxville and Nashville campuses and online
  • Must demonstrate successful academic performance
  • Preference will be given to students interested in treating substance abuse in a clinical setting.

Kathryn McCullough Fellowship

  • Who is eligible: MSSW students at both Knoxville and Nashville campuses and online.
  • Must have significant financial need and demonstrate successful academic performance.

Nooe-Black Endowment in Social Work and Law

  • Who is eligible: Knoxville on-campus students enrolled in one of the following programs:
  • Forensic Social Work Certificate
  • JD/MSSW joint degree
  • JD/MLS joint degree

Paul D. Coverdell Fellowship Program

  • Who is eligible: Knoxville on-campus MSSW students and Nashville on-campus MSSW students.
  • The Paul D. Coverdell Fellowship Program assists Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) to pursue graduate education. A Returned Peace Corps Volunteer must have successfully completed or been granted authorized emergency interruption of their two-year term of service. Applicants are required to submit a Description of Service (DOS) to document eligibility. Coverdell Fellows are required to complete internships in service to “underserved American communities.” This requirement is fulfilled through the field courses in the MSSW curriculum. Coverdell Fellows are also required to participate in Peace Corps recruitment activities on campus.

Devoto Family Scholarship

  • Who is eligible: Knoxville on-campus MSSW students.
  • For students committed to a career in service to at-risk children and families. Must have significant financial need and demonstrate successful academic performance.

DSW Fund for Clinical Excellence

  • Who is eligible: DSW students.
  • Applicants must demonstrate excellence in clinical practice. Preference is given to students with an interest in mental health or substance abuse, but financial need may be considered.

Forensic Social Work Scholarship

  • Who is eligible: Knoxville on-campus MSSW students, Nashville on-campus MSSW students, and Online MSSW students
  • Applicants must demonstrate successful academic performance.
  • Applicants must be enrolled in the Master of Science in Social Work (MSSW) program at the UT College of Social Work.
  • Preference will be given to applicants entering the concentration year and planning to complete the Forensic Social Work Certificate Program.
  • Financial need may be considered.

Jean Fincannon Gomes Endowed Scholarship

  • Who is eligible: BSSW students, Knoxville on-campus MSSW students, and Nashville on-campus MSSW students.
  • This is for students interested in working in the field of adoption and foster care. Students must have significant financial need and demonstrate successful academic performance.

Gideon Fryer Scholarship

  • Who is eligible: BSSW students; Knoxville on-campus MSSW students.
  • Recipients must have a consistent record of being an outstanding student.

Judge Carey E. Garrett Scholarship

  • Who is eligible: BSSW students.
  • This is for undergraduate juniors and seniors who have significant financial needs and demonstrate successful academic performance.

Betty C. Glasscock Scholarship

  • Who is eligible: Knoxville on-campus MSSW students, Nashville on-campus MSSW students, and Online MSSW students.
  • Must have significant financial need and demonstrate successful academic performance. Recipients will be clinical track MSSW students committed to advocating for the medical or mental health needs of families and children.

Graduate Research Assistantship (GRA)

  • Who is eligible: Knoxville on-campus MSSW students and Nashville on-campus MSSW students.
  • Must have significant financial need and demonstrate successful academic performance. Recipients must be willing and able to work ten hours per week during the academic year to support faculty/college research projects.

Ben P. Granger Scholarship

  • Who is eligible: BSSW students; Knoxville on-campus MSSW students.
  • Provides tuition assistance to students who demonstrate academic merit and significant financial need.

Diane Hagey Memorial Scholarship

  • Who is eligible: BSSW students and Knoxville on-campus MSSW students.
  • Must have significant financial need and demonstrate successful academic performance. Selected students must be willing to commit to spending 40 hours per academic year in a shadowing program in the dialysis field. Must also have an interest in pursuing a career in medical social work.

John and Louise Harrison Scholarship

  • Who is eligible: BSSW students; Knoxville on-campus MSSW students.
  • Available for students from East Tennessee who have significant financial need and demonstrate successful academic performance.

Hisashi Hirayama Fellowship

  • Who is eligible: Knoxville on-campus MSSW students, Nashville on-campus MSSW students, and Online MSSW students.
  • Available for students from Memphis who plan to work in the social services field in Memphis upon graduation. Must have significant financial need and demonstrate successful academic performance.

William Steven Inklebarger Scholarship

  • Who is eligible: Knoxville on-campus MSSW students.
  • Must have significant financial need and demonstrate successful academic performance. This scholarship is for past or present members of our armed forces (or planning to work for the military upon graduation) or those planning to work in rural Appalachia.

Indigo Scholarship

  • Who is eligible: BSSW students, Knoxville on-campus MSSW students, and Nashville on-campus MSSW students.
  • Students must demonstrate successful academic performance. Financial need may also be considered.

Thomas Jefferson Graduate Fellowship

  • Who is eligible: Knoxville on-campus MSSW students, Nashville on-campus MSSW students, and PhD students.
  • Provides tuition assistance to students who demonstrate academic merit and significant financial need.

George R. Johnson Family Foundation Scholarship

  • Who is eligible: BSSW students, Knoxville on-campus MSSW students, Nashville on-campus MSSW students, and Online MSSW students
  • Eligible students must be from one of Tennessee counties: Bradley, Hamilton, Loudon, Marion, Meigs, McMinn, Monroe, Polk, Rhea, or Sequatchie. Must have significant financial need and demonstrate successful academic performance.

