Behavioral and Mental Health Workforce Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students (SDS) Eligibility Requirements and Scholarship Application
The Social Work Department’s SDS scholarship can help students attend the program full-time and graduate with few or no loans to repay. This scholarship can pay for tuition and fees, living expenses, textbooks, travel to internship sites, and licensing exams.
To be eligible, MSW students must meet all of the following criteria:
- Full-time MSW Student
- Only students accepted to the UTEP Master’s in Social Work Program are eligible for these scholarships.
- Undergraduate students are not eligible.
- Completing field practicum in a behavioral health or mental health setting
- The Field Coordinator will provide a list of the many eligible sites.
- Enrolled in the full-time program
- Students must be enrolled in at least 24 credit hours per academic year, combined between Summer, Fall, and/or Spring semesters
- Part-time students are not eligible.
- Completed FAFSA for the current academic year on-file
- Display current economic need based on family and/or student income
- Meet HRSA’s definitions of people who face economic and/or environmental disadvantages in education.
- Students must fit into one or more of the following groups:
- Had low family incomes as youth
- Are first generation college students (neither parent is a college graduate)
- Are members of racial/ethnic minority groups such as Latina/o or Hispanic, African-American, Asian/Pacific-Islander, and Native American
- Went to high schools with few resources. Schools with fewer resources offer fewer opportunities for even their most successful students. Nearly all El Paso-area public schools apply. Simply list your high school on the application, and the committee will review this.
- Students must fit into one or more of the following groups:
How to Apply:
- Complete the UTEP Social Work SDS Application on UTEP’s Scholarmine website at https://utep.academicworks.com/. Search for SDS and Social Work.
- Complete a FAFSA to demonstrate current economic need. https://fafsa.ed.gov/ and send information to UTEP School code: 003661
Recipient Requirements:
There is no post-graduation payback or service requirement. Recipients must maintain satisfactory academic progress and complete surveys to document their progress through the program.