Madras School of Social Work Admissions 2026-27 Dates, Appilcation Form, Process & Fee

The Madras School of Social Work (MSSW), established in 1952 under the auspices of the Society for Social Education and Research (SSER), is a premier autonomous institution affiliated with the University of Madras. Accredited with an "A+" Grade by NAAC, MSSW stands as a distinguished center of excellence specializing in social work education, human resource management, counseling psychology, and development studies in South India.

Admissions for the 2026–2027 academic cycle follow a structured evaluation policy. Undergraduate admissions are strictly merit-based, while postgraduate admissions employ a comprehensive multi-tiered assessment framework utilizing national and institutional entrance evaluations. The college strictly follows the statutory reservation policies mandated by the Government of Tamil Nadu.

Admission Process

Admissions at the Madras School of Social Work are processed entirely through the college’s centralized online application registry (admission.mssw.in or mssw.in).

1. Online Account Creation: Candidates must register as new users on the dashboard using a unique email ID, an active mobile number, and their Aadhaar number (with a mandatory upload of the Aadhaar card in JPEG format). Accounts from previous years are systematically deactivated.

2. Form Entry & Multi-Program Selection: Applicants fill in personal data, community status, and scholastic indices. Candidates can apply for multiple courses across different departments within a unified online form. UG applicants can multi-select both BSW and BSc Psychology, while PG applicants can simultaneously choose various branches or specializations (e.g., Community Development, Mental Health, Medical & Psychiatric Social Work).

3. Application Fee Payment: After saving and reviewing the application inputs, the candidate pays the computed application fee via the integrated electronic gateway (UPI, Net Banking, or Credit/Debit Card). Hard copies do not need to be posted to the campus.

4. Scholastic Evaluation Tracks:

   • Undergraduate (UG): No institutional entrance exam is required. Rankings are based on the aggregate percentage of marks obtained in the Plus Two higher secondary examinations across the four main subjects (excluding language papers).

   • Postgraduate (PG): Candidates are evaluated using a 3-part matrix: UG marks up to the 5th/7th semester (scaled to 50 marks), an entrance examination score (scaled to 25 marks), and a Group Discussion/Personal Interview (GD/PI) round. For the entrance component, MSSW accepts either the national CUET-PG 2026 score or the institutional MSSW Entrance Test (MET 2026). Candidates who take both may submit their highest score.

5. Shortlisting and Counseling: Shortlisted applicants must report physically to the MSSW campus in Egmore, Chennai, for document verification and interactive panels.

6. Quota Allocations: In Self-Financed and Aided streams, seats are distributed according to government reservation quotas. For UG programs, a specific seat safety margin (e.g., 8 seats in BSc Psychology and 6 seats in BSW) is reserved for CBSE/ICSE applicants if their board results are delayed relative to state results.

Eligibility Criteria

1. Undergraduate (UG) Programmes

• General Requirement: A successful pass in the Higher Secondary Certificate (+2/10+2) examination from the Tamil Nadu State Board, CBSE, ICSE, or any other equivalent board accepted by the University of Madras.

• Program-Specific Requirements:

  • Bachelor of Social Work (BSW - Self-Financed): Candidates must have passed 10+2 from any academic stream.

  • BSc Psychology (Self-Financed): Candidates must have passed 10+2 from any academic stream. Selection indices exclude language scores.

2. Postgraduate (PG) Programmes

• General Requirement: Completion of a 3-year or 4-year undergraduate degree from a recognized university following the 10+2+3 or 11+1+3 system. Students in their final semester can apply provisionally using marks up to the 5th/7th semester.

• Program-Specific Requirements:

  • Master of Social Work (MSW - Aided / Self-Financed): Graduation in any discipline from a recognized university. Relevant CUET-PG paper code is HUQP21 (Social Work); corresponding MET code is METSW. Specializations include Community Development, Medical & Psychiatric Social Work, Human Resource Management, Mental Health, and Children & Families.

  • MA Human Resource Management (MA HRM) / MA Human Resources & Organizational Development (MA HR&OD): Graduation in any discipline. Relevant CUET paper code is COQP12 (General Management); MET code is METMGT.

  • MSc Counseling Psychology / MSc Family Counseling: A Bachelor's degree specifically in Psychology or Counseling Psychology. Relevant CUET paper code is HUQP20 (Psychology).

  • MA Social Entrepreneurship / MA Development Management: Graduation in any discipline.

3. PG Diploma & Research Frameworks

• PG Diploma (Personnel Management & Industrial Relations): Graduation in any discipline. For the specialized PG Diploma in Human Resource Management, an additional 2 years of continuous work experience is required.

• PhD / MPhil (Social Work / Psychology): A 2-year post-graduate degree in the respective field under the 10+2+3+2 framework, complying with minimum score parameters.

Note: For community seat reservations, only applicants possessing a permanent community certificate issued by the Government of Tamil Nadu can claim vertical reservations (BC/BCM/MBC/DNC/SC/SCA/ST). Out-of-state reservation applicants without a Tamil Nadu state community certificate are classified under the Open Competition (OC) category.

Important Dates

The following schedule profiles the operational admission events for both the UG and PG pipelines for the 2026 academic cycle.

Application Fees

Application processing fees are paid online through the electronic admissions portal. The fee structure is broken down below:

• Undergraduate (UG) Applications: INR 350 per course

• Postgraduate (PG) Applications: INR 500 per course

Note: For the institutional MET exam, the entrance evaluation fee is bundled within the base PG application framework. Admitted students must pay their program fees on the day of their on-campus counseling; extensions are not granted, and missed deadlines result in seat forfeiture. Financial fee concessions are processed for eligible candidates via state-sponsored scholarships and electronic e-grants.

Required Documents

Candidates must prepare digital copies for upload during the application process and bring their original physical documents for verification during counseling.

Digital Upload Specifications:

• Recent passport-size photograph (JPG format, under 1 MB).

• Scanned original Aadhaar Card (JPEG format).

• Available scholastic mark sheets (JPEG or PDF, under 1 MB).

Original Certificates Required for On-Campus Verification:

1. Printed copy of the submitted MSSW Online Application Form.

2. Online Fee Transaction Receipt.

3. SSLC (Class 10th) Mark Sheet (as age and name proof).

4. Higher Secondary Certificate (+2/Class 12th) Mark Sheet.

5. Consolidated Statement of Marks / Semester-wise Mark Sheets (For PG Candidates).

6. Provisional / Degree Certificate issued by the parent university (For PG Candidates).

7. Official Scorecard of CUET-PG 2026 / MET 2026.

8. Transfer Certificate (TC) from the institution last attended.

9. Conduct Certificate from the head of the institution last attended.

10. Permanent Community Certificate issued by the competent Revenue Authority of the Government of Tamil Nadu (if claiming reservation).

11. Income Certificate (where applicable for socio-economic fee waivers).

12. Certificate of Disability issued by a medical board (if applying under the PwD quota).

13. Migration / Eligibility Certificate (for students migrating from boards or universities outside the state of Tamil Nadu or outside the University of Madras jurisdiction).

14. 3 to 4 recent passport-size color photographs.