Sally H. Johnson Memorial Scholarship

  • Who is eligible: Knoxville on-campus MSSW students, Nashville on-campus MSSW students, and Online MSSW students.
  • Provides tuition assistance to students who demonstrate academic merit and significant financial need. Must be enrolled in the full-time MSSW program.

Gene and Annette Lawrence Fellowship

  • Who is eligible: Knoxville on-campus MSSW students, Nashville on-campus MSSW students, and Online MSSW students.
  • Available for students from Memphis who plan to work in the social services field in Memphis upon graduation. Must have significant financial need and demonstrate successful academic performance. Eligible students must be assigned to Alliance Healthcare Services for their field placement.

Philip and Janet Lawson Graduate Fellowship

  • Who is eligible: Knoxville on-campus MSSW students, Nashville on-campus MSSW students, and Online MSSW students.
  • Provides tuition assistance to students who demonstrate academic merit and significant financial need.

Mallicote Family Graduate Fellowship for Veterinary Social Work

  • Who is eligible: Knoxville on-campus MSSW students.
  • Must have significant financial need and demonstrate successful academic performance. Must be pursuing a graduate certificate in Veterinary Social Work.

Earl Medley Endowed Scholarship

  • Who is eligible: BSSW students, Knoxville on-campus MSSW students.
  • Must have significant financial need and demonstrate successful academic performance. Recipients must be from the Chattanooga, TN area.

John and Grace Millen Scholarship

  • Who is eligible: BSSW students, Knoxville on-campus MSSW students, Nashville on-campus MSSW students, and Online MSSW students.
  • Must have significant financial need and demonstrate successful academic performance. Selected recipients must plan to work in Chattanooga or the East Tennessee area after graduation.

Linda Herbert Miller Scholarship

  • Who is eligible: Knoxville on-campus MSSW students, Nashville on-campus MSSW students, and Online MSSW students.
  • Must have significant financial need and demonstrate successful academic performance. Selected recipients must be from Memphis and plan to work in the social services field in Memphis upon graduation. They must also be a single working parent with primary responsibility for childcare and be highly motivated to be successful in graduate school.

Gene and Florence Monday Foundation Scholarship

  • Who is eligible: BSSW students, Knoxville on-campus MSSW students.
  • Must have significant financial need and demonstrate successful academic performance. Students must plan to attain a certificate in trauma treatment and/or licensure in school social work.

Roger and Carol Nooe Scholarship

  • Who is eligible: Knoxville MSSW students.
  • Must have significant financial need and demonstrate successful academic performance. Must also be a concentration year MSSW student in the clinical concentration.

Betty M. Robinson Fellowship

  • Who is eligible: Knoxville on-campus MSSW students.
  • Provides tuition assistance to students who demonstrate academic merit and significant financial need.

Joseph and Johnnie Lee Tarrer Scholarship

  • Who is eligible: Knoxville on-campus MSSW students, Nashville on-campus MSSW students, and Online MSSW students.
  • Must have significant financial need and demonstrate successful academic performance.

Elisabeth Rukeyser Endowed Fellowship in Mental Health Practice

  • Who is eligible: DSW students.
  • Applicants must be advanced clinical practitioners working in a clinical mental health setting in Tennessee.

Leilani and Barry Seltzer Fellowship

  • Who is eligible: Knoxville on-campus MSSW students.
  • Must have significant financial need and demonstrate successful academic performance.  Recipients must be a single custodian parent. Preference will be given to applicants who contribute to the diversity of the College’s student population (for example, geographic origin, diversity of experiences, and/or socioeconomic background).

Social Work Endowment for the Future

  • Who is eligible: BSSW students; Knoxville on-campus MSSW students.
  • Must have significant financial need and demonstrate successful academic performance. Recipients should use this funding to purchase equipment necessary for coursework, such as textbooks and computers.

Social Work Undergraduate Scholarship Fund

  • Who is eligible: BSSW students.
  • Undergraduate social work students admitted into upper-division social work courses must have significant financial needs and demonstrate successful academic performance.

Karen M. Sowers Endowed Graduate Fellowship

  • Who is eligible: Knoxville on-campus MSSW students, Nashville on-campus MSSW students, Online MSSW students, PhD Students, and DSW students.
  • Provides tuition assistance to students who demonstrate academic merit and significant financial need.

Rody Thompson Endowed Scholarship

  • Who is eligible: Knoxville on-campus MSSW students, Nashville on-campus MSSW students, and Online MSSW students.
  • Must have significant financial need and demonstrate successful academic performance. This award is for students preparing for a career in diversity issues, community building, and/or poverty reduction.

TIPS Program

  • Who is eligible: Knoxville on-campus MSSW students, Nashville on-campus MSSW students, and Online MSSW students.
  • Must have significant financial need and demonstrate successful academic performance. Eligible students must be interested in a field placement in an integrated healthcare setting.

Hugh H. Vaughn Fellowship

  • Who is eligible: Knoxville on-campus MSSW students, Nashville on-campus MSSW students, and Online MSSW students.
  • Available for students from Memphis who plan to work in the social services field in Memphis upon graduation. Must have significant financial need and demonstrate successful academic performance.

Mary E. Walker Endowed Scholarship

  • Who is eligible: Knoxville on-campus MSSW students and Nashville on-campus MSSW students.
  • Must have significant financial need and demonstrate successful academic performance. Selected recipients must be interested in working with children and advocating on their behalf.