Scholarships
The School of Social Work has several scholarships for social work students that are awarded on the basis of the candidate's academic performance and other specific criteria. Usually, applications for these scholarships are distributed to the current student body each Spring semester. A Scholarship Committee comprised of faculty members from the School reviews applications based on established criteria, and makes the final decision about scholarship awards.
For information about financial aid and other scholarships available through the University, it is recommended that the candidate visit the SJSU Financial Aid website or call 408-283-7500. Applicants to the Social Work program are encouraged to explore outside funding sources as well given that the scholarships listed here are for current students.
*Funding amounts for all the scholarships listed below vary each year.
Available scholarships
The Dorothy Miller Scholarship
This scholarship was established by Dr. Jerry Miller and Dr. Rachel Miller Wrenn and is awarded each year on the basis of academic performance and potential for making a contribution to the knowledge base of social work.
Eligibility: 2nd Year MSW Student; Must be at least half-time fully matriculated
Award Amount: $850.00 (as of May 2020)
The Helen S. Hansen Scholarship
This scholarship provides an award to any student enrolled in the master of social work program with preference to students who have a financial aid need. It was established by friends of Helen Hansen to honor her many contributions to the social work profession and is awarded every other year.
Eligibility: Enrolled in MSW program; Must have demonstrated leadership delivering social services to elderly population groups
Award Amount: $625.00 (as of May 2020)
The Helen Walsh Solderstrom Scholarship
Applicants will be evaluated based upon classroom and field work. This scholarship was established by Antoinette Broyles and her daughter Lucia Broyles-Gilbertson to honor their lifelong friend and SJSU alumna, Helen Walsh Solderstrom. This scholarship is awarded every other year to an MSW student whose career and life goals reflect those of Mrs. Helen Solderstrom.
Eligibility: Full-Time or Part-Time MSW Student; Must have demonstrated commitment to delivering social services to families and children, as well as to working in a public institution
Deborah Ann Gregg Memorial Scholarship
The School of Social Work has created the Deborah Ann Gregg Memorial Scholarship with the support of her colleagues at Gardner Family Care Corporation (Centro de Bienestar), the School of Social Work faculty and staff and her friends. Her parents, Jean Westerman Gregg and Dr. Robert Gregg made SJSU a substantial gift needed to establish a scholarship. Debbie was a social worker whose contribution included working as a psychotherapist with economically marginalized populations of color, developing political consciousness and helping her colleagues meet the requirements for obtaining their License in Clinical Social Work. She was also very active with the women's community, gay and lesbian community and the Native American community of the Bay Area. Debbie's spiritual practices, which were based on indigenous traditions, led her to live a life based on the principle of compassion for all living beings and respect for Nature.
Eligibility: MSW Student fully matriculated with a minimum of 12 units and a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above
Award Amount: $1,250.00 (as of May 2020)
Alicia Nájera Memorial Scholarship
This scholarship was created by the family in memory of Alicia Nájera, an alumna of our MSW Program at SJSU and a long-time social worker and community leader. Preference is given to first-generation students from under-represented populations and applicants who work and reside in Santa Cruz County.
Eligibility: MSW Student; Must express an interest in working with the public or voluntary nonprofit agencies or with local grassroots groups in the United States that impact the Latinx community.
Award Amount: $2,000.00 (for Spring 2022)
Stanley Lee Scholarship
San José State University’s School of Social Work created the Stanley Lee
Memorial Scholarship with the support of his family, his partner and her family
and the Social Work Program faculty, and staff. Stan was a child of an immigrant Chinese
family who grew up in the Mission District in San Francisco. He received an MSW from
San Francisco State University and an MBA from University of Southern California (USC).
After graduating USC, Stan began his 32-year career at the Santa Clara County Department
of Social Services starting in 1986 and served in a wide variety of positions until
his retirement in 2017. His greatest joy working at the Department was teaching and
mentoring new social workers. He felt passionately about developing the next diverse
generation of social workers. He taught and served on multiple committees at the School
of Social Work. It is the intent of this scholarship to support an MSW student whose
social work career goals reflect those of Stanley Lee, of working in social work in
a County Social Service agency specializing in working with children and families.
Eligibility: MSW Student
Social Work Field Instructors Recognition Fund
Retired instructor Shaaron Gilson created this fund to support the efforts of Field Instructors, which includes the "Shaaron Gilson Field Instructor of the Year" award. Her donations focus on training, resources, and opportunities for professional growth, as well as recognition of field instruction and Field Instructors working with SJSU's School of Social Work and our communities.
Eligibility: MSW Student
Raymond and Lucille Lee Writing Fellowship
The Raymond and Lucille Lee Writing Fellowship is an annual donation focused on providing writing support for MSW students at SJSU. The funds support stipends to two students per year (Writing Fellows) to provide writing assessment and tutoring primarily for first-year MSW students fulfilling the university's Graduate Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR).
Eligibility: MSW Student
